Amazing true stories about Shakespeare, Hiawatha, Homer, George Washington, and more.
If you like to think of Shakespeare only as a brilliant bard, or prefer only to know Pythagoras by his math skills, then you might want to put this book down. Seriously. Because this book is about to change your idea of history. But if you like a little controversy, or want to impress your parents and friends with some little-known tidbits of historical drama, then Famous Phonies: Legends, Fakes, and Frauds Who Changed History is for you.
Over the centuries, plenty of scandals, swindles, and skeletons have passed under historyâs radar and missed out on being included in your textbook. (Weâre looking at you, George âI cannot tell a lieâ Washington.) Some of the biggest names in history can be found between these pagesâand the light isnât flattering. These figures are lucky that prime-time TV and all-access internet didnât exist in Ancient Greece, Renaissance Europe, medieval England, or Revolutionary America, or else they could have kissed their sterling reputations goodbye. Famous Phonies: Legends, Fakes, and Frauds Who Changed History explores the underbelly of history, making you question everything you thought you knew about historyâs finest. Follow the fake lives of these twelve history-changers to uncover the fabrications of the famous and the should-be-famous!
So, if you can handle it, take a peek at inside. Some of the famous âphoniesâ covered in this book include:
George Washington Pythagoras Hiawatha Gilgamesh Confucius Major William Martin William Shakespeare Pope Joan Homer Prester John Huangdi The Turk