George Washington had wooden teeth — Washington's dentures were made of gold, ivory, lead, and human teeth—never wood. The other three are also myths, but wooden teeth is the most pervasive false claim about him.

A courtier invented it to make her look heartless — The quote was fabricated by critics and never spoken by Marie Antoinette. Its origins lie in 18th-century political propaganda designed to damage her reputation.

False, it's too thin to see without optical aid — Astronauts report the wall is barely visible even with cameras and optimal conditions. Its width makes it indistinguishable from natural terrain to the unaided eye.

No, the horned helmet image was invented by 19th-century artists and opera designers — No archaeological evidence supports horned helmets in Viking warfare. Wagner's 1876 opera and later romantic artists popularized this false image.

False, he was average height for the time at about 5'7" — Napoleon stood around 5'7", which was normal for Frenchmen of his period. British propaganda exaggerated his shortness, and the myth persisted for centuries.

She was Egyptian by ancestry and citizenship — Cleopatra was Macedonian Greek, part of the Ptolemaic dynasty. She was not ethnically Egyptian, though she ruled Egypt and adopted its customs.

The turkey, which he called 'a true native of America' — Franklin humorously criticized the eagle in a private letter and suggested the turkey as more emblematic. He never formally proposed this, but the myth persists.

Approximately 20 were executed, mostly by hanging — 20 people were executed during the 1692 Salem trials—19 by hanging and 1 by pressing. The popular myth greatly inflates these numbers.

False, Joseph Heller invented it for his 1961 novel — Heller created 'Catch-22' as fictional terminology for his novel. No such military regulation existed; the term became popular culture only after publication.

He personally invented every patent bearing his name — Edison's lab employed teams of inventors; many patents credited to him were collaborative efforts. He was brilliant but far from a lone genius.

False, it was gradually lost through neglect and multiple incidents over centuries — No single event destroyed the Library. Fires, neglect, political turmoil, and budget cuts gradually led to its loss. The dramatic 'one catastrophe' narrative is a popular myth.

'The Redcoats are out!' or 'The Regulars are coming out!' — Revere likely said 'The Regulars are coming out' to warn of British troops. The famous line was popularized by Longfellow's 1861 poem, not historical fact.

Yes, they burned it as retaliation for American destruction in Canada — British troops deliberately burned the White House in August 1814 as part of their Chesapeake campaign. Madison had already evacuated; no hand-to-hand defense occurred.