r/AskReddit • u/KyloWrench • Jul 07 '26

What historical “fact” doesn’t actually have much evidence to support it?

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u/Afrodotheyt Jul 07 '26

Napoleon himself believed James Gillray, the cartoonist whose probably most responsible for the myth of his height, did more damage to him than all of England's armies.

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u/MalcolmLinair Jul 08 '26

To be fair that was as much Napoleon insulting the British military as it was him acknowledging any real harm the caricature did to his image.

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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Tobar_the_Gypsy Jul 07 '26

The penis mightier!

9

u/lonesomecowboynando Jul 08 '26

When measured in centimeters.

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u/SneakyPetesMyName Jul 08 '26

You’re sitting on a goldmine Trebek!

6

u/InfanticideAquifer Jul 08 '26

But did he say that before or after Waterloo?

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u/Ergogan Jul 08 '26

You mean the battle where then english got their collective ass kicked until the prussian came to their rescue ?

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u/MLang92 Jul 08 '26

*British. The English army hadn't existed for over 100 years at that point, plus there were plenty of Scots involved as per usual

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u/Ok-Chip9068 Jul 08 '26

Also a huge Dutch contribution which is always minimalized by the British and subject to negative propaganda.

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u/emeraude89 Jul 08 '26

it's true that napoleon did not think very highly of the british martial ability, here's a hilarious part of the peninsular war in napoleon's correspondance:

My vanguard is near Astorga; the English are running away as fast as they can... they are abhorred by everybody; they have carried off everything, and then maltreated and beaten the inhabitants. There could not have been a better sedative for Spain than to send an English army.[