Being famous probably isn’t as comfortable as everyone claims. Everyone knows who you are, everyone watches your every move. Some people can reach a level of fame that makes their name transcend time itself, being known by many generations after their death. Usually this is because they did something truly unique in their lives.
But what if you’re famous for something you didn’t do? That must suck, right? Enjoy these examples below.
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson didn’t actually invent his iconic moonwalk. In fact, many people used it before MJ turned it into one of the most recognizable moves in modern dance. Even James Brown – who can hardly be called anonymous – had moonwalked before Michael attempted it.
Pythagoras
If you hate the Pythagorean theorem, you don’t hate Pythagoras: he never invented it. History shows that the theorem was known and widely used almost 1000 years before Pythagoras was even born.
Caesar
Despite having a huge impact on history, Julius Caesar was never Emperor of Rome. He actually declared himself Dictator-for-life, which is quite something different. He also didn’t invent the Caesar salad, but I’m guessing most people knew that.
Christopher Columbus
We all grow up learning that Christopher Columbus was the first to test the theory that the Earth was round, but this had actually been known two millennia before his journey west. The discovery of Earth being round is probably more something Aristotle did than Columbus.
Shakespeare
It was one of his most famous poems, but William Shakespeare didn’t write Hamlet at all. It was actually influenced by a legend written by Saxo Grammaticus, who was Danish. This Norse legend told the tale of Amleth (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?) and had pretty much the same story as Hamlet did.
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
Joseph-Ignace didn’t invent the guillotine, despite it being almost literally named after him. They gave the machine of death his name because it was created and perfected because of Guillotin’s quest for a more “humane” method of performing capital punishment.
