9. The Pilgrim Look
Source: Wikipedia
Ask someone to describe a pilgrim and they will likely speak of a person dressed in simple black and white garments with buckles and a large hat (called a capotain). That is how we think all the pilgrims who came to America dressed. In reality, though, pilgrims had a much better dress sense.
They came from England so they dressed in Elizabethan clothes common in that era. Records from the Mayflower such as wills and cargo logs give us a good idea of pilgrim fashion. They liked colorful clothing and brought dyes with them to the New World. They also didn’t wear buckles because these were an expensive accessory. Laces were cheaper and more readily available.
10. Abner Doubleday and Baseball
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Source: Today I Found Out
Abner Doubleday is routinely touted as the inventor of baseball, but there is little, if any, historical evidence to back that claim. Much like Betsy Ross and the flag, Doubleday had a good story which trounced the truth. When baseball started getting really popular, there was actually a committee called the Mills Commission organized with the purpose of tracking down the origins of this sport.
One of the men on that commission, Albert Spalding, hated that baseball was seen as a variation on the English game of rounders. He wanted this new beloved pastime to be 100% American. and Doubleday’s story fit the bill perfectly. Here we have a decorated Civil War general who created the sport in his youth living in a small town in New York. It was perfect!
Expand your history knowledge even further with these interesting events you may not have been taught in school. Then, read these facts about American history you probably never knew.
