The way we really were

by shanna Lynn Fanelli

features editor

Don't know much about history? Well, you're not alone. In fact, many of the teachings and wise words of historical, academic textbooks get their information a bit jumbled. History may repeat itself, but from the way it's been recorded, we wouldn't recognize the repetitions if they happened on our doorstep. Here's a few clarifications and interesting details that were either "forgotten," skipped over, or completely fudged.

Ah, the discovery of a new land, the promise of a fresh start. Welcome to America, Columbus. Unfortunately big boy, you're a tad too late. The first European explorer to have laid eyeballs on the new world is actually norseman Bjarni Herjoefsson, (go ahead, try to pronounce his name) somewhere between 985 and 986. History tends to credit his fellow cow-horn-helmeted norseman Leif Erickson, as sailing his sleek viking ship straight to America's shore first, but he wasn't. In fact, neither bearded men discovered the new world first. Homosapiens who migrated over to the continent about 12,000 years ago did. This group would be known as the Native Americans, who had established settlements and were culturally under way while Europe was still in the dark ages.

Plymouth rock. It's the site where the Pilgrims, escaping religious tyranny, landed and carved out the date, 1620, of their arrival. Maybe. There's no record of that happening. It has actually been discovered that the carving was done 100 years later, probably by a member of the First Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. This would be your early advertising and public relations folks.

Please take note that the French and Indian War was not between the french and Indians. It was actually the french and Indians working together as allies against the english for control of colonies.

The King will be responsible for slave trade. A European law? No. It's actually a sentence that was deleted in Thomas Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of Independence. The delegates of Congress, in a moment of "what is he thinking?" decided that this just wouldn't do. They also made an adjustment and got rid of the "King" part too, but not because they had just finished fighting a huge war for independence with a chance to create a "one country, under God, with liberty and justice for all" deal. It was because the man approached for the position couldn't make up bis mind. Not wanting to be governed by someone who had a tough time making decisions, Washington won a popular vote and was sworn into the Presidents seat on April 30, 1789. All together now, "this land is your land, this land is my land, ..."