Rare News Desk
The whole point of landmarks is that they let you know at least one thing about a place you’ve never been. Maybe you’ve never set foot in New York, but you know you’ll find the Statue of Liberty there, welcoming immigrants. Go to Stonehenge and you’ll find a bunch of rocks the ancient druids put there for some reason. But, as with anything else we think we know, the most basic facts about famous landmarks turn out to be mostly wrong.
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#5. No, There Isn’t an American Flag Standing on the Moon
NASA
The Myth:
On the gray, desolate surface of the moon, you’ll find a vivid symbol of freedom: the American flag, planted into the lunar surface by Neil Armstrong. Its stars and stripes offer both a promise of freedom and the message that if anyone drives recklessly past the flag on their way to Earth, they can soon look forward to being punched in the face by Will Smith.
In fact, given the number of Apollo missions, there should be half a dozen or so flags on the moon now, making its surface more visibly American than a NASCAR race on Independence Day.
But Actually …
According to Buzz Aldrin, he and Neil Armstrong accidentally placed the original American flag too close to their spacecraft, and when they took off, the flag was blown away. Whoops.
NASA
The film crew was already on overtime, so the director decided to wrap instead of shooting the scene again.
It’s true that subsequent flags planted by astronauts are still standing, but the message we’re sending out to any passing aliens is less “America, fuck yeah!” than “WE SURRENDER.”
Which is to say, they’re not American flags anymore, just hunks of white cloth. You know how dye tends to fade in the sunlight, like when depressing old video stores used to leave their movie posters in the window too long? Well, when you leave fabric outside on a barren space-rock without the protection provided by the atmosphere, it fades even quicker. All the American flags lost their colors a long time ago, and are now a surrender-friendly shade of white.
NASA via Gizmodo
“Look! The Earthlings are displaying the white flag of war! Man your battle stations!”
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing: If alien invaders do stop there first, perhaps it will make them let their guard down.
#4. No, Stonehenge Wasn’t Built by Druids
The Myth:
Stonehenge, the mysterious giant monument in England that looks like a drunken domino game played by God, is a work of the druids — the priestly caste of an ancient Celtic tribe — for use in their mysterious ceremonies. This Stonehenge/druid connection pops up everywhere, from the Spinal Tap movie to real-life seasonal druidic ceremonies at Stonehenge, which have been going on since the early 20th century and offer a slightly more socially acceptable way to dress up in white robes and call yourself a wizard.
But Actually …
The fact is, no one knows much about the people who built Stonehenge. The builders didn’t leave any written documents or little self-portraits carved into the rocks or anything. We do know one thing, though: It wasn’t the druids. Carbon dating puts the finished monument centuries before the Celtic tribe with druid priests even arrived in Britain, and since it took over 1,000 years to build, we’re pretty sure that means they weren’t around during the initial building consultations.
