enter at your own risk

Introduction

Caution: Extremely Controversial

If you’re looking for witty sayings by Confucius or electrifying tales of George Washington’s brilliance, you’ve got the wrong book. Sure, those famous guys are in here, but it’d be dull as rocks to rehash stuff you’ve already learned. Besides, there’s something those other books didn’t tell you about these fabulously famous figures. They never existed.

Ah, got your attention, did I?

It’s not as easy as all that, of course. Your teachers aren’t out to scam you so don’t throw out your history books just yet. As usual, the truth isn’t black and white. Many of the figures in this book were real people. They lived and breathed, just like you and me. Only, they weren’t exactly the brilliant figures we learn about in school. Some were fake; some were phony; and some were just plain made up. The people who were once real have been crushed by their own legends long ago. Today, we actually think the legends are the real deal.

They aren’t.

This book isn’t trying to get rid of anybody’s beloved Bard or peace-loving cannibal, but it is trying to expand your knowledge about history. So if controversy makes your skin tingle and mysteries make your head ache, this may not be the book for you. It’s chock full of both. But if you want to know who really wrote Homer’s epics, or how Shakespeare could possibly be a big, fat phony, then dive in and enjoy another side of history’s movers and shakers.