It's hard enough to know, as a women's history student or teacher or researcher, that so much of the historical record ignored women, and so "her story" is hard to find. But then, sometimes, you run into information that "everyone knows" but it just ain't so. I think that's just as bad!
With each story, you'll find the best information I could dig up on each of these "Ain't So Stories." Also: an opportunity to share your favorite, true or false.
Bra Burning
I found a new book recently on women's history -- in general, a good overview, designed for high school or college introductory courses, judging from the level of writing. But there it was, in a chapter on the 60s feminist movement: a reference to feminist bra-burning. I wanted to scream!Jane Fonda and the POWs
The email -- circulating now for more than 10 years -- claims that Jane Fonda is responsible for turning in POWs for trying to pass information to her, and for the deaths of two specific servicemen.Lady Godiva's Ride
According to legend, Leofric, the Anglo-Saxon earl of Mercia, imposed heavy taxes on his subjects. Lady Godiva, his wife, protested the taxes by riding nude on horseback through the town of Coventry, after first proclaiming that all citizens should stay inside.Was Cleopatra Black?
Writers argue back and forth: was Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt and Egypt's last Pharaoh, a black African queen? We know she was an African queen -- after all, Egypt is in Africa. But was she black?Rule of Thumb for Wife-Beating
"Rule of thumb" is a rude reference to an old law permitting men to beat their wives with a stick no thicker than a thumb, right?Pope Joan
Sometime around the thirteenth century, a story was published about a Pope who turned out to be a woman. During the Reformation, it was circulated widely among Protestants -- one more reason to find the Papacy fallible, even ridiculous. What better evidence that the Papacy was flawed, than that it could have failed to detect that one of its Popes was a woman!Pocahontas Saving Captain John Smith from Execution
A picturesque story: Captain John Smith is innocently exploring the new land, when he is taken captive by the great Indian chief Powhatan. He is positioned on the ground, with his head on a stone, and Indian warriors are poised to club Smith to death. Suddenly, Powhatan's daughter appears, throws herself on Smith, and positions her head above his. Powhatan relents, and allows Smith to go on his way.Why Was "Sex" Added to the 1964 Civil Rights Act?
Was sex added to the 1964 Civil Rights Act in order to defeat the bill? Was the addition of "sex" discrimination a big joke, greeted by gales of laughter? Read about the adding of women's rights to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- the real story.
