American Myths Part One: Revere, Betsy Ross, Washington & Franklin – EP 158

http://www.patreon.com/theconspiracypodcast In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, Eric, Jorge, and Sean are taking on some of the most famous stories in American history — and asking a simple question: are they actually true? Paul Revere’s midnight ride. Betsy Ross and the first American flag. George Washington and the cherry tree. Benjamin Franklin flying a kite in a lightning storm. These are the stories every American learns as a kid, the legends that show up on murals and coins and every Fourth of July without fail. But what if most of them were invented? Not exaggerated — invented. By poets, booksellers, and loyal grandsons who needed a good story and weren’t above making one up. The real versions are messier, stranger, and in at least one case involved two men in Europe who didn’t survive trying to replicate the experiment. The guys dig into who actually built these myths, when, and why — and what the real stories look like underneath them. Turns out 250 years of American history comes with a lot of fine print. Part Two drops next week.