Books of history trivia, misconceptions, and little-known facts

          The "good old days" weren't that good. The Pilgrims didn't land at Plymouth Rock. Teddy Roosevelt didn't charge up San Juan Hill. Horace Greeley never said, "Go west, young man, go west." Charles C. Pinckney never said, "Million for defense, but not one cent for tribute." There is no record of a gunfight at high-noon. Eli Whitney didn't invent the cotton gin, and Robert Fulton didn't invent the steam engine (although they did contribute toward perfecting them). Almost no one today would have ever heard of Paul Revere but for Longfellow's poem. American Independence wasn't declared on on July 4th. Several rags-to-riches stories need to be debunked. Shenkman backs up his claims with a 27-page bibliography.

• One-Night Stands With American History: Odd, Amusing, and Little-Known Incidents; by Richard Shenkman and Kurt E. Reiger
• Not So! -- Popular Myths About America's Past from Columbus to Clinton; by Paul F. Boller
• They Never Said It : A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Mis-Leading Attributions, by Paul F. Boller and John George (hardcover only)
• Lies My Teacher Told Me -- Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong; by James W. Loewen
• 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About American History; by John Arthur Garraty