10 Dumbest Myths About Iconic Wonders

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5 – Mount Everest,

5c

  • Renowned for its height and treachery, Mount Everest measures 29,035 feet high and has claimed many climbers’ lives through falls, dysentery, glacial ice collapses, hypothermia, and pulmonary and cerebral oedema.
  • But despite the popular myth, Everest isn’t a technically difficult climb. More than 5,000 people have done it – some as many as twenty-one times. K2 and the neighbouring Mount Nuptse are much trickier climbs, as they are consistently steeper and offer few safe places to camp.
  • Another misconception is that Everest is found in the wilderness, but its city-like base camp is actually very well-equipped, with wide-screen TVs, espresso bars, ATMs and internet cafés. Helicopters and hotel construction can always be heard, and there’s a fully staffed hospital, communications, commissary, kitchen and mess tents. There was even a whiskey-tasting yurt and nightclub in 2012.

4 – Taj Mahal,

4b

  • Built in the 1600s, the Taj Mahal was designed as a mausoleum where Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Emperor Shah Jahan, would be laid to rest. The monument was made of white marble and was famous for its symmetry and complex engineering.
  • There are rumours that the emperor originally planned to build an ambitious second structure. Supposedly the sister structure would’ve been separated from the first by a river, made of black marble for contrast, and would be the resting place of the emperor’s remains.
  • Ruins in the river and evidence of black marble seemed to validate this theory and some suggested construction of the second tower was interrupted when the emperor’s son took over and presumedly wanted to build a skate park.
  • However, scientists say the black marble formed naturally and that the emperor would’ve had plenty of time to complete this project if he’d seriously intended it.

3 – Great Wall of China,

3c

  • The Great Wall of China is home to many different myths. The most popular is that it’s the only man-made object visible from outer space, which is completely false and sounds like advertising hyperbole.
  • Another much more macabre myth is that hundreds of thousands of dead labourers are buried within the wall itself. Many were made to work on the wall against their will – often in unbearable conditions. It cost many lives, but experts believe it’s extremely unlikely that bodies are stored within the wall as decomposition would have created air pockets and weakened the structure.
  • Many would’ve died during construction, but it’s much likelier they would’ve dug mass graves to drop the dead into. The idea that the dead were entombed within the walls is absurdly impractical. Like communism.

2 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa,

2d

  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a peculiar piece of architecture that attracts many visitors and myths. Some say it’s on its last legs and may not survive 2016, but this simply isn’t true as officials are keeping a vigilant watch on its lean.
  • Construction of the tower began in 1173 and it soon started to lean because it’d been built on unstable soil. Instead of aborting the project, building continued and the seven-story structure was finished around 1370.
  • The myth that the tower was designed to lean is untrue; it was more of a happy accident the engineers went along with, as Tuscan officials quickly realised the unusual lean would attract tourists.
  • The tower had to be closed for repairs in 1990. Engineers worked to stabilise the foundation to prevent irreparable damage. Now thousands flock to Pisa each year to take cheesy photos of themselves ‘holding up’ the tower.

1 – The Colosseum,

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  • Rome’s Colosseum is home to several myths and misconceptions.
  • According to one belief, the emperor gave a crude thumbs-up or down whenever he wanted a gladiator to kill his enemy. That might be how it goes in Hollywood, but in real life the emperor signalled with an open or closed hand. Open meant ‘spare his life’ while a closed fist meant ‘living time is over!’
  • Another popular myth is that Roman authorities used to herd Christians into the arena to feed them to the lions. There are no legitimate record exists of Romans executing a Christian in the Colosseum but the idea that martyrs, saints and apostles were murdered to appease Colosseum crowds came from early Christian writers.
  • In the second century A.D., several stories about the church’s beginnings cropped up, with heroic folk professing their faith as they faced horrible adversity and suffering. These ‘Martyr Acts’ were completely fictitious and told stories of good, pure Christians being ruthlessly decapitated by Roman officials.
  • Although historically inaccurate, these Christian works helped preserve a historic landmark because various Eighteenth Century popes used them to argue that the Colosseum site was sanctified with the blood of martyrs and keep it from being torn down.

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