Only History Buffs Will Know the Fact from Fiction in these Unbelievable Stories

1. John Wayne Became a Superpatriot to Atone For Having Ducked Service During WWII

John Wayne never got over the humiliation of having been mocked and booed off the stage by US Marines during WWII. As a matter of fact, he ended up developing a serious guilt complex for having not only refused to sign up to fight during the war but for having actively gone out of his way to avoid fighting. It was key to the public image he sought to project thereafter. It also played no small part in his starring in numerous testosterone-drenched war movies throughout the rest of his career.

The psychological storms raging within must have been something, as Wayne played manly heroic characters on screen, whom he wished he had been like in real life. Four years after WWII, Wayne played a grizzled combat Marine sergeant in The Sands of Iwo Jima. He nailed it and got a best actor Oscar nomination for the effort. As Wayne’s third wife put it: “He would become a ‘superpatriot’ for the rest of his life, trying to atone for staying at home“. Despite having avoided service during WWII when he was of age to do so, Wayne enthusiastically encouraged others – especially during the Vietnam War – to serve in the military.

Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading

92 Moose FM, February 28^th, 2014 – Betty White Is Older Than Sliced Bread! That & Other Fun ‘Time Facts’

Ancient History Encyclopedia – Donation of Constantine

Atlantic, The, December, 2017 – How John Wayne Became a Hollow Masculine Icon

Encyclopedia Britannica – Donation of Constantine

History – 9 Things You May Not Know About the Oregon Trail

Hari, Johann – Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs (2016)

History Collection – Popular Historic Facts That are Actually False

IEEE Spectrum – Columbus’ Geographical Miscalculations

Live Science – Top 5 Misconceptions About Columbus

Mandatory – Just the Fax: The Strange History Behind the Telephonic Transmission of Printed Materials

Miedzian, Myriam – Boys Will be Boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence (2015)