Best history movie factual errors of all time

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The Wooden Horse picture

Factual error: When the two escapees from the POW camp are in the anchor room of the ship they are on, they leave the harbour and the pilot boat leaves them, but then the chain for the anchor goes out, but they are moving away from the port, why on earth would they be dropping the anchor? If anything they would make sure that all the chain is in the anchor room and the anchor would be on deck.

kh1616

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Chappaquiddick picture

Factual error: The accident takes place the night of July 18, 1969, and they show there being a full moon. That night the moon was actually waxing crescent with only 14% visible, and set at 10:27pm while the accident happened about 12:45am, so there was no moon in the sky anyway.

jimba

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Elvis & Nixon picture

Factual error: The limo shown is a 1990 (or later) Cadillac. It has large halogen headlamps and not the dual headlamps of a 70-71.

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211 (2018)

211 picture

Factual error: The vehicles in the convoy are supposed to be armored since the bullet fired by 50 BMG was absorbed into the glass. First off the vehicles are standard, not up armored since the windows are standard factory and not thick ones used in up-armored cars. The highest rated armored car is B7 which will stop armor piercing not 50 BMG. Also, the windows completely shatter after being shot out; armored windows will never shatter, they stick together and chip off. (00:03:00 - 00:05:00)

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Victoria and Abdul picture

Factual error: Performing for Queen Victoria is the famous opera composer Giacomo Puccini. This happens during her sojourn in Florence in 1888. Puccini was born in 1858, so he was barely thirty years of age, but the actor portraying him, Simon Callow, is in his late 60s (and it shows). Moreover, he is presenting his latest creation "Manon Lescaut"; in 1888 he hadn't even started working on it.

Sammo

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Conspiracy picture

Factual error: All SS members have right collar tabs, except Heinrich Müller. His rank at that time was SS-Gruppenführer, same as Otto Hofmann, but his collar tab corresponds to SS-Brigadeführer (one step lower). For addition, the collar tabs of some general ranks changed after April 1942. The conference took place in January 1942, so they have older versions. But as I wrote, Müller and Hofmann were at the same rank, so the tabs should look the same.

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The Fall of the Roman Empire picture

Factual error: In reality, Commodus did not die in the arena - he was strangled in his apartments in 192 A.D. by an athlete who was hired by a group of Senators conspiring against him.

wizard_of_gore

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Sharpe's Challenge picture

Factual error: Sharpe follows a wagonload of powder kegs into the Western Gatehouse, then down a corridor lit with torches, to the end of the corridor where Indians were tying together quickmatch, once again by torchlight. With the propensity for powder kegs to leak, even an Indian subadar would use closed lanterns.

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Secretariat picture

Factual error: When Secretariat crosses the finish line, that finish line pole is not from Belmont, that finish line pole is from Keeneland.

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Judgment at Nuremberg picture

Factual error: The Mercedes-Benz car in which Judge Haywood is driven to his house shows a license plate with black letters on white background and country plate "D." This was not correct at that time: it should have been white letters on a black background, no country plate. (00:04:09)

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Female Agents picture

Factual error: The agents fly to France on an American C47 from Tempsford. Tempsford was an RAF Special Operations airfield and only British aircraft flew from there, but an American Mustang Fighter and Texan Trainer are on the airfield as well as American servicemen. The Texan is in pre-war markings, and the USAAC never flew them in the UK. The C47 has "Invasion Stripes" not used until the 6th of June, and has a "Star and Bar" on both upper wings when it should only have been one.

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From the Earth to the Moon picture

Factual error: When the command module, with the engine shut down, is in earth or lunar orbit or in trans lunar coast (external shot), you hear a rumbling sound. It's in a non powered coast, so there shouldn't be any engine noise.

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Kursk picture

Factual error: When the saturation divers open the outer hatch on Kursk, they drop a glow stick. When they do, it falls to the floor on the submarine, indicating the inner hatch was open. The inner hatch of Kursk was closed, later opened by an ROV.

Matdan97

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Ironclad picture

Factual error: William d'Aubigny was not killed during the siege. He survived to support John's son, Henry III.

Necrothesp

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Anthropoid picture

Factual error: The jacket blurb and plot synopsis for "Anthropoid" are historically and factually incorrect in stating that Heydrich was "third in command" of Nazi Germany. He was not; there was a chain of Nazi hierarchy above him and any historian of Nazi Germany will verify that. Unfortunately, Rotten Tomatoes perpetuates this inaccuracy by using the same jacket blurb in its own plot summary of the movie.

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Land of Mine picture

Factual error: The bunkers which are visible in the movie have not been prepped to look how they should in the years after the war. They would have been plastered and painted, not looking old and rusty as they appear in the movie.

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Silence picture

Factual error: When the characters are drowning on stakes in the ocean there is a modern yacht in the background.

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Selma picture

Factual error: As the marchers start through the streets before they gather at the Edmund Pettis Bridge, they pass by a shop with a Pepsi sign. The Pepsi logo, however, is from the 1980s-1990s.

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Confirmation picture

Factual error: When Anita Hill is in her hotel room waiting to testify she is watching the Texas v. OU football game. In the movie the date for that scene is Friday, October 11, 1991. The Texas v. OU football game was played on Saturday, October 12, 1991.

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