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America: Facts vs. Fiction

America: Facts vs. Fiction

Filling in the holes, debunking the myths and making whole the half-truths of history is the essence of "America: Facts vs. Fiction." Hosted by former naval officer and actor Jamie Kaler, the series digs deep into many myths and legends to explore how and why historical details are sometimes altered to produce a more compelling narrative. Paul Revere, for example, didn't gallop through Middlesex County shouting, "The British are coming!" to warn residents of the impending war, and similarly juicy details tied to other events and people have been lost, distorted, covered up or simply ignored as years passed. Kaler, by the way, is best known as an actor for his role in the TBS comedy "My Boys."
4 seasonsDocumentary, HistoryTV-PG
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Season 18 of 8 Episodes

  • How Apollo 11 made it home because of a pen; Air Force One is a code name.

  • Learn who else rode with Paul Revere; George Washington wasn't the first President.

  • The Pilgrim Thanksgiving was about fasting; the only witchcraft in Salem was done by young girls.

  • The origins of Halloween; the truth behind Edgar Allan Poe.

  • Thomas Edison and the light bulb; Ben Franklin and electricity.

  • Franklin Roosevelt may not have had polio; Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy don't have much in common.

  • Christopher Columbus never stepped foot in North America; Hernán Cortés didn't defeat the Aztecs by himself.

  • A woman is the driving force behind completing the Brooklyn Bridge; Route 66 wasn't built from scratch.

Record to Watch Later

52 episodes will be broadcast over the next two weeks

    Booze and Bullets
    Conquering the Sky
    Patton and Grant
    Trick or Treat
    Presidential Conspiracies
    The New World
    Roadside Stories
    Flying Machines
    Founding Fathers
    Pilgrims and Witches
  • Booze and Bullets

    Surprising truths about Prohibition and infamous figures of the Roaring Twenties and 1930s, including gangster John Dillinger and outlaw duo Bonnie and Clyde.
    Upcoming
  • Conquering the Sky

    Pioneering aviators; the myths about the Wright Brothers' airplane; the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
    Upcoming
  • Patton and Grant

    The truth about America's greatest generals is obscured by myth. Learn that George Patton's nickname 'Blood and Guts' doesn't mean what you might think and that Ulysses S. Grant's reputation as a drunk and a butcher is undeserved.
    Upcoming
  • Trick or Treat

    The origins of Halloween; the truth behind Edgar Allan Poe.
    Upcoming
  • Presidential Conspiracies

    Franklin Roosevelt may not have had polio; Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy don't have much in common.
    Upcoming
  • The New World

    Christopher Columbus never stepped foot in North America; Hernán Cortés didn't defeat the Aztecs by himself.
    Upcoming
America: Facts vs. Fiction

More about America: Facts vs. Fiction

Filling in the holes, debunking the myths and making whole the half-truths of history is the essence of "America: Facts vs. Fiction." Hosted by former naval officer and actor Jamie Kaler, the series digs deep into many myths and legends to explore how and why historical details are sometimes altered to produce a more compelling narrative. Paul Revere, for example, didn't gallop through Middlesex County shouting, "The British are coming!" to warn residents of the impending war, and similarly juicy details tied to other events and people have been lost, distorted, covered up or simply ignored as years passed. Kaler, by the way, is best known as an actor for his role in the TBS comedy "My Boys."

Starring

Jamie Kaler

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