Category:
Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension

The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence



An honest mistaken memory, or a deliberate hoax to cash in on the early glamour of the American Revolution? You decide!

The Wikipedia page.

History Channel account.


The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is a text published in 1819 with the claim that it was the first declaration of independence made in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. It was supposedly signed on May 20, 1775, in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a committee of citizens of Mecklenburg County, who declared independence from Great Britain after hearing of the battle of Lexington. If the story is true, the Mecklenburg Declaration preceded the United States Declaration of Independence by more than a year. The authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration has been disputed since it was published, forty-four years after it was reputedly written. There is no verifiable evidence to confirm the original document's existence and no reference to it has been found in extant newspapers from 1775.[citation needed]

Professional historians have maintained that the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is an inaccurate rendering of an authentic document known as the Mecklenburg Resolves. The Mecklenburg Resolves were a set of radical resolutions passed on May 31, 1775, that fell short of an actual declaration of independence. Although published in newspapers in 1775, the text of the Mecklenburg Resolves was lost after the American Revolution and not rediscovered until 1838. Historians believe that the Mecklenburg Declaration was written in 1800 in an attempt to recreate the Mecklenburg Resolves from memory. According to this theory, the author of the Mecklenburg Declaration mistakenly believed that the Resolves had been a declaration of independence, and so he recreated the Resolves with language borrowed from the United States Declaration of Independence. Defenders of the Mecklenburg Declaration have argued that both the Mecklenburg Declaration and the Mecklenburg Resolves are authentic.


Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 12, 2019 - Comments (0)
Category: Antiques, Anachronisms and Throwbacks, Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Government, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Politics, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century

The CSS Shenandoah

The ship that continued to fight the Civil War after the surrender of the South.




From the Wikipedia entry:

On June 27, 1865, he learned from a prize, the Susan & Abigail, that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia. Her captain produced a San Francisco newspaper reporting the flight from Richmond, Virginia, of the Confederate Government 10 weeks previously. However, the newspaper also contained Confederate President Jefferson Davis's proclamation that the "war would be carried on with re-newed vigor."[9] Waddell then captured 10 more whalers in the space of 7 hours just below the Arctic Circle.

On August 3, 1865, Waddell finally learned of the war's end when he met at sea the Liverpool barque Barracouta, which was bound for San Francisco.[10] He received the devastating news of the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston's army on April 26, Kirby Smith's army's surrender on May 26, and crucially the capture of President Davis and a part of his cabinet. Captain Waddell then knew the war was over.[9]

Captain Waddell lowered his Confederate flag, and the CSS Shenandoah underwent physical alteration. Her guns were dismounted and stored below deck, and her hull was painted to look like an ordinary merchant vessel.


Article here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 02, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, War, Nineteenth Century

Special Chinese Kid’s Book



Who could resist spending $57.40 plus $10.00 shipping for a book with this description:

Turtle with a small purple alien friend scientific expedition. Crossing the Sea like Crossing the Sea two stories travel the world. Little Turtle purple alien with friends explore the ocean together. they saw the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. but dangerous whale is near! Little purple alien turtles have a friend who has a cool graduated spaceship! Spaceship. turtles and small purple alien friends a series of scientific adventures. They leap into space. understanding the mystery of the eight planets; they cross the center of the earth. after a dangerous volcanoes . But not all smooth sailing expedition. when they go to sea. but accidentally be swallowed into the stomach.


Item is here at time of posting.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 02, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Books, Asia, Mistranslations

A Shiny New Conspiracy Theory

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A new nut job conspiracy theory has hatched recently. Apparently the handful of Walmart stores that were closed unexpectedly are supposedly tied to a military operation called Jade Helm. The operation has something to do with declairing martial law by summer. Or the stores have plumbing issues that require closing up to make proper repairs. You know, one or the other.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 23, 2015 - Comments (11)
Category: Annoying Things, Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Delusions, Fantasies and Other Tricks of the Imagination, Surrealism, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists

Anti-Vaxxers

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Picture one is a child with measles. Picture two is a child with smallpox. The only study to vilify vaccines has been completely debunked and yet supposedly loving and intelligent parents are denying their children the protection of vaccinations. These people also put others at risk with this irresponsible choice. The scientific community is at a loss as to how to reverse this dangerous trend. Meanwhile pop culture icons weigh in on a subject they have no expertise about and influence decisions that damage society as a whole and children especially.
Government needs to step in for public safety before these diseases take hold in the general population unnecessarily. Parents are being threatened with having their children taken away for letting them walk to the park unaccompanied yet refusing the protection of vaccinations is being allowed. We are down the rabbit hole on this issue.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 04, 2015 - Comments (25)
Category: Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Medicine, Surrealism, Can’t Possibly Be True, More Things To Worry About, Diseases, Disease

Abstract Controversy

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This painting was commissioned and displayed in a public building in the 1960s. It immediately aroused ire and controversy and disgust. Can you guess why?

Answer after the jump.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 20, 2013 - Comments (7)
Category: Art, Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Death, Politics, 1960s

A Sticky Situation

In this day and age if you are going to make maple syrup you should probably let the neighbors know about it. Otherwise they may misconstrue all the containers and paraphenailia for a meth lab. Giving SWAT some homemade syrup was a nice touch.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 17, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension

Pistol-packing Teacher

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I'm very proud this incident is part of my home state's history.

From The New York Times for January 12, 1923.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Nov 15, 2012 - Comments (5)
Category: Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Education, 1920s, Alcohol

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Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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