‘Who is the bad guy in history who isn’t actually a bad guy?’ – 20 unfairly blamed figures from the past
11.
‘Yoko Ono gets unfairly blamed for the breakup of the Beatles. That was strictly on the Beatles themselves.’
–jedzz-reddit
12.
‘I think Oscar Wilde is often seen as a bad guy due to his imprisonment, but his ideas challenged societal norms and continue to inspire many today.’
–PetiteMylis
13.
‘I feel like Nikola Tesla gets painted as a mad scientist sometimes, but honestly, he just wanted to make the world better with free electricity. Dude was super ahead of his time.’
–VeroDesires06
14.
‘Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister of the UK in the 1930’s and was widely blamed for letting the Nazis rise to power as his peace talks with Hitler led to the Germans practically going unopposed until they invaded Poland and started World War II.
Thirty years later, it emerged that Chamberlain knew the Germans were up to no good, but that raising the issue was going to guarantee that World War II would’ve started in 1936 instead of 1939… and that the UK was not prepared for another war after the last one. Those last three years were spent preparing for an inevitable war that was guaranteed and the prep time was necessary for the Allies winning the war later.’
–res30stupid
15.
‘Nero didn’t cause the fire in Rome, wasn’t actually in Rome at the time, and when he found out about it, gave permission to let the refugees from the fire to use the palace grounds while the burnt part of the city was rebuilt.’
–Previous_Yard5795
16.
‘The Persians in 300. Xerxes actually a good ruler especially compared to the Spartans who were horrible.’
–Kindly_Astronomer572
17.
‘Not sure if he is seen as a bad guy because of what he achieved, but many people believe Ernest Shackleton foolishly lead an Antarctic expedition that ended up in dire peril. Everyone was saved (Including the ships cat) through a serious of adventures almost too impossible to believe.
The truth is that Shackleton was asked to lead the expedition but he refused. He said it was the wrong time of year for the voyage and that it would end in disaster. The British Admiralty was so eager for the expedition to go ahead, they sent a different boat and crew.
When word reached Shackleton at his country home, he immediately set off on a rescue mission. Needlessly putting his own life and that of his crew at risk. Those unfamiliar with the rest of the story should investigate. It is possibly the greatest story of survival in the most adverse of conditions in recorded history.’
–Naige2020
18.
‘Napoleon Bonaparte is often viewed as a villain, but some argue he modernized Europe with reforms like the Napoleonic Code, which influenced democratic ideals and legal systems.’
–PetiteKalia
19.
‘Neanderthals. Society likes to call them mindless barbarians but they were smart as us. Plenty of people have neanderthal DNA so we’re technically neanderthal hybrids and by calling them mindless we only insult ourselves.’
–Co9w
20.
‘There’s probably a lot of people who perceive the Native Americans as the bad guys during the whole colonial period. They were very much not the bad guys.’
–FactCheckerJack
And a contentious one …
‘Jar Jar Binks.’
–CrosbyOwnsOvie
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