The History Channel...Believe it or not!

"There's no history on the History Channel" has been one of my mantras for years. There's really little need to prove the truth of the statement. If one suffers through a few hours of the channel's programming, the distortions and weirdness of its "history" are apparent.

But a few weeks ago the network outdid itself. On July 3, the anniversary of the end of the Civil War's Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, the History Channel tweeted a brief story celebrating the battle, but included a picture of George Washington taking command of the Continental Army in 1775 at the start of the Revolutionary War (see below). I guess the historians at the History Channel just got a bit confused. Hey, if you've seen one war, you've seen 'em all.

Okay, I'll admit this error was likely made by some poorly educated summer intern, but just glance at the network's line-up of shows. Do you see much actual history there? Today, for example, once one eliminates several hours of "Top Gear," even more hours of "American Pickers," we're left with "Holy Grail in America" and "Quest for the Lost Ark." Now that's some serious history.