Best history TV mistakes of all time

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Factual error: "Underground" is set in 1857 Georgia, yet the padded baseball glove August Pullman gives to his son is of a type used during the early 20th century. Before 1883 when padded gloves were first manufactured, gloves were either not used by baseball players or railroad brakeman's gloves were used.

Scott215

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Factual error: In season 1, there is an Egyptian woman wearing ornate jewellery around her head. Unfortunately, at least 3 components are old UK currency coins from the latter half of the 20th century. Clearly visible are copper 2p pieces and one old silver 10p coin. (00:38:40)

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Edward the King picture

Alix - S1-E4

Continuity mistake: When the princess moves between rooms, the door in the first room is left well open, but when the shot changes to the second room, the first door is almost closed. (00:05:40)

PeterNZ

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Poldark picture

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Continuity mistake: When Carolyn and Ennis are racing on the beach, Carolyn in side-saddle has both her legs on the left and for just a couple of split seconds in another shot they're both on the right, and then back on the left again after that.

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Factual error: Both Inspector Shaw and Chief Inspector Bailie wear their medal ribbons in the wrong order. The Golden Jubilee Medal is worn first, followed by the Diamond Jubilee Medal, followed by (for Bailie) the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

Necrothesp

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Factual error: The survivors of the Wormhoudt massacre were not picked up by the same SS soldiers who had carried out the massacre as in the series. They were picked up by a Wehrmacht ambulance unit, which is how they managed to survive to become prisoners of war.

Necrothesp

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Tut (2015)

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Continuity mistake: Tutankhamun and Suhad ride to the Mitanni city on a horse with no equipment at all, not even a saddle. Yet mysteriously when they need to stop for the night a large tent appears out of nowhere.

Necrothesp

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The Sinking of the Laconia picture

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Factual error: The Merchant Navy rank insignia is very poorly researched. Each officer seems to have a different style of insignia, despite working for the same company and they incorrectly wear rank insignia on the shoulders of their blue uniforms as well as the cuffs. The main character, Junior Third Officer Mortimer, wears a bizarre mix of insignia, apparently consisting of a Royal Navy petty officer's sleeve badge, a Royal Navy chief petty officer's cuff buttons, and a rank badge of three inverted chevrons on his shoulder boards that doesn't seem to resemble anything from reality. In reality, he should simply wear a single cuff ring (or shoulder bar in white uniform).

Necrothesp

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Factual error: Sir John Franklin, Francis Crozier and James Fitzjames all wear a crown over an anchor on their epaulettes, the rank badge for a captain with over three years in rank. This is correct for Franklin and Crozier, but Fitzjames only held the rank of commander, and should therefore only be wearing an anchor on his epaulettes.

Necrothesp

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Roots picture

Part 3 - S1-E3

Factual error: At the picnic, a woman says she is going to New York by train. It is 1828. Railway passenger service in the United States did not begin until 1830 and it would not be possible to travel from North Carolina to New York until some years after that.

Necrothesp

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I, Claudius picture

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Revealing mistake: The set where Augustus visits Agrippa on Lesbos for reconciliation is the same set where Augustus already was before - he was there earlier, reading the news of Marcellus' death while he was away from Rome to visit the Eastern provinces. But as stated, he had not visited Lesbos at all, because he and Agrippa had temporarily fallen out. (00:39:30 - 00:41:30)

Spiny Norman

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