Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
You may have told your spouse that you did the vacuuming, that your girlfriend does not look fat in her new pants and other smaller lies – but some lies have gone down in history.
We all lie. It’s a basic human instinct.
Whether it’s to make ourselves look better, avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or get out of trouble, you have lied at some point in your life — and if you say “no,” you’re probably lying.
But some lies have gone down in history after they were exposed, and some of the ones on this list have cost countless lives.
#1 Smoking Is Not Addictive
As far back as 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report warning about the dangers of smoking cigarettes — but that didn’t stop cigarette manufacturers from claiming the exact opposite for decades.
As late as 1994, then–CEO of R.J. Reynolds, James W. Johnston, claimed that “cigarette smoking is no more addictive than coffee, tea, or Twinkies.”
#2 The Trojan Horse
Deceit is an important part of warfare to this day, and a lie actually ended the ten-year-long war between the Trojans and the Greeks.
The Trojans believed they had defeated the Greeks when the latter built an enormous wooden horse and placed it at the gates of Troy.
Little did the Trojans know that the horse was filled with Greek soldiers. During the night, the Greeks snuck out of the horse and decisively defeated the Trojans.
#3 The Vermeer Forgeries
The Dutch painter Han van Meegeren managed to trick the entire art world in the early half of the 20th century when he forged a painting titled The Disciples at Emmaus.
The painting was hailed as an authentic work by the late, great Dutch painter Vermeer, and van Meegeren made a fortune producing and selling more fake Vermeers.
#4 The Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme
In 2008, Bernie Madoff admitted that his investment firm was “just one big lie.” That might be a slight understatement, since Madoff confessed to conning about $50 billion from investors over more than a decade.
A Ponzi scheme is characterized by the perpetrator promising large returns to investors, but instead of investing the money, using funds from new investors to pay off earlier ones — while keeping some for himself.
#5 The Study on Vaccines and Autism
In 1998, Andrew Wakefield published a study suggesting a link between vaccines and autism, specifically focusing on the MMR vaccine.
The study had a sample size of only 12 children, and Wakefield — who later lost his medical license — had not obtained the necessary clearance to work with child subjects.
Furthermore, he falsified his results. The study was retracted, and Wakefield became a pariah in the medical community.
#6 Clinton and Lewinsky
This one had to be here, right?
Then-sitting President Bill Clinton lied under oath when he denied having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. But even after the truth came out, Clinton remained in the White House with surprisingly high approval ratings.
#7 The Big Lie of the Nazis
There was nothing new about anti-Semitism in 1930s Germany.
However, the Nazis, under Adolf Hitler’s leadership, perpetuated century-old lies in a massive campaign to convince the German people that Jews were the root of all the nation’s problems.
One of the most outrageous lies, known as “blood libel,” claimed that Jews carried out ritualistic killings of Christian children to use their blood in bread.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
