The Wild West you picture (red buttes, a lone hero, a squinting gunslinger in a poncho) was mostly made up for the cameras.

Connor Tomlinson, a lifelong Western fan, finds out how much of what he loves was staged. Carter Roy walks us through three fakes that built the Wild West:

The landscape. In 1938, a broke trading-post owner drove to Hollywood with $60 and a folder of photos. Because of that trip, one valley on the Navajo Nation stood in for Texas, Kansas, Tombstone and the whole frontier for decades.

The legend. High Noon is the most celebrated Western ever made, and it was secretly about the Hollywood blacklist. Its writer was blacklisted while he wrote it. John Wayne called it “un-American,” and it went on to become a favorite of presidents.

The cowboy himself. The movie that invented the modern cowboy had an Italian director, a Spanish desert, German money, a Japanese story, and a TV actor nobody else wanted, all sold under fake American names.

Which fake did the most to build the West in your head?

New episodes every Wednesday. Head over to our What the Fact YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatTheFactPod

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What the Fact is hosted by Connor Tomlinson & Carter Roy

• Instagram: @connortomlinson5 | @carterproy

Head over to our What the Fact YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatTheFactPod

If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow What the Fact to never miss an episode! What the Fact is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.

Follow us on Social

• Instagram: @RewindStudios
• TikTok: @RewindStudios

What the Fact is hosted by Connor Tomlinson & Carter Roy

• Instagram: @connortomlinson5 | @carterproy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An elephant skull may have created the Cyclops. The Minotaur’s labyrinth was based on a palace you can still visit today. And one of Greek mythology’s most terrifying monsters may have actually started as a good luck charm.

Connor Tomlinson and Carter Roy dig into the surprising real-world origins behind the Cyclops, the Minotaur, and Medusa. From ancient fossils and a lost civilization to a terrifying face Greeks once used for protection, these monsters may not have been completely made up after all.

Which origin story do you find the most convincing? Drop your vote in the comments.

New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one.

Head over to our What the Fact YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatTheFactPod

If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow What the Fact to never miss an episode! What the Fact is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.

Follow us on Social

• Instagram: @RewindStudios
• TikTok: @RewindStudios

What the Fact is hosted by Connor Tomlinson & Carter Roy

• Instagram: @connortomlinson5 | @carterproy

Head over to our What the Fact YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatTheFactPod

If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow What the Fact to never miss an episode! What the Fact is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.

Follow us on Social

• Instagram: @RewindStudios
• TikTok: @RewindStudios

What the Fact is hosted by Connor Tomlinson & Carter Roy

• Instagram: @connortomlinson5 | @carterproy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Little Red Riding Hood originally had no rescue. Hansel and Gretel were abandoned by their own mother. And one famous fairy tale may have started with 130 real children who disappeared from a German town.

Connor Tomlinson and Carter Roy dig into the dark origins of Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and the Pied Piper of Hamelin. These weren’t always the bedtime stories we know today. They were darker, stranger, and in one case, possibly rooted in a real event that historians still can’t fully explain.

Which original story creeps you out the most? Drop your vote in the comments.

New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one.

Head over to our What the Fact YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatTheFactPod

If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow What the Fact to never miss an episode! What the Fact is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.

Follow us on Social

• Instagram: @RewindStudios
• TikTok: @RewindStudios

What the Fact is hosted by Connor Tomlinson & Carter Roy

• Instagram: @connortomlinson5 | @carterproy

Head over to our What the Fact YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatTheFactPod

If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow What the Fact to never miss an episode! What the Fact is a Rewind Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.

Follow us on Social

• Instagram: @RewindStudios
• TikTok: @RewindStudios

What the Fact is hosted by Connor Tomlinson & Carter Roy

• Instagram: @connortomlinson5 | @carterproy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.