America: Facts vs. Fiction Episode Rating Graph

Myths distort the stories of two of America's most renowned rivalries. Before their fateful duel, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were law partners; and the conflict between the Hatfields and McCoys didn't end in the backwoods, but a courtroom.

Myths obscure the real facts about our favorite vices: smoking, drinking and gambling. You won't believe which nation had the first anti-smoking campaign, what those three X's on a jug of moonshine mean, or where our first slot machines appeared.

The war waged by America's greatest generation is obscured by myth. Few remember that an American admiral played a pivotal role in showing Japan how to attack Pearl Harbor or that the German army was not the mechanized wonder it's reputed to be.

Charles Lindburg myths and John Glenn fictions

We don't always know the truth behind what scares us. On the next episode of America's Facts Vs. Fictions, learn that our Halloween's origins aren't all that ancient and that Edgar Allan Poe is not the madman that others have made him out to be.

The roots of America can be traced to the first settlers that came there. In this episode of America's Facts Vs. Fictions, learn that the Pilgrim "Thanksgiving" was about fasting and the only "witchcraft" in Salem was done by a group of young girls.

Myths eclipse the real facts about NASA's dramatic rescue of three astronauts aboard the crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft; and Hollywood movies have a hit-and-miss track record of depicting the realties of interstellar exploration.

Flying devices have been created to take us all around the world and even into space. On America's Facts Vs. Fictions, learn how Apollo 11 only made it home thanks to a pen and that Air Force One is a code name and not the actual name of the plane.

The truth about America's greatest generals is obscured by myth. Learn that George Patton's nickname "Blood and Guts" doesn't mean what you might think and that Ulysses S. Grant's reputation as a drunk and a butcher is undeserved.

Myths cloud the real facts of history on the high seas. Find out what pirates really did with their treasure instead of burying it - and discover the truth behind the seemingly baffling disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle.

The truth about women during World War II goes way beyond Rosie the Riveter. In this episode, our stories range from the woman who broke Japan's secret code to the Hollywood sex goddess who invented a remote-controlled torpedo.

The truth about America's greatest generals is obscured by myth. West Point cadet Dwight Eisenhower used an alias to hide a secret and Douglas MacArthur deserved a court-martial, not a medal, for his actions in the Philippines in World War II.

Much of what we know about America's showmen is myth, not truth. Discover how Harry Houdini didn't die escaping from his famous torture cell - and how P.T. Barnum doubled his profits by manufacturing doubt about the authenticity of his own exhibits.

Amusement parks and world's fairs are examined. Included: the history of roller-coasters and how world's fairs recalled as family-friendly endeavors actually featured nudity.