Did George Washington wear wooden teeth?
No. This is one of the most enduring myths about George Washington. He had false teeth, but they were not made of wood. As a matter of fact, the materials used in his false teeth were probably more uncomfortable than wood. They were made of cow's teeth, human teeth, and elephant ivory set in a lead base with springs that allowed him to open and close his mouth. They fit poorly and distorted the shape of his mouth.
Did George Washington really throw a silver dollar across the Potomac River?
No. This popular myth is often told to illustrate his strength. The Potomac River is over a mile wide and even George Washington was not that good an athlete! Moreover, there were no silver dollars when Washington was a young man. His step-grandson once wrote that Washington threw a piece of slate across the Rappahannock River near his boyhood home in Fredericksburg, which is much more narrow. That may be the origin of this story.
Did George Washington really chop down the cherry tree?
No. Parson Mason Weems, an early biographer of George Washington, invented the story. Ironically, Weems made up the story of a young George Washington saying to his father, "I cannot tell a lie," to illustrate Washington's honesty. This is, perhaps, the most enduring story about George Washington - one that school children for the last 200 years can repeat - but it is, in fact, a myth.
