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Mistakes

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Sano, Japan

Kateki: Erasmus from the De Liefde Shipwreck

This historic Erasmus statue was first mistaken for a legendary Chinese inventor, then as a child-eating hag.
Muhammad al-Idrisi made much better maps than this (we promise).
maps

The Father of Medieval Geography Is Unfairly Blamed for One Very, Very Bad Map

He also made the most accurate world map of that time—and left out the sea monsters.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think September 1, 2023
Glasgow, Scotland

Hutchesons' Hall Statues

A brother statue swap has adorned this building's facade for centuries.
The trees of the Lost Forty are in general taller than the surrounding woods.
forests

How a Map Mistake Saved a Forest of 300-Year-Old Trees

Minnesota's "Lost Forty" survived the lumberjack's ax thanks to a improperly drawn lake.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think March 31, 2023
Abbey Road DLR station northern entrance, soon after opening
London, England

The Wrong Abbey Road

Tourists who rely on a transit map to find the iconic Beatles location often end up in a far-off neighborhood.
Armstrong Tunnel
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Armstrong Tunnel

This quarter-mile tunnel under the Bluff in Pittsburgh bends at a 45-degree angle.
libraries

Podcast: Library of Mistakes

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team May 26, 2021
The volunteers were given suitcases to check in and pick up. The bags didn't always make it to carousel.
infrastructure

What It's Like to Stress-Test Berlin's Brand New, Much Maligned Airport

A little stressful, by design.
Andrew Curry October 30, 2020
Prison Boab Tree near Derby.
Derby, Australia

Derby Boab 'Prison Tree'

Critics argue this boab tree has been mislabeled for the sake of dark tourism, undermining its spiritual significance.
Highway.
Stockholm, Sweden

'Highway'

Locals rallied to save this beloved mural after someone mistakenly attempted to cover it.
Paska Kaupunni.
Oulu, Finland

Paska Kaupunni

This misspelled graffiti reappears every time it is removed.
The Rodin portrait correctly identified by Luis Pastor.
museums

Solved: A Case of Mistaken Identity in a Madrid Art Museum

Auguste Rodin takes his rightful place in the portrait gallery, evicting King Leopold II of Belgium.
Matthew Taub June 6, 2019
Newmarket, England

Potoooooooo

A misunderstanding gave this 18th-century racehorse a most amusing name.
"Tempio del Dio Ridicolo."
ancient

The Latin Typo That Gave Us the Temple of Ridicule

Ancient Rome never had an "Aedicula Ridiculi," but plenty of people thought it did.
Caroline Wazer April 12, 2019
Park Tunnel entrance.
Nottingham, England

Park Tunnel

An engineering error ensured this cavernous 350-foot-long subterranean thoroughfare was never used as intended.
The two mummies at the Albany Institute of History and Art.
Albany, New York

The Mummy Ankhefenmut

A CT scan revealed the identity of this 3,000-year-old mummy that everyone erroneously thought was female.
The flag of the kingdom in front of a local museum.
Laadla, Estonia

Kingdom of Torgu

A clerical error gave rise to this imaginary micronation in the southwestern corner of Estonia.
Caryatids at St Pancras Church.
London, England

Coade Stone Caryatids

A measuring mishap led to these artificial stone ladies losing their stomachs.