Death by Petticoat: American History Myths Debunked

by Mary Miley Theobald

Publisher:

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

, 2012

Overview

This myth-busting compendium sets the record straight on American history, from famous-but-false legends to weird-but-true stories.

American history is full of oft-repeated errors and outright fabrications—as well as truths that are stranger than fiction. Collaborating with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Mary Miley Theobald has uncovered the real stories behind many well-known myth-understandings.

Did pregnant women really seclude themselves indoors? Were uneven stairs made to trip up burglars? Did people only bathe once a year? Death by Petticoat reveals the truth about these and many other funny, surprising, and strange misapprehensions of history.

Product Details

• Title: Death by Petticoat: American History Myths Debunked
• Author: Mary Miley Theobald
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
• Print Publication Date: 2012
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 144
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781449418540, 9781449418533, 1449418538, 1449418546
• Resource ID: LLS:9781449418540
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2026-04-08T12:14:22Z

About Mary Miley Theobald

Mary Miley Theobald graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, then put her B.A. in American History and her M.A. in Administration and Interpretation of Historic Sites to good use across town at Colonial Williamsburg. She soon found that she liked history best when it made money for museums. Over the years she developed historically accurate products for the Historic Area stores, assisted in the opening of three 'new' historic shops, and learned a good deal about managing these nine establishments and training their costumed employees in historical interpretation. Today Theobald is an adjunct at Virginia Commonwealth University where she teaches American history and museum studies, a sometime museum store consultant, and a freelance writer.