If some of history’s most celebrated figures had Twitter (or X, whatever it is now) accounts, they would be trending for all the wrong reasons. From questionable opinions to downright criminal behavior, these icons might have altered history, but their actions certainly would not fly today. Get ready for a wild ride through history’s most cancel-worthy moments — and let’s ask ourselves: would they survive the social media storm today?
Thomas Edison – The Ultimate Idea Thief
Edison is a genius inventor in everyone’s opinion, but let’s talk about his habit of taking credit for other people’s work. Nikola Tesla? Completely overshadowed by Edison’s PR machine. Not to mention his ruthless business tactics, including electrocuting an elephant (yes, really) just to prove a point about electrical currents. Imagine the think pieces and Twitter threads that would expose him—#BoycottEdison would be trending worldwide.
Pablo Picasso – Abused His Muses & Then Ditched Them
Picasso may have changed art forever, but he was a narcissistic, emotionally abusive womanizer as well. He treated his muses as objects to be discarded once he had used them as inspiration. Some even ended up dying by suicide. His #MeToo moment would be ugly and would compel the art community to face up to his toxic legacy.
Henry Ford
Sure, he revolutionized the automobile industry, but Ford was also a raging anti-Semite. He published hate-filled pamphlets blaming Jewish people for societal problems, that later became fuel for Nazi ideology. Imagine TikTok historians pulling receipts on that—Ford Motor Company would be in full-blown damage control mode.
Aristotle – The Greatest Philosopher and Misogynist?
One of history’s greatest philosophers? Sure. But also an ancient Greek misogynist who labeled women “deformed men” and naturally inferior. Imagine Aristotle getting dragged on feminist Twitter for that take. Even Socrates might have distanced himself from him.
Christopher Columbus – The OG Problematic Explorer
Columbus didn’t “discover” anything—millions of people already lived in the Americas. But what did he actually do? Enslaved Indigenous people, spread disease, and kickstarted centuries of colonial brutality. If social media existed in 1492, he would not be getting a holiday; he would be ratioed into oblivion with a hashtag like #ColumbusIsCancelled.
Winston Churchill – Hero or Colonialist?
Churchill is often seen as the man who saved Britain during WWII, but let’s not forget his brutal imperialist mindset. He called Indians a “beastly people” and was directly responsible for policies that worsened the Bengal famine, leading to millions of deaths. The internet would have a meltdown debating whether he was a hero or a villain.
Gandhi – The Complicated Icon
Gandhi believed in peace, yet he had extremely questionable views on women and race. He forced underage girls, who included his grandnieces, to sleep naked with him in order to “test his celibacy.” He believed that Indians were superior to Black Africans. If these stories made headlines today? Yikes.
J. Edgar Hoover – The FBI’s Ultimate Creep
Hoover used the FBI as a personal spy ring where he blackmailed civil rights leaders, wiretapped Martin Luther King, and used government resources to dismantle his adversaries. His obsession with “morality” was laughable considering his own personal scandals. If WikiLeaks existed in his era? He would be exposed on a daily basis.
Coco Chanel – The Fashion Icon With Nazi Ties
Chanel gave us the little black dress, but she also worked as a Nazi spy during WWII. Yep, while others were resisting, she was cozying up to the enemy. Fashionistas would have to reckon with whether her legacy can ever be separated from her betrayal.
John Wayne – America’s Favorite Cowboy, With a Racism Twist
John Wayne wasn’t just an actor—he was also wildly racist, sexist, and homophobic. He once said he believed in white supremacy and had no problem defending the slaughter of Indigenous people in the U.S. If that old Playboy interview resurfaced today? Instant cancellation. Guaranteed!
Marie Stopes – The Feminist With a Dark Side
Praised for promoting birth control, Stopes was actually a raging eugenicist as well. She believed that disabled and “undesirable” individuals should not be having children. She took it so far as to disown her own son for marrying a visually impaired woman. Yeah… not a good look for someone who is supposedly fighting for reproductive rights.
Charles Dickens – The King of Petty and Problematic
Dickens wrote a number of the most iconic novels ever created, yet his life beyond writing? A trainwreck. He cheated on his wife, tried to have her institutionalized, and then trashed her in the press. Imagine the tabloids and Twitter wars if he pulled that stunt today.
Walt Disney – Not So Wholesome After All
Disney constructed a magical kingdom, yet he had a well-documented history of sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism. He would not hire women as animators and portrayed very problematic stereotypes in his first movies. If there had been a Twitter at that time? #BoycottDisney would be a trending topic every other week.
Henry VIII: The King of Ghosting… and Beheading
Divorced, beheaded, died — who doesn’t know the rhyming phrase. But let’s be real here: Henry VIII would be the ultimate toxic ex. Imagine the viral TikToks trolling him for beheading wives when he got bored. #RedFlagRoyalty
Mother Teresa – Not As Saintly As You Think
Mother Teresa is a saint in many eyes, but behind the scenes, she promoted suffering, refused proper medical treatment for the sick, and hoarded millions in donations that never actually helped the poor. If her charity finances were ever fully exposed, she’d be the biggest scandal of the century.
15 Historical Figures Who Were Nothing Like We Thought
Many of the most iconic individuals of all time were much different from how they were represented to us. The following 15 iconic personalities weren’t exactly who they seemed to be.
15 Historical Figures Who Were Nothing Like We Thought
Historical Figures Who’d Be Horrified by Their Own Legacies
Waking up after centuries and seeing your own face on something you despised is a pretty awful destiny. Yes, the following 15 historical figures would be totally embarrassed if they knew how they are remembered nowadays.
Historical Figures Who’d Be Horrified by Their Own Legacies