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The following is a sampling of errors
contained in various editions of the
Encyclopedia Britannica© or the Encyclopedia Britannica Almanac
(also spelled Encyclopaedia Britannica).
Additional information on each error
correction can be found by clicking on
the link at the beginning and/or end
of each entry below.
Without question, the Encyclopedia Britannica error
that received the most amount of press coverage was
an entry offering details on the Salem Church Dam on
the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It
gave all the particulars, such as its height, length
and location. They reported it was located upstream
from Fredericksburg, produced hydroelectric power
and was used for flood control. The only problem was,
no such dam existed. Although the Army Corps of Engineers
drew up plans for it in the 1940s, it was never built.
The article continued to appear in each new edition of
EB for more than 20 years. Not until someone wrote to
inform them of the error was the article cancelled.
We highlight this error to demonstrate the importance
of bringing reference book errors to the attention of
our organization, so the errors can be corrected, and
the public informed of errors that may appear in books
they have in their homes or public libraries.
Eddie Albert (actor) -
Some editions mistakenly report he was born in "1908."
Correction: Because he was born out of wedlock,
his mother altered his birth certificate
to read "1908." His son, Edward Albert (also
an actor), confirmed this, and the fact that
Eddie Albert was actually born in 1906 in
Rock Island, Illinois. Consult Eddie Albert's profile for more information.
Barbara Bush
(Former First Lady) - Some editions erroneously
claim she was born in "Rye, New York."
Correction: She was born at Booth Memorial Hospital,
in New York City, New York, not Rye, New York,
where she was raised. Mrs. Bush specifically addresses
this issue in her autobiography and confirms her
New York City birth. Additional biographical data can
be found in our profile of Barbara Bush.
Truman Capote
(writer) - Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year
1967 erroneously reports he was born "September 12."
Correction: He was actually born September 30th,
1924, at the Touro Infirmary, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Visit our profile of Truman Capote for additional
information.
Mamie Eisenhower
(Former First Lady) - Some editions mistakenly state
her full name was "Marie Geneva Doud."
Correction: Mamie was actually christened
Mamie Geneva Doud, not "Marie Geneva Doud,"
or "Mary Geneva Doud." Mamie's own family
has repeatedly addressed this issue and quashed
these rumors, but for some reason, this erroneous
data continues to resurface. Visit our biography
of Mamie Eisenhower for additional information.
William Faulkner
(writer) - Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year
1963 erroneously reports he died in "Oxford, Mississippi."
Correction: Oxford certainly is where he lived and
spent most of his life, but he died more than 60
miles away at Wright's Sanitarium, in Byhalia,
Mississippi.
Betty Ford
(Former First Lady) - Some editions erroneously
offer the spelling "Anne" as Betty Ford's middle
name.
Correction: In point of fact, it's spelled Ann.
Mrs. Ford confirms numerous times throughout her
autobiographies that it's spelled Ann. Visit our
profile of Betty Ford for additional information.
Hermann Goering (Nazi German war criminal) - Some past
editions erroneously report he died "October 16th."
Correction: He actually died October 15th, 1946,
at 10:50 p.m., in Nuremberg, Germany. His death was
a suicide by poison cyanide capsule.
Senator Barry Goldwater (U.S. Senator) -
Some editions erroneously report "January 1" as his
date of birth.
Correction: This is one error that is perfectly
understandable. Not only did nearly every reference
source on the planet report the same erroneous date
of birth, but Barry Goldwater himself reported
January 1st as his date of birth in his various
autobiographies and other books because he truly
believed it was his actual date of birth. Late
in life, Senator Goldwater learned he was actually
born at 3 a.m., on January 2nd, 1909. For additional
biographical data, drop by our profile of Senator Barry Goldwater.
Ned Harrigan
(playwright/actor/producer/lyricist/comedian) -
Some editions mistakenly list "1845" as the year of
Ned's birth.
Correction: He was actually born October 26th, 1844,
at 34 Scammel Street, in New York City, New York.
For additional in-depth biographical data, drop by
our biography of Ned Harrigan.
Audrey Hepburn
(actress) - Some editions erroneously report her
name at birth.
Correction: Members of her family have addressed, at length,
the erroneous birth name attributed to her and
have confirmed that Audrey Kathleen Ruston is
the name on her birth certificate, not "Edna,"
or "Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston" as countless
reference sources erroneously report. Consult
Audrey Hepburn's profile for more information.
Heinrich Himmler
(Nazi German war criminal) - Some past editions erroneously
report "November 7" as his date of birth. Encyclopedia
Britannica carried the incorrect data for decades, but
thankfully recent editions of EB have the correct date
of October 7.
Billie Holiday (singer) -
Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year 1960
erroneously reports her name as "Eleanora Fagan McKay"
and her birthplace as "Baltimore, Maryland."
Correction: She was actually born Elinore Harris,
April 7th, 1915, at 2:30 a.m., at Philadelphia
General Hospital, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Consult Billie Holiday's profile for more information.
Vyvyan Holland
(writer) - Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year 1968
erroneously reports "Nov. 3, 1886" as his date
of birth.
Correction: He was actually born November 5th,
1886, at 16 Tite Street, Chelsea, London, England.
His parents were not thrilled that his birth
fell on Guy Fawkes Day (November 5th), so they
changed his birth to "November 3rd," and celebrated
it on that fabricated date throughout his life.
Additional biographical data can be found in our
profile of Vyvyan Holland.
Steve McQueen
(actor) - Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year 1981
erroneously reports "Indianapolis, Ind." as his
place of birth.
Correction: He was born in Beech Grove, Indiana.
Senator George W. Norris (U.S. Statesman) -
Some editions of Encyclopedia Britannica
erroneously state he died "Sept. 3."
Correction: He died September 2nd, 1944,
at 706 Main Avenue (now Norris Avenue), McCook,
Nebraska. Visit our profile of Senator Norris
for additional information.
Jessica Savitch (TV journalist) -
EB Book of the Year 1984, erroneously reports her
place of birth as "Kennett Square, Pa." and
also has her date of death wrong, misreporting
it as "October 24."
Correction: She certainly was raised in
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, but she was
born February 1st, 1947, at 11:51 a.m., at
Delaware Hospital, in Wilmington, Delaware.
She died October 23rd, 1983, at 7:20 p.m.,
in the Delaware Canal, near Chez Odette (the
restaurant later became simply Odette's),
274 South River Road, New Hope, Pennsylvania.
For additional in-depth biographical data,
visit our biography of Jessica Savitch.
Vivian Vance
(actress) - Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year 1980
erroneously reports her year of birth as "1913."
Correction: She was born July 26th, 1909,
at 311 East 5th Street, in Cherryvale, Kansas.
Visit our profile of Vivian Vance for
additional information.
Oscar Wilde
(writer) - Early editions erroneously report
"October 15" as his date of birth.
Correction: He was born October 16th, 1854,
at 2:38 a.m., at 21 Westland Row, Dublin, Ireland.
For additional biographical data, visit our
profile of Oscar Wilde.
It is not our intent to denigrate this fine publication,
but merely to point out the above inaccuracies to prevent
further dissemination of the erroneous data.
Visit our list of errors contained in other reference books.
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