[MUSIC PLAYING] History books are full
of iconic good guys who made the world a
better place be it through charity,
invention, or art. But most people,
even the great ones, are rarely as
morally uncompromised as we'd like them to be. So today we're
going to take a look at some historical good guys
who did some terrible things. But before we get started,
be sure to subscribe to the Weird History channel. After that, leave a comment and
let us know what other topics you would like to hear about. Settle in, guys, because
this is going to be good. [MUSIC PLAYING] Unless you've been living in a
Martian cave since the 1960s, you've probably
heard of the Beatles. Known as the Fab
Four, the mop topped Liverpudlians scored 17 number
one hits between 1963 and 1969. Band members John Lennon
and Paul McCartney penned most of the
group's most beloved songs and changed popular
music forever. After the Beatles
eventually parted ways, Lennon would go on to have a
very successful solo career, particularly with
the song "Imagine," which is still occasionally
massacred by celebrities in times of crisis. Though he was often known
for being charming, witty, and droll and being
outspokenly anti-war, Lennon had a much darker
side to his personality. This was especially
evident in his relationship with his wives and
his son Julian. In addition to having a number
of affairs while married to his first wife including with
Yoko Ono whom he would later marry, Lennon was also alleged
to be physically abusive toward Julian,
often striking him for such minor infractions
as bad table manners. Lennon also readily
admitted that he was verbally and physically
abusive toward his first wife. [MUSIC PLAYING] Some of the finest minds
of the 20th century worked on the Manhattan Project. Its primary aim was the
creation of an atomic weapon, but along the way, many
of the scientists involved made significant contributions
to various technological and theoretical advancements. One such scientist was legendary
theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, who was very
influential in the theorization of quantum electrodynamics. There's no way we can
explain what that means here, so you're just going to have
to take our word that it is really, really impressive. The guy won a Nobel
Prize for it in 1965. Feynman's private life,
on the other hand, was considerably less inspiring. Feynman's wife claimed
that on several occasions he had flown into a rage
and violently attacked her because she interrupted him
while he was working or playing his drums. Presumably, she
threw off his rhythm while he was trying
to play Moby Dick. Eventually, she divorced
him, but Feynman's problems with women did not end there. There are reports
that Feynman was open about his
contempt for women he wanted to have sex
with, that he routinely drew naked pictures of
his female students-- oh, look, he's an artist,
too-- that he held official meetings
at strip clubs, and that he even pretended
to be an undergraduate to try to sleep with students
like Never Been Kissed only somehow creepier. [MUSIC PLAYING] Henry Ford was a
revolutionary figure in the history of business
and manufacturing. His development of
the assembly line enabled the much faster and
cheaper creation of automobiles and other products. The affordability
of his Model T car led to it being bought
by millions of Americans, and today Ford is credited
with having played a key role in the development of
the American economy and its infrastructure
as well as some unforgettable
commercials about cowboys driving pickup trucks. However, in addition to his
contributions to industry, Ford contributed more than his
fair share to anti-Semitism. Wielding his enormous
business and financials clout, he frequently spread conspiracy
theories about Jewish people. In fact, he was so proficient
at spreading anti-Semitism that he is the only
American to be name dropped in Adolf Hitler's
memoir Mein Kampf, which is a pretty dubious honor. Let's face it. Getting a shout out in
Hitler's autobiography is like getting a shout out
in Hitler's autobiography. Ford's vitriol wasn't
limited to the Jewish people. He was a committed opponent
of labor unions in any form, and he was determined to
exercise dictatorial control over almost every aspect
of his workers lives. All in all, a strong candidate
for the worst boss ever. [MUSIC PLAYING] Woodrow Wilson,
America's 28th president who served from 1913 to 1921,
has gone down in history as one of the US's most
notable and accomplished chief executives. He campaigned and governed
on Progressive Era politics, his administration saw a
number of important legislative victories, and he
did it all while being named Woodrow Wilson. That's-- that's just tough. Wilson also led the country
through the First World War and was a prominent voice
during the deliberations which took place at Versailles. Wilson wanted to ensure the
world was safe for democracy and was a particular
champion for country's self-determination
although his desire to get the US to sign on
to the League of Nations ultimately failed. Wilson was also a true son of
the American South in the worst possible way, and we don't mean
he owned a bunch of Kid Rock CDs although he may have. History is unclear
on that point. His parents were hard core
Confederates who vociferously supported slavery, and Wilson
himself was pretty dang racist. He loved racist jokes,
and his racist beliefs were often reflected in the ways
his policies were implemented. For example, he
spearheaded segregation in various federal offices,
had a confrontation with a noted African-American
civil rights leader, and was generally
antagonistic toward efforts to advance the rights
of Black Americans. In fairness, Wilson
did reluctantly condemn DW Griffith's
1915 pro-Klan movie Birth of a Nation,
and he also spoke out against lynching, which is
kind of the bare minimum. [MUSIC PLAYING] When it comes to
children's book authors, few have achieved the beloved
status of Dr. Seuss, AKA Theodore Geisel. Thanks to his
unique illustrations and catchy rhymes, it's easy
to see why his books remain so popular and influential. Geisel also cranked
those puppies out, publishing almost 50
books and earning himself a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. And he wasn't even
a real doctor. However, not all of
his work has held up. The cartoons Geisel
Drew during World War II were insensitive
and anti-Japanese. He also endorsed the imprisoning
of Japanese Americans in internment camps. Some of his books have
also been criticized for their offensive portrayal
of various ethnic groups such as And To Think That
I Saw It on Mulberry Street and If I Ran the Zoo. You may not recommend
these books here or there. You may not recommend
them anywhere. And if that wasn't bad enough,
Dr. Seuss's private life was more than a little bleak. He cheated on his first
wife, who was very ill. Some say his philandering
may have contributed to her taking her own life. So some people think he
was basically the Grinch if the Grinch never
returned all the presents he stole and cheated on his wife. [MUSIC PLAYING] Apple is such a dominant part
of the American landscape, it's hard to imagine there
was a time it didn't exist. And Steve Jobs was a key
factor in its success. Jobs is known for
being the driving genius behind some
of the company's most notable products. Most notably of the
notable is the iPhone, you know that thing that
completely changed the world as we know it. It's almost impossible to
overstate his influence on the world of technology. His brilliance, though,
came with a cost, and we're not just
talking about what he paid for all those
black turtlenecks. Jobs was quite ruthless
in his personal life, and despite being one of
the world's richest men, he went to extraordinary lengths
to avoid paying child support. He wasn't any better in
his business relations. Among other things, he famously
created a toxic atmosphere at his company, fired
employees unfairly, and asked
inappropriate questions of potential
employees, presumably things like on a
scale of 1 to 10, how great do I look
in this turtleneck. [MUSIC PLAYING] Charlie Chaplin is widely
considered one of the greatest actors to have ever lived. The skilled performer
and director was particularly well
known for creating the character of the Tramp, the
mustachioed transient famous for making potatoes dance. He was also kind of deep. In many of his films, Chaplin
explored the complexities, both good and bad,
of the modern world, and he is particularly
remembered for his film The Great Dictator, which was
a scathing takedown of Nazism and Hitler. And, hey, we get it. Hitler totally
stole his mustache. But Chaplin wasn't nearly as
lovable in his personal life. In addition to being a
notorious perfectionist, Chaplin was callous toward
his wives and mistresses. Even more troubling is the
fact that several of his wives were underage when they began
their relationships with him. For example,
Chaplin's first wife was a 14-year-old
Mildred Harris. Yikes. And being married to
the famous comic actor was anything but fun. In the divorce
papers, which were filed to dissolve
his second marriage, Lita Grey revealed
several scandalous details including Chaplin
threatening and degrading her throughout their relationship. [MUSIC PLAYING] Elvis Presley was the
king of rock and roll, the king of sequined capes, the
king of jumpsuited gyrating, and really just an all
around entertainment monarch. After bursting onto the
music scene in the 1950s, his rich voice and
suggestive dancing rocketed him to superstardom. As of this writing, his albums
have sold more than a billion copies. That's billion with
a B like in billion. He was a giant in the world
of music, and since his death he's been the subject
of numerous biographies, biopics, and continued
fan adoration. The king's treatment of
the women in his life, however, was a
whole lot less regal than his fans might have hoped. For starters, he
was notoriously fond of underage girls, one of
whom, 14-year-old Priscilla, would become his wife and
the mother of his daughter Lisa Marie. Additionally by all
accounts, Presley was controlling and
abusive toward Priscilla. The king's crown is more
than a little tarnished. [MUSIC PLAYING] Martin Luther King, Jr. was one
of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Known for his impassioned
speeches, his pursuit of justice, both for
African Americans and for all those
who experienced some form of economic
or social disadvantage, and for advocating the act
of non-violent protest, King was an undeniable
force for good in the world. His I Have a Dream speech
remains one of the most widely quoted pieces of oratory
in the history of the US, and his assassination in
1968 remains a tragic event in modern history. During the height
of his public life, King was the object of constant
surveillance by the FBI. This was partially due to
his high public profile but was also because
of the notorious FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, who
saw King as a potent threat. We know from that
surveillance that King had a number of
extramarital affairs which the FBI sought to use
to damage his credibility with the American public. Hoover certainly wasn't
doing King any favors, but the revelation
of King's affairs ultimately had little
impact on his reputation as a civil rights leader. [MUSIC PLAYING] So what do you think? Which of these misdeeds did you
find the most disappointing? Let us in the comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our Weird History.
