- John Oliver, host of a popular show, discusses presidential clemency and controversial pardons throughout history.
- He jokes about Abraham Lincoln pardoning John Wilkes Booth for attempted bestiality.
- Oliver announces that he is writing a book called "Stranger Than Truth, John Oliver's 101 Favorite History Lies" filled with plausible but unverifiable nonsense.
- He mentions some of the false facts in the book, such as Paul Revere having a severe horse allergy and Catherine the Great dying while having sex with a horse.
- Oliver ends by revealing that there is actually no book and that the video was a waste of time.

John Oliver shares some of his favorite completely made-up history facts.

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I am John Oliver, host of that show you've heard some things about, but haven't gotten around to watching yet.

You think it's called Last Night This Week, or maybe yesterday right now.

Now, a few weeks ago on this show, you may remember this happened.

Presidential clemency has always been controversial, from George W.

Bush commuting Scooter Libby's sentence, to Bill Clinton pardoning financier Mark Rich, to, and this is true, Abraham Lincoln, pardoning a man convicted of attempted bestiality because the man was intoxicated at the time.

It's actually not true, but if it had been, that would have been amazing, right?

And you can read more stuff like that in my book, Stranger Than Truth, John Oliver's 101 Favorite History Lies.

There is absolutely nothing more fun than lying confidently about history.

In fact, the only thing that feels better than lying to someone is lying to someone, then regaining their trust, and then lying to them again.

Studies have shown it produces the same effect in the human brain that cocaine does.

Actually, there was no such study, but...

It felt great saying that out loud, so it just seems like a fact.

Next spring, it will be released as a hardcover volume by Simon & Schuster, who I chose to work with given their wealth of experience printing the factual sounding bullshit of Mr.

Now, in my book, you will find plenty of plausible but unverifiable nonsense, such as the fact that, due to a severe horse allergy, Paul Revere spent most of his famous midnight ride sneezing and vomiting into the streets.

You'll also see the fact that Irish step dancing was invented by the farmers of Cork County, who used to kill pesky field mice by strapping slabs of wood to their feet and rhythmically clobbering them to death.

Which, yeah, it really makes you see river dance in a whole new way.

You'll also learn that in order to prepare himself for important telephone calls, Winston Churchill would gather his highest ranking officials to watch him tear telephone books in half.

And while we're on the subject of European leaders, we'll confirm that Catherine the Great did die while having sex with a horse, but what many people don't know is She was pegging the horse at the time.

Did you know that in 1980, Saddam Hussein received a key to the city of Detroit?

That is not in the book, because remarkably, that is actually true.

I know that you don't trust me anymore, but trust me, it is true.

So I hope you enjoyed just a few of my favorite history lies.

For the complete list, purchase my book when it comes out in April 2016, except there is actually no book that was another lie.

This entire video has been a total waste of everyone's time.


Speaker 0: -♪ ♪ -♪ ♪ Hello there. I am John Oliver, host of that show you've heard some things about, but haven't gotten around to watching yet. You think it's called Last Night This Week, or maybe yesterday right now. Don't worry, you'll Google it later. Now, a few weeks ago on this show, you may remember this happened.

Presidential clemency has always been controversial, from George W. Bush commuting Scooter Libby's sentence, to Bill Clinton pardoning financier Mark Rich, to, and this is true, Abraham Lincoln, pardoning a man convicted of attempted bestiality because the man was intoxicated at the time. The man in question, John Wilkes Booth. It's true. It's actually not true, but if it had been, that would have been amazing, right?

It would have been amazing. And you can read more stuff like that in my book, Stranger Than Truth, John Oliver's 101 Favorite History Lies. There is absolutely nothing more fun than lying confidently about history. Lying is incredibly fun. In fact, the only thing that feels better than lying to someone is lying to someone, then regaining their trust, and then lying to them again.

-...lying to them again.

Speaker 1: -...lying to them again.

Speaker 0: Studies have shown it produces the same effect in the human brain that cocaine does. Actually, there was no such study, but... It felt great saying that out loud, so it just seems like a fact. So we are actually producing that book. Next spring, it will be released as a hardcover volume by Simon & Schuster, who I chose to work with given their wealth of experience printing the factual sounding bullshit of Mr.

Dr. Oz. So, you knew they could do it well. Now, in my book, you will find plenty of plausible but unverifiable nonsense, such as the fact that, due to a severe horse allergy, Paul Revere spent most of his famous midnight ride sneezing and vomiting into the streets. It's a fact.

You'll also see the fact that Irish step dancing was invented by the farmers of Cork County, who used to kill pesky field mice by strapping slabs of wood to their feet and rhythmically clobbering them to death. Which, yeah, it really makes you see river dance in a whole new way. You'll also learn that in order to prepare himself for important telephone calls, Winston Churchill would gather his highest ranking officials to watch him tear telephone books in half. And while we're on the subject of European leaders, we'll confirm that Catherine the Great did die while having sex with a horse, but what many people don't know is She was pegging the horse at the time. -...the horse

Speaker 1: at the time. -...the horse at the time.

Speaker 0: She was pegging that horse at the time. And 1 last fact, just forget about it. Forget about it! 1 last fact, just wipe it away. 1 last fact.

Did you know that in 1980, Saddam Hussein received a key to the city of Detroit? That is not in the book, because remarkably, that is actually true. I know that you don't trust me anymore, but trust me, it is true. So I hope you enjoyed just a few of my favorite history lies. For the complete list, purchase my book when it comes out in April 2016, except there is actually no book that was another lie.

This entire video has been a total waste of everyone's time. If

Speaker 1: you

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History Lies (Web Exclusive): Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)