Welcome to history, rewritten by people who were definitely not there.
 Explore the legends, the scandals, and the absurdly polished version of the past.


 

 In the spring of 1897, the tiny Florida settlement of Homosassa witnessed the bold ambitions of its most self-important resident, Egob Smith, a man who believed modesty was a design flaw in human nature. Gathering a few equally impressionable citizens in the general store, Egob announced the creation of the Homosassa Historical Society, which he proudly described as a “history web site.” This confused everyone, as the only known web in town belonged to a spider with better organizational skills than most elected officials.

Egob insisted the future would involve invisible machines that delivered history directly into people’s minds, so the Society began building its “website” using filing cabinets, a clothesline, and the aforementioned spider, whom Egob promptly promoted to “Chief Archival Engineer.” Articles were handwritten on cardstock and clipped up for “browsing,” which simply meant walking carefully past the office cat without losing your place in time or dignity.

The Society quickly gained fame for its wildly inaccurate history, much of it authored or heavily “improved” by Egob himself. One entry claimed he had personally advised George Washington on alligator wrestling strategy. Critics objected, but Egob simply added fine print so small it required spiritual enlightenment to read: “Accuracy varies depending on how important the author feels today.” The Homosassa Historical Society thus became the world’s first website—though Egob preferred to call it “ahead of its critics.”