5.The Defenders Of The Alamo May Have Actually Surrendered
5.阿拉莫之战的抵御者最终其实投降了

In the early days of the United States, the government tried to take as much territory from Mexico as possible, and Mexico fought back very forcefully against them. The most famous battle of this conflict occurred at the Alamo, a fort held by Davy Crockett and several others who fought bravely against an overwhelming force led by General Santa Anna.
美国早期，政府想尽办法从墨西哥开拓疆土，但面临着墨西哥人民的誓死抵抗。这场冲突中最著名的战役发生在阿拉莫，该堡垒由一支以大卫·克洛斯特为首的几人部队防守，勇敢抵抗桑塔·安纳带领下的势不可挡的部队。
Santa Anna was determined to take back the land that rightfully belonged to Mexico. The stories say that the defenders of the Alamo refused to surrender and fought to the very last man. Then their show of bravery became a rallying cry in the region for Americans assisting in the invasion of the Mexican territories.
桑塔·安纳决心一定要收回原本属于墨西哥的领土。据说，阿拉莫抵御部队死都不愿投降，一直坚持到了最后一刻。他们表现出来的英勇精神为其他同盟美军提供了集结口号。
However, while it upsets many Davy Crockett fans, there is a lot of reason to believe that the popular story is fanciful nonsense contrived because it made a good story. Multiple accounts by Mexicans—including at least one who was present at the incident—state that seven Americans, including Davy Crockett, surrendered to Santa Anna. However, they were shot because he did not want any survivors after the massacre.
虽然这么说会伤大卫·克罗斯特粉丝们的心，但这有一百种理由让人不得不相信，他们编造的这个好故事纯粹就是在一本正经地胡说八道。墨西哥人对此战役的描述有多种版本——不止一位亲临现场的目击者说道，包括大卫·克罗斯特在内的七位美军都朝桑塔·安纳投降了。但最后大卫·克罗斯特他们还是被枪杀了，就因为桑塔不想在这场大屠杀中看到有任何人活着回去。
Although many people now think of this as an affront to Crockett's honor, this version of events was actually accepted and not considered offensive many years ago. It is only recently that those who honor the Alamo decided that the truth somehow besmirches their legacy.
虽然现在有很多人认为这样说是对克罗斯特的侮辱，但其实多年以前人们就已经接受了事情的真相，也不觉得这冒犯了什么。是最近某些以阿拉莫为荣的人认为，这件事的真相或多或少地让他们蒙羞了。
At the time, people saw it differently. They saw a group who had fought to almost the last man and realized that it was hopeless. The men surrendered, hoping for honorable treatment after how they had fought, but they were mercilessly executed. The US government at the time was actually quite happy to use this as propaganda of Santa Anna's cruelty to spur people to take further action against him.
那时候大家看待这件事的态度也不一样。他们看到阿拉莫防守者几乎战斗到了只剩最后一个人时，就觉得没希望赢了。克罗斯特部队最终还是投降了，以为这样能得到体面的对待，但结果呢，他们都被杀了。那时美国政府总是用这件事来宣传桑塔·安纳的残忍性，激励人们进一步起来反抗他。

4.Fully Armored Knights On Horseback Were Quite Rare
4.连战马也全副武装的重骑兵极少

Although many people romanticize the medieval era and picture many grand battles with armored knights on horseback holding colorful pennants, the truth is that those kind of awe-inspiring knights were an extremely rare commodity. It wasn't that the training was arduous, as there were plenty of people who were ready and willing to undergo it, but rather a simple matter of expense.
骑士的浪漫精神在中世纪广泛流传，人们能脑补在大型战役中，重骑兵举着多彩三角旗高高飘扬的威武样子。但事实上呢，这种惊叹人心的骑士非常稀少。少不是因为训练过程有多痛苦，事实上有很多人都相当乐意当重骑兵，其真正的原因是耗费太高。
No matter how strong or stable a kingdom was, trying to keep even one fully equipped knight was a huge drain on the resources of the kingdom's territories. The horses required extremely expensive training and upkeep, and the knights' armor was a similar situation. An entire suit of plate armor did not come cheap. Keeping all of it maintained, as well as having a personal servant to help the knight do so, was also very expensive even at minimum cost.
再有钱的国家要养一个全副武装的重骑兵也是一项沉重的负担，就一个都是。战马的训练费用、维修费用和重骑兵的铠甲都极其昂贵，整套板甲也不会便宜多少。此外，还要给重骑兵配置一个私人仆人辅助他。所以，即使算最小的开销，养重骑兵也非常非常昂贵。
This meant that most battles, even fairly large engagements by richer kingdoms, tended to have a relatively small number of fully plated knights riding on horseback. They were used mainly as the forerunners of tanks—as a means to help push a position or flank the enemy with a strong charge. They couldn't be thrown away carelessly because they were a huge investment in medieval times.
所以打仗时一般都只会让少量重骑兵参加战斗，对此投入很多资金的富有国家也是如此。重骑兵一般是坦克的先锋部队——军队靠重骑兵取得战争优势，或者强有力地从侧面包抄敌人。军队绝不会轻易抛下重骑兵，因为中世纪时重骑兵那可是相当值钱啊。
Of course, the richer kingdoms definitely had a greater number of knights on horseback. But for strategic reasons, these kingdoms still kept their armies extremely varied. In fact, many warlords preferred that their men spend more time learning proper archery—a skill that was prized by many cultures over skill with the blade due to its ability to win battles before the enemy even came in range.
不用说，国家越有钱，重骑兵数量就会越多。要不是为战略原因考虑的话，这些国王都想让军队保持多变的风格。实际上，很多军阀反而更愿意让其士兵把时间花在箭术上——箭术在很多文化中都备受推崇，因为，甚至在敌军还未进入视线前，他们就能靠箭刃赢得战争。

3.Ancient Soldiers Were Using Layered Fabric Armor Long Before The Invention Of Kevlar
3.芳纶纤维发明很久之前，古代士兵就已在使用分层织物盔甲了

In ancient days, people protected themselves with leather (if it was all that was available) and then progressively harder and more protective varieties of metal. The evolution of armor led all the way to suits of plate armor that covered the entire body, which has now evolved beyond the need for metal.
在古代，人们用皮革来保护自身(当时是否只有皮革呢)，之后，经过艰难的进化，人们转而使用保护作用更强的各类金属。盔甲革命从未中断，直到包裹全身的整套板甲出现，到现在，人们已经不需要金属盔甲了。
For protection against the advanced weaponry that military and law enforcement deal with in our modern age, we need special Kevlar armor to keep them safe. This armor basically uses many layers of extremely thin fabric stacked together to arrest the movements of projectiles that would otherwise harm someone.
为防士兵们受到现代军队和执法机关先进武器的伤害，需要使用芳纶纤维盔甲。这种盔甲主要成分是一层一层的极薄纤维，可以抵挡射弹，从而起到保护作用。
Although it may sound like the latest in technology, there were many examples of ancient people using something very similar, long before we thought of it today. One of the most notable examples was Alexander the Great and his men, who used laminated cloth armor. Multiple layers were glued together to protect them from arrows, knives, spears, and other dangerous weapons.
芳纶纤维盔甲听起来像是近代才出现的科技，其实，早在很久以前，就有很多古人使用过芳纶纤维盔甲样的防护物的例子。其中最著名的是亚历山大大帝及其战士曾使用过分层织物盔甲。他们堆了很多层布料，借此挡箭、挡刀、挡矛和其它危险的武器。
To test the effectiveness of this armor, researchers used materials that would have been historically available and made fabric armor as close as possible to historical records. The researchers concluded that this cloth armor could have offered effective protection against arrows—perhaps as good or better at doing so than metal armor. While it may not be advanced enough to stop bullets, it was quite useful for its time and shows that many new ideas are actually just modern refinements of very old concepts.
为验证这种盔甲的有效性，研究人员采用古时有的材料，尽可能制造跟历史上一模一样的织物盔甲。之后，他们总结道，该织物盔甲确实能够有效地抵挡箭雨的进攻——也许和金属盔甲一样好，甚至更好。织物盔甲虽然没先进到可以挡子弹，但放在那时来看已经非常有用了，这说明，许多新点子只是现代人在旧概念的基础上稍加修饰而成的。

2.The Invasion Of Normandy Was Much Closer To Failure Than People Realize
2.诺曼底登陆比人们想象中的更接近失败

The photos are famous and burned into everyone's memories. They showed scores of ships in the ocean disgorging troops and massive numbers of men fanning out across the beach, moving toward the hills ahead, and preparing for the fight of their lives. It was perhaps the most important, decisive battle in the entire war, and it actually came much closer to failure than many people realize.
这张图片有名吧，没人能将它从脑海里抹去。从图中你可以看到，海洋中有满载军队的战舰数千艘，大规模的军队分散在海滩各地，纷纷朝着丘陵前进，他们正准备着殊死一搏。这场战役也许是整个二战中最重要、也是定生死的一场战役，但实际上它比人们想像的更接近失败。
The battle was meticulously planned by the Allied forces, who knew that the Germans had a strong, well-positioned army as well as geographic advantages. They also knew that the Axis powers had a strong spy network. So the Allies had to work carefully to avoid letting the enemy know where they were planning to attack or the invasion was likely to fail. In this case, the Germans did figure out that a major invasion was coming, and they even had a rough idea of the time frame for the attack. But they didn't know specifically when or where.
盟军基于德国强大的军事力量及其地理优势，精心策划了这场战役。他们也清楚轴心国有一支庞大的间谍网，所以策划时十分小心，生怕被德军发现其作战地点，袭击失败。那时，德军的确刺探到有场大战要打，连盟军登陆的时间他们也大概猜到了。但关于具体的时间地点，他们无从得知。
The beaches of Normandy were not a strategically advantageous position for the Allies to try to take, but this may have been why the position was ultimately chosen. The Germans were quick to mount a counteroffensive, and the cliffs were already well guarded. In fact, the battle was quite close and might have been lost if the Nazi leadership had elected to send their nearby heavy reinforcements to support their troops. They didn't because they believed that this attack was just a diversion for the real attack.
诺曼底海滩对盟军来说并没有战略上的地理优势，但这也许正是盟军选择诺曼底的原因吧。德军在战役中迅速开始反击，悬崖上都安好了警哨。实际上，如果当时纳粹领导人派遣最近的增援部队去诺曼底的话，诺曼底登陆很可能就失败了。但德军没有派遣增援部队，因为他们认为这次袭击是盟军的佯攻，是在为真正的战役做准备。
Although the Allies were able to take advantage of the Nazis' mistakes, they also got lucky with weather conditions. Even so, the Allies won the battle by a much closer margin than they were truly comfortable with. As for the consequences of a loss, they would have been disastrous. The British would likely have lost the last of their army's main strength, and the United States may have gone back to more isolationist policies. This might have left Russia as the only nation standing against the Nazi domination of Europe.
盟军不仅从德军的错误判断上取得了优势，天气也帮了他们大忙。但尽管如此，他们的成功还是非常侥幸。稍有不慎，他们就会自寻死路。英国可能会失去之前军队拥有的主要优势，美国也许会进一步回到孤立主义中。结果就是:俄国单枪匹盟军不仅从德军的错误判断上取得了优势，天气也帮了他们大忙。但尽管如此，他们的成功还是非常侥幸。稍有不慎，他们就会自寻死路。英国可能会失去之前军队拥有的主要优势，美国也许会进一步回到孤立主义中。结果就是:俄国单枪匹马地与纳粹主导下的欧洲继续作战。

1.The Japanese Soldiers Did Not Believe That Their Emperor Was God
1.日本武士没把天皇当成神

Japan is well-known for their kamikaze bomber pilots who performed suicide attacks in their aircraft, thus showing a fanatical loyalty to their cause. For years, most people believed that this insane devotion happened because the Japanese worshiped their emperor as a god.
大家都知道日本神风队的轰炸机飞行员执行的自杀式袭击，从这件事可以看出他们狂热的忠诚度。多年来，大部分人都认为这种疯狂忠诚之所以发生，是因为日本人把天皇当成神在崇拜。
Although it is an easy way to explain the situation, the truth is much more complicated. Emperor Hirohito was never considered to be a god in the strictest sense, and he certainly wasn't considered their highest or one true god by any means.
解释这件事是很简单，但真正的情况可复杂多了。严格地说，从来没人将裕仁天皇当作神，不管怎样，裕仁天皇也确实不是他们最高或唯一真正的神。
According to Shinto beliefs, he was considered to be descended from the gods and partly divine, but putting this in terms of Western mythology would make him more like a half-human demigod. This means that he received great respect, but it does not mean that people thought he was god.
据神道教教义所说，裕仁天皇就是神仙下凡，这在一定程度上非常神圣，但要是把这搁在西方神学中，裕仁天皇更像是一个半神半人。意思就是，虽然大家很尊重他，但这不代表大家把他当成神看待。
At the end of World War II, Emperor Hirohito renounced his divinity after the victorious Allied forces essentially forced him to do so. In recent years, historical revisionists have claimed that Hirohito never truly meant it and that he never stopped being divine. However, despite this revival movement, no one seems to be worshiping him, especially over other gods. He is highly honored, but that is it.
二战接近尾声时，为战胜方的盟军逼裕仁天皇再次重申他的神性。近年来，历史修正主义声称裕仁天皇就是神，而不是他自己有意为之。但似乎没人崇拜他，也没人把他的地位看得比其他神还重。大家很尊重他没错，但仅限于此。
The myth about the Japanese soldiers staging suicide attacks against the Allied forces was likely a combination of many factors. All people have the capability of being very patriotic and going to great lengths to protect their countries, and many Asian people tend to be much more community-minded than Westerners.
关于日本自杀式袭击盟军事件，可能是多种因素共同作用的结果吧。所有人都有一颗强烈的爱国心，大家都愿意付出一切去保卫家国，且亚洲人往往比西方人更团结。
Perhaps the Westerners contrived the explanation because it made more sense than an individual sacrificing his life as just a small part of the machine to win the war. Westerners may be willing to go out in a blaze of glory, but they would want it to be a gigantic spectacle that was very important and got them on the news.
西方人这么解释可能是因为他们觉得，比起用生命去战斗，像机器一样去战斗更加说得通。西方人可能也会为荣誉作战，但他们这样做的目的是希望这能成为一件大奇事，让自己上个新闻头条。