700 BC
In ancient times each tribe had its own god. A battle between tribes was seen as a battle between gods. The strength of Jaw-eh was tested in 701 BC when the Assyrians beleaguered Jerusalem. It did not look good for the Jews; the Assyrians greatly outnumbered them. But a virus struck the Assyrian troops and they gave up the siege. This gave such a boost to the popularity of Jaw-eh that the Jews declared their god to be the one and only god; gods of other tribes did not even exist. Not to be outdone, other tribes responded likewise and declared their god to be the one and only. Monotheism became en vogue and religious wars ravage the earth ever since.
1200
The Vikings called an island covered by ice Greenland, while calling a much greener island Iceland. It took many centuries before reality dawned on settlers and Iceland became more populated than Greenland
2000
Simple slogans allowed the Republican Party to present themselves as defenders of fiscal prudence. In reality, deficits grew most under Republican administrations. After getting away with such a clear lie, it is easy present themselves as guardians of family values.