10 Anachronisms and Historical Inaccuracies in Movies and TV Shows

Although we all enjoy movies and TV shows because they provide us with a brief diversion from the crazy realities of our everyday lives, we should still expect them to be accurate. Or at the very least, not end up looking like the most 80s movie of all-time even though it is set in the 60s (I’m looking at you, Dirty Dancing!). Whether it’s due to laziness or…okay, entirely because of laziness, films and shows often include ridiculous anachronisms that are often amusing, or at least allow you to be a dork and point out how you knew that Xbox Live shouldn’t have been featured in Passion of the Christ because the gaming experience was far less advanced in those days. With that in mind, here are 10 anachronistic goofs found in movies and TV shows.

1. Starbucks Lattes in Game of Thrones

Although Game of Thrones is a work of fiction and that it’s set in the vast land of Westeros where imagination has no limits, we find it difficult to believe they’ve got Starbucks there or that Daenerys Targaryen would order a coffee. On the other hand, Starbucks is everywhere these days. Even the entrance to Prague Castle features a prominent Starbucks sign. So who knows.

2. Digital Watch in Glory

Glory is a Civil War drama that takes place from September 1862 to July 1863. While the first digital watches went on sale in 1972, there’s a scene in the movie where one of the soldiers can clearly be seen wearing one. Ironically, the movie still won the Academy Award for Best Editing (although with 4 other Oscars).

3. Electric Chair in The Green Mile

The electric chair plays a key role in the screen adaptation of the Stephen King novel, set in 1935 Louisiana. While prisoners in the film meet their maker courtesy of Ol’ Sparky, the state didn’t introduce the electric chair until 1940. Prior to that, the most common method of execution would have been by hanging.

4. Nazi Book Burnings in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The Nazi book burnings were a campaign to ceremonially burn books that ran counter to Nazi ideology. At one point in the movie, Indiana Jones successfully recovers his father’s diary at one of these ceremonies only to come face-to-face with Hitler himself, who doesn’t recognize the significance of the book and just thinks Jones wants his autograph, which he obliges. The movie is set in 1938, but in reality the book burnings took place over the course of 1933.