18 Things "The West Wing" Got Wrong

    For a show that prides itself in its smug intellectualism, "The West Wing" sure did get a lot of facts wrong. Next time you're watching on Netflix, keep these flubs on hand to look smart in front of your friends.

    1. It's actually the Fifth Commandment - although in Roman Catholicism and Lutherenism is it the 4th commandment.

    2. Franz Schubert was never diagnosed with any mental illness. Robert Schumann, on the other hand, spent much of his late life in asylums.

    3. The seal was redesigned in 1945 to point to its right and the olive branch. Prior to that, the eagle pointed to its left, and the arrows. The reason for the change was that in heraldry, left pointing items were considered dishonorable.

    4. The only geographic qualification is that bourbon is made in the United States, not any specific state. There are 8 non-geographic criteria for something to qualify as bourbon, including recipe ratios, the barrel, and aging.

    5. This chess set (in Babish's office) is set up incorrectly. The lower right corner square should be a light square, not a dark one. Also, the kings and queens are reversed.

    6. During the call to the Butterball hotline, Charlie runs out of the office to get the zip code for Fargo, North Dakota, saying it is 50504. That is not one of the 14 zip codes for Fargo, North Dakota.

    7. The quote is not from the Romans but from Irish novelist Oscar Wilde in his 1893 book "An Ideal Husband".

    8. President Bartlet would not be able to recognize The Evan's Gambit after just one move. It would require three moves to recognize The Evan's Gambit.

    9. "Beowulf" was written in Old English in the 8th century. The language wouldn't evolve to the form now known as Middle English for another 300 years.

    10. The United States also used a pencil. The Fisher Space Pen was developed privately with no funds from the US government.

    11. Josh worries that voters in Oregon won't vote because of rain, but Oregon passed Ballot Measure 60 in 1998. Since then, Oregonians have been voting exclusively with mail-in ballots.

    12. FDR said "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" in his first inaugural address, not his second.

    13. Water doesn't mix with jet fuel. Water contamination is a serious problem for jet fuel. Also, jet fuel does not have an octane rating. Octane ratings are only used for internal combustion engines.

    14. Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, never had a son live past 11 years old.

    15. Adultery is not a crime in Turkey. Turkey has also outlawed the death penalty (except in times of war).

    16. A Russian Soyuz TMA spaceship is always docked to the International Space Station. It is capable of carrying three men and reentering the atmosphere.

    17. Germany is not a member of the UN security council.

    18. The drafters of the Constitution that President Bartlet lists originally chose March 4th for Inauguration Day. It was changed to January 20th by the 22nd Amendment which was ratified January 23, 1933.

    All flubs and goofs are from imdb.com.