Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·289 of 348
"The shot heard round the world."
They never said that.
What people say
"The shot heard round the world."
What was actually said
"Here once the embattled farmers stood, / And fired the shot heard round the world." Ralph Waldo Emerson — "Concord Hymn" by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1837)
Why it stuck
The line floats free today. Emerson was writing specifically about Lexington and Concord, 19 April 1775.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.