Trump's Department of Education Celebrates 'American History' With Old Photo From U.K.

All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Gizmodo may earn an affiliate commission. The U.S. Department of Education posted a historic photo to Facebook on Wednesday proclaiming, “American history is worth learning.” The image shows women in clothes from the early 20th century demanding the right to vote. It’s an inspiring thing to behold. But it’s not American history. The photo is from the United Kingdom. The Facebook post’s glaring error was first spotted by Wendy Rouse, historian and author of several books, including Public Faces, Secret Lives: A Queer History of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and Her Own Hero: Origins of the Women’s Self-Defense Movement. Rouse poked fun at the mistake on Bluesky, noting that it doesn’t show Americans, but rather British suffragettes. — Wendy Rouse (@wendylrouse.bsky.social) July 8, 2026 at 12:01 PM In reality, the photo dates to around 1912, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, and was taken in London. The caption “Suffragettes holding signs in London, c. 1912,” really says it all. Women over 30 gained the vote in the UK in 1918, and British women over 21