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Revealing mistake: When the Klopek's house is burning and the roof starts to collapse, the "house" is really just an empty shell.

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Show generally

Factual error: Throughout the series, there are repeated instances of "I Corps" being pronounced, "Eye Corps." Since Army corps are designated by Roman numerals, it should be pronounced, "First Corps." (I wonder how they would have pronounced "III Corps" or "XVII Corps?").

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Factual error: Three B-29 bombers took part in the Hiroshima mission, flying together at 31,000 feet. Enola Gay carried the bomb, Greate Artiste carried scientific instrumentation, and an unnamed third plane carried photographic equipment. The bomb detonated at 1000 feet above the ground, so it is highly unlikely that anyone could have seen it falling.

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Continuity mistake: When Frank's plane is landing, it's a DC-10, but when Frank is getting off the plane, it's an L-1011.

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Factual error: Marie Curie did set up mobile X-ray units during WWI, but they were not on the battlefield, but in field hospitals, well behind the front lines. (No one wants a field hospital to be hit by rifle or artillery fire).

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Factual error: The "Olympic team" sailing on the ship consists of approximately 18 men. The actual 1952 US Olympic team consisted of 286 competitors (245 men and 41 women), plus a large number of coaches, trainers, and so on.

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Pompeii's Gate to Hell - S4-E8

Factual error: This episode includes a segment about an abandoned dry dock in San Francisco. At one point, one of the commentators several times refers to the U.S.S. Ward as a "battleship," and marvels that it was built in 17 days. The Ward (DD-139) was a 1200-ton destroyer, not a battleship, and was launched after only 17 days, but then took another two months to complete. By way of comparison, the California (BB-44), an actual battleship of 32,000-tons built during the same time period, too nearly five years to complete.

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Factual error: The firefighters arrive at the gas station and proceed to spray water on the fire. You cannot put out a gasoline fire with water; it requires firefighting foam. Water would only spread the fire even more.

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Trivia: Thomas Heggen wrote the novel "Mister Roberts" based on his wartime experiences on two Navy cargo ships, U.S.S. Virgo (AKA-20) and U.S.S. Rotanin (AK-108). The Virgo was an attack cargo ship, designed for use in amphibious assaults, and saw quite a bit of action. In the movie, U.S.S. Hewell (AKL-14) was used as the fictional Reluctant. The Hewell was a light cargo ship, designed for coastal operations. A basic comparison of the three ships follows: Hewell/Reluctant: 176 feet long, 500 tons, 26 crew (not 62, as stated in the movie.) Rotanin: 441 feet long, 4000 tons, 206 crew Virgo: 460 feet long, 6500 tons, 404 crew.

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Factual error: Pulver supposedly had been on the ship for 14 months without the captain knowing he was aboard. But, the captain would have had to interview him when he came aboard, assign him his duties, and complete a fitness report on him every six months. In addition, all of the officers take their meals in the wardroom, so the captain would have seen him several times a day.

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Factual error: The Captain, Roberts, Pulver, and the doctor are the only officers ever seen or mentioned. No Executive Officer, and no officers in Deck, Engineering, Operations, Supply, etc. Also, Dowdy is apparently the only Chief Petty Officer on board.

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Factual error: There is no such thing as a Laundry and Morale Officer. The ship's laundry was under the auspices of the Supply Officer, as were numerous other functions. In the novel on which the movie was based, Ensign Pulver was described as "one of the engineering officers."

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Factual error: None of the sailors has either service ribbons or rate insignia on his uniform. Even if they were all fresh out of boot camp, they would have had to have at least a rate insignia.

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Identity Crisis - S5-E3

Character mistake: Twice, Brenner refers to the T-33 aircraft as the Silver Star. The name of the T-33 was the Shooting Star.

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Factual error: Sacajawea was not a "tracker." Lewis and Clark hired her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, and her as interpreters, because she spoke the Shoshone language. (She was 16 and pregnant at the time).

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Other mistake: Don, Lena, and crew have a nearly impossible time when starting to shoot "The Dueling Cavalier" as a talkie. But, before that, we see a different group shooting the complex, Zigfeld-esque "Beautiful Girl" number for another picture with no problems at all.

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Continuity mistake: When Judy and Howard leave the hotel to go to Larrabee's home, she is wearing the pantsuit she was wearing the night before at the banquet. Just before that, when they are in the roof restaurant, she is wearing a different outfit. But, by that time, the reporter already had her overnight bag, so she could not have changed clothes.

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Trivia: The hull number given the submarine in the movie, 593, was the hull number of the U.S.S. Thresher, a nuclear attack (not missile) submarine that sank at sea on 10 April 1963, with the loss of all 129 on board.

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Factual error: At the start of the movie, Frank is shown departing the Enterprise along with enlisted men. On large ships such as carriers, there are two separate brows (i.e., "gangplanks"), one for officers and one for enlisted personnel.

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Show generally

Factual error: In the series, Columbo does not carry a gun, and in several episodes it is mentioned that he doesn't like guns and/or that he doesn't know very much about them. In the real world, all LAPD officers must carry guns, and they must re-qualify with them at the range six times each year. Also, due to the very nature of their work, they are knowledgeable about numerous types, makes, and models of guns.

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