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The Green Fireballs - S1-E6

Factual error: Captain Quinn refers to the civilian they have just seen as Secretary of Defense Fairchild. In the early 1950s the Secretary of Defense was Robert A. Lovett. The Secretary of the Air Force was Thomas K. Finletter. Nowhere was Fairchild ever SecDef or SecAF. This from a show that purports to be based on real events. (00:10:20)

toroscan

The Green Fireballs - S1-E6

Factual error: A Master Sergeant is being interrogated. Captain Quinn is reading his ID Card. The card has an expiration date of "Indefinite." Enlisted personnel have a expiration date that coincides with their term of enlistment. Only officers have an "Indefinite" expiration date. (00:15:00)

toroscan

The Green Fireballs - S1-E6

Factual error: A man in unmarked coveralls is addressed as "sir." This would imply he is an officer. Yet later, it is revealed that he is a Master Sergeant. Sergeants are never addressed as "sir." (00:08:00 - 00:14:50)

toroscan

The Green Fireballs - S1-E6

Factual error: The Secretary of the Air Force enters a room. A captain not in uniform salutes him. You do not salute out of uniform, and you do not salute civilians. You stand at attention. (00:09:20)

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The Green Fireballs - S1-E6

Factual error: A vehicle is shown with US Army markings and a "US Government" license plate. First of all this is an Air Force Base, and a US Army vehicle would be the exception. Second, license plates on otherwise identified military vehicles are not used. Third, the license plate is of the 1990s variety and forward, and not one that would be used in 1952. (00:01:50)

toroscan

The Green Fireballs - S1-E6

Factual error: Military personnel are seen using coveralls and fatigues. But they have no markings or insignia on them. This is not regulation. (00:02:10)

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Ikiiki i ka la o Keawalua - S9-E14

Factual error: A bomb maker is seen soldering a printed circuit board. He has a soldering iron in his left hand, and a voltmeter probe in his right. There is no reason to have a voltmeter probe on the board. First of all you would need a ground probe as well, not a soldering iron. Second, when you are soldering you need to feed the soldering iron with a soldering wire, which he is not doing. (00:20:15)

toroscan

The Lubbock Lights - S1-E3

Factual error: A US Air Force Staff Sergeant is seen delivering some documents. He is wearing Navigator wings. There are no enlisted navigators. Navigators are all officers. (00:20:45)

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Ke iho mai nei ko luna - S9-E13

Factual error: Full aluminum scuba tanks are 1.5 pounds negatively buoyant when full of breathing air. Two of them would be 3 pounds negative. Yet McGarrett is using them to propel him down to 127 meters as if they were very heavy weights. (00:37:25)

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Ke iho mai nei ko luna - S9-E13

Factual error: Three divers arrive at Neptune 1 submarine station where they test the atmosphere at 3% oxygen, 80% helium, 17% nitrogen. Breathing that much helium would make their voices quite high pitched. But their speech is normal. (00:14:30)

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Ke iho mai nei ko luna - S9-E13

Factual error: A Neptune 1 dweller is suffering from a panic attack. One of the Five-O members asks if they have any oxygen. Using pure oxygen at that depth could be fatal. At 14 atmospheres of pressure - the pressure of Neptune 1 - pure oxygen would definitely cause oxygen toxicity. Oxygen toxicity is a concern for scuba divers who dive beyond recreational depth limits, use gas blends such as enriched air nitrox, or use 100% oxygen as a decompression gas. Pulmonary oxygen toxicity causes a burning sensation in the trachea, coughing, shortness of breath, and eventually lung failure. (00:14:45)

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Peeping Butler, Beaver Bomb, Mother's Day Mother - S8-E8

Factual error: The founder of Mother's Day sees a sign in a lunch counter window advertising "Mother's Day Salad $5." That would be highly unlikely. Five Dollars in 1922 is the equivalent of $71.25 today. nobody would pay that for a salad - then or now. (00:18:50)

toroscan

The Flatwoods Monster - S1-E2

Factual error: Air Force personnel are retrieving supposedly alien debris from a forest. They are wearing dress blues, ties and all. This would never happen. They should be wearing what were then called "fatigues", essentially a precursor of the BDUs in use today. (00:16:00)

toroscan

Show generally

Factual error: Military personnel do not exchange salutes when indoors. (00:20:15)

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Show generally

Factual error: Captain Quinn's uniform has many inaccuracies. He should be wearing a name tag. His ribbons are out of order of precedence. Worst of all, he has what looks like a Vietnam Service Medal with three stars, signifying having won the award four times. This is 1952. The medal was not even established until 1965. Vietnam was not even an issue in 1952. (00:21:30)

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Show generally

Factual error: Moving vehicles with officers inside are not saluted except when the car is an official one displaying the flag of a general officer. (00:13:55)

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Show generally

Factual error: Building 18 at the National Guard base has a crest saying "Fargo Air National Guard." This is incorrect. It is the North Dakota Air National Guard. Any crest other than the ANG would say the number and name of a unit based there, or the owning command. (00:13:10)

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Pua a'e la ka uwahi o ka moe - S9-E7

Factual error: A 1932 haulage receipt is shown on screen. It says Hawaii, HI. There was no such abbreviation used for Hawaii until June 1963. The territory was spelled out in full. In June 1963 it was HAW, and then changed to HI in October 1963 with the advent of ZIP codes. (00:38:50)

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Pua a'e la ka uwahi o ka moe - S9-E7

Factual error: The episode refers repeatedly to a brand new 1941 Rolls Royce Phantom II. The Phantom II was discontinued in 1936. It should have been a Phantom III.

toroscan

No Place Like Home - S1-E10

Factual error: A projectile is shown being loaded for firing. It has a light blue casing. Light blue casings denote a practice shell, not a live shell. (00:05:05)

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