It's always shocking when people challenge widely known facts, which is exactly what the American Dad episode "Black Mystery Month" did. In the Season 2 episode, Steve ran into one of those "widely known facts," and things got out of hand real fast when he had to do a paper on a notable African American figure for Black History Month. Francine suggested that Steve writes about George Washington Carver, the inventor of peanut butter. Much to Francine's surprise, Steve took her suggestion and went to work on researching the paper. That's when he discovered a recurring symbol on all peanut butter jars -- a peanut in a pyramid.

Steve started unraveling an immense conspiracy going all the way back to the end of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was head of a cabal that created a plan to give Carver credit for creating peanut butter to heal the divide between the North and the South. Lincoln was killed before the plan could be put into action, though President Grover Cleveland completed it three decades later.

RELATED: Disenchantment: Steamland Features a Subtle Shoutout to a Key Futurama Character

Steve and Snot from American Dad

The episode acted as a blended homage to both The Da Vinci Code and the National Treasure films. Steve was being chased by a secretive organization that protected the conspiracy and murdered the person with the most information, which was highly reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code. And like National Treasure, there were clues and a treasure hidden in Washington, D.C.

However, the odd thing about this episode was the conspiracy was actually based on a real-world truth. The widely accepted fact that George Washington Carver invented peanut butter is 100 percent incorrect. Carver was a brilliant agricultural scientist who developed hundreds of uses for peanuts. While he might not have invented the popular food item, his research and a lifetime of work devoted to the peanut were integral to peanut butter's creation and popularization.

RELATED: Bob's Burgers: Andy and Ollie are the Series' Greatest Characters

The actual development of peanut butter has several contributors. In 1884, the US Government issued a patent to Marcellus Gilmore Edson for a process to create a peanut paste from roasted peanuts. Then in 1895, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg patented a process for making peanut butter from raw peanuts. And in 1903, Dr. Straub patented a machine that could make peanut butter. It was a continuously evolving process.

While most of this didn't make it into the American Dad episode, the plot was based on peanut butter's true origins and challenged a widely accepted fact. In the end, Stan was revealed to be part of the conspiracy and ultimately lost Steve's proof. Also, their mission ended with the death of former President of the United States and notable peanut farmer Jimmy Carter. It may have been a fictionalization of the facts. However, this episode still had a grain of truth to it that was actually somewhat informative.

KEEP READING: South Park's Shocking Betrayal Breaks Up the Boys Forever