The Untold Story of “Forrest Gump”

The 1994 film, “Forrest Gump” took a character that was virtually an outsider and made us all fall head over heels in love with him. But when Tom Hanks took on the role in the Robert Zemeckis film, he had no idea it would end up being such a box-office hit.

Even if you’ve seen it a million times, there are some facts about the film you probably know nothing about, like what actually ended up being the cause of Jenny’s death.

Historic Moments Were Heavily Featured

“Forrest Gump” features lots of historic moments throughout the film. But while the writers did a great job weaving these stories into Forrest’s personal life, there was one particular moment that simply doesn’t add up.

There Was a Timeline Mistake

During the running scene, it was said that Forrest was running for three years and two months. But the day he started running was on October 1, 1979, which was the day that President Carter collapsed from heat exhaustion. Later in the movie, a letter from Jenny created a major discrepancy.

Jenny’s Letter Revealed a Plot Hole

Forrest got a letter from the love of his life, Jenny, a year and a half after he stopped running. We know this because there’s a scene where you hear the news of President Reagan’s assassination attempt on March 30, 1981.

So clearly, Forrest couldn’t have been running for three years and two months, after all.

The Kids on the Bus Weren’t Random Extras

When young Forrest got on the school bus, most of the kids were mean as snakes. But the boy who refused to let Forrest sit with him was movie director Robert Zemeckis’ son. And the girl who refused to let Forrest sit with her was Tom Hanks’ daughter.