11. "HOW" stars Colm Meaney as Thomas "Doc" Durant, a key figure in building the Union Pacific railroad. In the series, Durant is sent to prison for fraud. Fact, fiction, or something in between?
From Quiz "Hell on Wheels" Series and History
Answer:
Fiction
The real Thomas Durant (1820-1885) was a financial wizard - or Robber Baron - and an experienced civil engineer. He also held a doctorate, though in medicine, not engineering. He was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1870.
In the series, Durant is portrayed as ruthless (plausible), clueless about engineering issues (dubious), clean-shaven (definitely wrong), and a murderer (defamatory).