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Each entry on thislist of common misconceptions is worded as a correction; the misconceptions themselves are implied rather than stated. These entries are concise summaries; the main subject articles can be consulted for more detail.
Federallegal tender laws in the United States do not require that private businesses, persons, or organizations accept cash for payment, though it must be treated as valid payment for debts when tendered to a creditor.
Adidas is not an acronym for "All day I dream about sports", "All day I dream about soccer", or "All day I dream about sex". The company was named after its founderAdolf "Adi" Dassler in 1949. The earliest publication found of the latterbackronym was in 1978, as a joke.
The letters "AR" inAR-15 stand for "ArmaLite Rifle", reflecting the companyArmaLite that originally manufactured the weapon. They do not stand for "assault rifle".
The common image ofSanta Claus (Father Christmas) as a large jolly man in red garments was not created bythe Coca-Cola Company as an advertising tool. Santa Claus had already taken this form in American popular culture by the late 19th century, long before Coca-Cola used his image in the 1930s.
TheChevrolet Nova sold well in Latin American markets;General Motors did not rename the car. Whileno va does mean "doesn't go" in Spanish,nova was easily understood to mean "new".
Netflix was not founded after its co-founderReed Hastings was charged a $40 late fee byBlockbuster. Hastings made the story up to summarize Netflix'svalue proposition; Netflix's founders were actually inspired byAmazon.
PepsiCo in no real sense ever owned the "6th most powerful navy" in the world after a deal with the Soviet Union. In 1989, Pepsi acquired several decommissioned warships as part of a barter deal. The oil tankers were leased out or sold and the other ships sold for scrap. A follow-on deal involved another 10 ships.
Searing does not seal in moisture in meat; it causes it to lose some moisture. Meat is searedto brown it and to affect its color, flavor, and texture.
Braising meat does not add moisture; it causes it to lose some moisture. Moisture appears to be added when the gentle cooking breaks downconnective tissue andcollagen, which lubricates and tenderizes fibers.
Mussels and clams that do not open when cooked can still be fully cooked and safe to eat.[better source needed]
Twinkies, an American snack cake generally considered to be "junk food", have ashelf life of around 25 days, despite the common claim (usually facetious) that they remain edible for decades. The official shelf life is 45 days. Twinkies normally remain on a store shelf for 7 to 10 days.
Packaged foods, when properly stored, can safely be eaten past their "expiration" dates in the US. While some US states regulateexpiration dates for some products, generally "use-by" and "best-by" dates are manufacturer suggestions for best quality.
Storing bread in the refrigerator makes itgo stale faster than leaving it at room temperature. It does, however, slow mold growth.
Crystallized honey
Crystallizedhoney is not spoiled. The crystals are formed bylow temperature crystallization, a high glucose level, and the presence of pollen. The crystallization can be reversed by gentle heating.
Seeds are not the spiciest part ofchili peppers. In fact, seeds contain a low amount ofcapsaicin, one of several compounds which induce thehot sensation (pungency) in mammals. The highest concentration of capsaicin is located in theplacental tissue (thepith) to which the seeds are attached.
Turkey meat is not particularly high intryptophan, and doesnot cause more drowsiness than other foods. Drowsiness after large meals such as Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner generally comes from overeating.
Darker roasts of coffee do not always contain morecaffeine than lighter roasts. When coffee is roasted, it expands and loses water. When the resultant coffee isground and measured volumetrically, the denser lighter roasts have more coffee per cup, meaning they contain more caffeine.
Bourbon whiskey does not have to be distilled in Kentucky. Bourbon is also distilled in states such as New York, California, Wyoming and Washington, as the legal requirement is only that it be made in theUS. However, Kentucky does produce the majority of bourbon.
Using mild soap onwell-seasonedcast-iron cookware will not damage the seasoning. This is not because modern soaps are gentler than older soaps.
Kappa-maki contains cucumber and no fish
Although mostsushi contains some form ofseafood, the term does not mean 'raw fish', as it refers to the vinegar-prepared rice the dish contains, nor is fish a defining ingredient of sushi. Some sushi, such askappamaki, contain no fish.
Allspice is not a mix of spices. It is a single spice — sourced from the Caribbean treePimenta dioica, also known as pimenta, pimento, and Jamaican pepper in various places around the world — so called because it seems to combine the flavours and scents of many spices, especiallycinnamon,nutmeg,cloves andblack pepper.
Monosodium glutamate has not been found to causeheadaches and other feelings of discomfort, known as "Chinese restaurant syndrome" in placebo-controlled trials. Although there are reports of MSG sensitivity among a subset of the population, this has not been demonstrated in trials.
Steak tartare was not invented by Mongol warriors who tenderized horse meat under their saddles. It is likely named after the Frenchtartar sauce, evolving from an early 20th century French dish where the sauce was served with steaks.
Marco Polo did not introducepasta to Italy from China. The misconception originated as promotional material in theMacaroni Journal, a newsletter published by an association of American pasta makers.
Spices were not used in the Middle Ages to mask the flavor of rotten meat before refrigeration. Spices were an expensive luxury item; those who could afford them could afford good meat, and there are no contemporaneous documents calling for spices to disguise the taste of bad meat.
Catherine de' Medici's cooks did not introduce Italian foods and techniques to the French royal court, laying the foundations for the development of Frenchhaute cuisine.
Whipped cream was not invented byFrançois Vatel in 1661 and later named at theChâteau de Chantilly where it was notably served; similar recipes are attested at least a century earlier in France and England.
Dom Pérignon did not inventchampagne. Wine naturally starts to bubble after being pressed, and bubbles at the time were considered a flaw which Pérignon worked unsuccessfully to eliminate.
Potato chips / crisps were not invented by a frustratedGeorge Speck in response to a customer, sometimes given asCornelius Vanderbilt, complaining that his French fries were too thick and not salty enough. Recipes for potato chips were published as early as 1817. The misconception was popularized by a 1973 advertising campaign by the St. Regis Paper Company.
George Washington Carver was not the inventor ofpeanut butter. The first peanut butter related patent was filed byJohn Harvey Kellogg in 1895, and peanut butter was used by theIncas centuries prior to that. Carver did compile hundreds of uses for peanuts, in addition to uses for pecans, and sweet potatoes. An opinion piece byWilliam F. Buckley Jr. may have been the source of the misconception.
Hydrox is not a knock-off ofOreos. Hydrox, invented in 1908, predates Oreos by four years and was initially more popular than Oreos. The name "Hydrox" being said to sound like a laundry detergent contributed to its market decline.
The difference between the taste of "banana-flavored" candy and a real banana is not due to the former being specifically designed to replicate the taste ofGros Michel bananas, thecultivar that dominated the American banana market before the rise ofCavendish bananas. All banana cultivars derive their flavor from a complex mix of many compounds, while a single compound,isoamyl acetate, gives banana candy its flavor. Isoamyl acetate naturally occurs in bananas as well as many other fruits and fermented beverages. It is more concentrated in Gros Michel bananas than in Cavendish bananas, but its use in candy production was due to its simple production, not any specific resemblance to a banana's flavor.
Microwave ovens do not cook food from the inside out. 2.45 GHz microwaves can only penetrate approximately 1–1.5 inches (2.5–3.8 centimeters) into most foods. The inside portions of thicker foods are mainly heated by heat conducted from the outer layers.
Theradiation produced by a microwave oven is non-ionizing, similar to visible light or radio waves. It therefore does not have the cancer risks associated withionizing radiation such asX-rays andhigh-energy particles, nor does it render the food radioactive. All microwave radiation dissipates as heat. Long-termrodent studies to assess cancer risk have so far failed to identify anycarcinogenicity from2.45 GHz microwave radiation even with chronic exposure levels (i.e. large fraction of life span) far larger than humans are likely to encounter from any leaking ovens. The risk of injury from direct exposure to microwaves is not cumulative, but instead the result of a high-intensity exposure resulting in tissue burns, in much the same way that a high-intensity laser can burn.
Microwaving food does not significantly reduce itsnutritive value more than other ways of heating and may preserve it better than other cooking processes due to shorter cooking times.
Ronald Reagan was never seriously considered for the role of Rick Blaine in the 1942 filmCasablanca, eventually played byHumphrey Bogart. An early studio press release mentioned Reagan, but the studio already knew that Reagan was unavailable because of his upcoming military service. Indeed, the producer had always wanted Bogart for the part.
A 1990s film titledShazaam starring American comedian and actorSinbad as a genie has never existed. False memories of this film are often cited as an example of theMandela effect, and are commonly attributed to the 1996 filmKazaam, which featured basketball playerShaquille O'Neal as the titular genie, along with Sinbad's appearance wearing a genie costume while introducing the 1977 filmSinbad and the Eye of the Tiger onTNT in 1994.
TheChinese word for "crisis" (危机) is not composed of the symbols for "danger" and "opportunity"; the first does represent danger, but the second instead means "inflection point" (the original meaning of the word "crisis"). The misconception was popularized mainly by campaign speeches byJohn F. Kennedy.
Sign languages are not the same worldwide. Aside from thepidginInternational Sign, each country generally has its own native sign language, and some have more than one.
The word "gringo" did not originate during theMexican–American War (1846–1848) as a corruption of "Green, go home!", in reference to the green uniforms of American troops. The word originally simply meant "foreigner", and is probably a corruption of the Spanish wordgriego for "Greek" (along the lines of the idiom "It'sGreek to me").
"420" did not originate from the Los Angeles police or penal code for marijuana use.California Penal Code section 420 prohibits the obstruction of access to public land. The use of "420" started in 1971 atSan Rafael High School, where a group of students would go to smoke at 4:20 pm.
Xmas did not originate as a secular plan to "take Christ out of Christmas".X represents the Greek letterchi, the first letter ofΧριστός (Christós), "Christ" in Greek, as found inthe chi-rho symbol (ΧΡ) since the 4th century. In English, "X" was first used as ascribal abbreviation for "Christ" in 1021.
The wordfuck did not originate in the Middle Ages as anacronym. Proposed acronyms include "fornicating under consent of king" or "for unlawful carnal knowledge", used as a sign posted above adulterers in the stocks. Nor did it originate as a corruption of "pluck yew" (an idiom falsely attributed to the English for drawing alongbow). It is most likely derived fromMiddle Dutch or otherGermanic languages, where it either meant "to thrust" or "to copulate with" (fokken in Middle Dutch), "to copulate", or "to strike, push, copulate" or "penis". Either way, these variations would have been derived from the Indo-European root word-peuk, meaning "to prick".
The expression "rule of thumb" did not originate from an English law allowing a man to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb, and there is no evidence that such a law ever existed. The expression originates from the late seventeenth century from varioustrades where quantities were measured by comparison to the width or length of a thumb.
The wordthe was never pronounced or spelled "ye" inOld orMiddle English. The confusion, seen in thecommon stock phrase "ye olde", derives from the use of the characterthorn (þ), which in Middle English represented the sound now represented in Modern English by "th". This evolved as early printing presses replaced the wordthe with "yͤ", a "y" character with a superscript "e".
Theanti-Italian slurwop did not originate from an acronym for "without papers" or "without passport"; it is actually derived from the termguappo (roughly meaningthug), from the Spanishguapo.
Violent crime rates in the United States declined between 1991 and 2022.
Crime rates are declining for most types of crime, beginning in the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s. In Europe,crime statistics show this is part of a broader pattern of crime decline since the lateMiddle Ages, with a reversal from the 1960s to the 1980s and 1990s, before the decline continued.In the United States, between 1993 and 2022, the rate of violent crime per 100,000 people fell by almost 50%, and the rate of property crime fell by more than half. The number of gun homicides also decreased.
Chewing gum is not punishable bycaning in Singapore. Although importing and selling chewing gumhas been illegal in Singapore since 1992, andcorporal punishment is still an applicable penalty for certain offenses in the country, the two facts are unrelated; chewing gum-related offenses have always been only subject to fines and incarceration, and the possession or consumption of chewing gum itself is not illegal.
No cases have been proven of strangerskilling or permanently injuring children by intentionally hiding poisons or sharp objects such as razor blades in candy or apples during Halloween trick-or-treating and the belief has been "thoroughly debunked". However, in at least one case, adult family members have spread this story to cover upfilicide.
There has never been a documented case ofpet black cats being tortured or ritually sacrificed around Halloween. Where violent deaths of black cats have been documented around Halloween, the death has usually been ascribed to natural predators, such as coyotes, eagles, or raptors.
It is not necessary to wait 24 hours before filing amissing person report. When there is evidence of violence or of an unusual absence, it is important to start an investigation promptly. Criminology experts say the first 72 hours in a missing person investigation are the most critical.
Perry Mason moments, in which a person on trial for a crime is suddenly exonerated by newly introduced revelations, are exceptionally rare in real-life court proceedings, despite their ubiquity inlegal drama. The vast majority of evidence is unveiled in pretrialdiscovery; should new revelations occur, a trial is usuallystayed until both the prosecution and defense can review it.
Diplomatic missions do not necessarily enjoy fullextraterritorial status and are generally not sovereign territory of the represented state. The sending state can give embassies sovereign status but this only happens with a minority of countries. Although they receive special privileges (such as immunity from most local laws) by theVienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations the premises of an embassy remain under the jurisdiction of the host state.
Immigrants had lower arrest rates than citizens in Texas, 2012–2018
Undocumented immigrants in the US have substantially lowercrime rates than US-born citizens. Immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than US-born citizens.
In the United States, a defendant may not have their case dismissed simply because they were not read theirMiranda rights at the time of their arrest. If a person is not given a Miranda warning before the interrogation is conducted, statements made by them during the interrogation may not be admissible in a trial, but the prosecution may still present other forms of evidence, or statements made during interrogations where the defendantwas read their Miranda rights.
Police officers in the United States are not required to identify themselves as police in undercover work, and may lie when engaged in such work. Claimingentrapment as a defense depends on whether the defendant was improperly induced by undue pressure from government agents (or others acting under police direction) to commit crimes they would not have otherwise committed.
It is not illegal in the US toshout "fire" in a crowded theater. Although this is often given as an example of speech that is not protected by the First Amendment, it is not now nor has it ever been binding law. The phrase originates from JusticeOliver Wendell Holmes Jr.'sopinion in theUnited States Supreme Court caseSchenck v. United States in 1919, which held that the defendant's speech in opposition to the draft during World War I was not protected free speech. However, that case was not about shouting "fire" and the decision was later overturned byBrandenburg v. Ohio in 1969.
The US Armed Forces have generally forbidden military enlistment as a form ofdeferred adjudication (that is, an option for convicts to avoid jail time) since the 1980s. US Navy protocols discourage the practice, while the other four branches have specific regulations against it.
Last meal requests do not have to be fulfilled. States have various restrictions on what can be requested, up to not permitting them at all.
Although popularly known as the "red telephone", theMoscow–Washington hotline was never a telephone line, nor were red phones used. The first implementation of the hotline usedteletype equipment, which was replaced by facsimile (fax) machines in 1988. Since 2008, the hotline has been a secure computer link over which the two countries exchange email. Moreover, the hotline links theKremlin to thePentagon, not theWhite House.
Likewise, thenuclear football, the briefcase used by presidents to launch nuclear attacks, does not contain alarge red button to launch an attack. Rather, its primary use is to confirm the president's identity, and to facilitate communication withthe Pentagon.
Twinkies were notclaimed to be the cause of San Francisco mayorGeorge Moscone's and supervisorHarvey Milk's murders. In the trial ofDan White, the defense successfully argued White's diminished capacity as a result of depression. While eating Twinkies was cited as evidence of this depression, it was never claimed to be the cause of the murders.
Neither theMafia nor other criminal organizations regularly use or have usedcement shoes to drown their victims. There are only two documented cases of this method being used in murders: one in 1964 and one in 2016 (although, in the former,the victim had concrete blocks tied to his legs rather than being enclosed in cement). The French Army did use cement shoes on Algerians killed indeath flights during theAlgerian War.
Embalming is not legally required in the United States. TheFederal Trade Commission passed a rule in 1984 forbidding making this claim, to prevent the funeral industry from promoting the misconception for financial gain.
Mary Shelley's 1818 novelFrankenstein is named after the fictional scientistVictor Frankenstein, who created the sapient creature in the novel, not the creature itself, which is never named in the novel and is now usually calledFrankenstein's monster. However, as later adaptations started to refer to the monster itself as Frankenstein, this usage became well-established, and some no longer regard it as erroneous.
Theminuet in G major byChristian Petzold is commonly attributed toJohann Sebastian Bach, although the piece was identified in the 1970s as a movement from a harpsichord suite by Petzold. The misconception stems fromNotebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, a book of sheet music by various composers (mostly Bach) in which the minuet is found. Compositions that are doubtful as works of Bach are cataloged as "BWV Anh.", short for "Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis Anhang" ("Bach works catalogue annex"); the minuet is assigned to BWV Anh. 114.
Listening to Mozart or classical music does not enhance intelligence (orIQ). A study from 1993 reported a short-term improvement inspatial reasoning. However, the weight of subsequent evidence supports either a null effect or short-term effects related to increases in mood and arousal, with mixed results published after the initial report inNature.
The "Minute Waltz" takes, on average, two minutes to play as originally written. Its name comes from the adjectiveminute, meaning "small", and not the noun spelled the same.
The Beatles' 1965 appearance atShea Stadium was not the first time that a rock concert was played at a large, outdoor sports stadium in the United States; such venues were employed byElvis Presley in the 1950s and the Beatles themselves in 1964.
Concept albums did not begin with rock music in the 1960s. The format had already been employed by singers such asFrank Sinatra in the 1940s and 1950s.
Cass Elliot (ofThe Mamas & the Papas) did not die from choking on a ham sandwich. This falsehood was initiated by her manager who wanted to avoid the implication that her death was associated with substance abuse.
Phil Collins did not write his 1981 hit "In the Air Tonight" about witnessing someone drowning and then confronting the person in the audience who let it happen. According to Collins himself, it was about his emotions when divorcing from his first wife.
Popular musicians are not more likely to die at the age of 27. The notion of a "27 Club" arose after the deaths, in a ten-month period, ofJimi Hendrix,Janis Joplin, andJim Morrison, and later the deaths ofKurt Cobain andAmy Winehouse. Statistical studies have shown that there is no scientific basis for this idea.
The song "Puff, the Magic Dragon" is not about drugs. Both of the song's co-writers consistently and emphatically denied this interpretation throughout their lives, stating that the song is solely about the loss of childhood innocence.
Statue ofBudai, often incorrectly referred to as the "Buddha"
The chubby, bald monk with lengthened ears who is often depicted laughing, known as the "fat Buddha" or "laughing Buddha" in the West, is a depiction of the Chinese Buddhist folk heroBudai, not Siddhartha Gautama, the historical figure usually referenced by the phrase 'the Buddha.' 'Buddha' is a role or title in Buddhism which can properly be applied to both Budai and Siddhartha, but they are separate figures. Siddhartha is most often depicted as a thin man, concentrated in meditation.
Jesus was most likely not born on December 25, whenhis birth is traditionally celebrated as Christmas. It is more likely that his birth was in either the season of spring or perhaps summer. Although theCommon Era ostensibly counts the years since the birth of Jesus, it is unlikely that he was born in either AD 1 or 1 BC, as such a numbering system would imply. Modern historians estimate a date closer to between 6 BC and 4 BC.
The Bible does not say that exactly threemagi came to visit the baby Jesus, nor that they were kings, or rode on camels, or that their names wereCaspar,Melchior, andBalthazar, nor what color their skin was.[citation needed] Three magi are inferred because three gifts are described, but the Bible says only that there was more than one magus.
No evidence supportsMary Magdalene having been a prostitute.
The idea thatMary Magdalene was a prostitute before she met Jesus is not found in the Bible or in any of the other earliest Christian writings. It has been a disputed doctrine in several theological traditions whether Mary Magdalene,Mary of Bethany (whoanoints Jesus' feet in John 11:1–12), and the unnamed "sinful woman" who anoints Jesus' feet in Luke 7:36–50 were the same woman.
Paul the Apostle's name was not changed from Saul. He was born a Jew, withRoman citizenship inherited from his father, and thus carried both a Hebrew and a Greco-Roman name from birth, as mentioned byLuke in Acts 13:9: "...Saul, who also is called Paul...".
Roman Catholic dogma does not say that the pope is eithersinless (as is commonly believed among non-Catholic Christians) or always infallible. Catholic dogma since 1870 does state that adivine revelation by the pope (generally calledex cathedra) is free from error, but it does not hold that he is always free from error, even when speaking in his official capacity.
TheFirst Council of Nicaea did not establish the books of the Bible. The Old Testament had likely already beenestablished by Hebrew scribes before Christ. Thedevelopment of the New Testament canon was mostly completed in the third century before the Nicaea Council was convened in 325; it was finalized, along with thedeuterocanon, at theCouncil of Rome in 382.
Constantine the Great did not make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. While he was the first Christian emperor and promoted religious tolerance with theEdict of Milan, Christianity was not declared the official religion of the Roman Empire until AD 380, some 43 years after Constantine's death.
TheSeven Deadly Sins are never listed in the Bible. The concept originated withTertullian, and originally consisted of nine vices. This was later reduced to seven byGregory I.
Theburqa (also transliterated as burka or burkha) is often confused with other types of head-wear worn by Muslim women, particularly theniqāb and thehijab. A burqa covers the body, head, and face, with a mesh grille to see through. A niqab covers the hair and face, excluding the eyes. A hijab covers the hair and chest but not the face.
Not all Muslim women wear face or head coverings.
Afatwa is a generally non-binding legal opinion issued by anIslamic scholar underIslamic law; it is therefore commonplace for fatawa from different authors to disagree. The misconception that it is a death sentence stems from a decree issued by AyatollahRuhollah Khomeini of Iran in 1989 where he said that the authorSalman Rushdie had earned a death sentence forblasphemy. It is debated whether this was a fatwa.
The wordjihad does not always mean 'holy war'; its literal meaning in Arabic is 'struggle'. While there is such a thing asjihad by the sword,jihad can be any spiritual or moral effort or struggle, such as seeking knowledge, putting others before oneself, and inviting others to Islam.
TheQuran does notpromise martyrs 72 virgins in heaven. It only mention that companions,houri, are given to all people in heaven (men and women, martyr or not). Arabic words translated as "virgins" in Western media could be more accurately translated as 'angel' or 'heavenly being'.[1]
Theforbidden fruit mentioned in theBook of Genesis is never identified as an apple, as widely depicted in Western art. The original Hebrew texts mention onlyfruit.
Artificial turf is not maintenance free. It requires regular maintenance, such as raking and patching, to keep it functional and safe.
The namegolf is not an acronym for "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden". It may have come from the Dutch wordkolf orkolve, meaning "club", or from the Scottish wordgoulf orgowf meaning "to strike or cuff".
Theblack belt in martial arts does not necessarily indicate expert level. It was introduced forjudo in the 1880s to indicate competency at all of the basic techniques of the sport. Promotion beyond 1stdan (the first black belt rank) varies among different martial arts.
The use oftriangular corner flags in English football is not a privilege reserved for those teams that have won anFA Cup in the past, as depicted in a scene in the filmTwin Town. TheFootball Association's rules are silent on the subject, and the decision over what shape flag to use has been up to the individual club's groundskeepers.
India did not withdraw from the1950 FIFA World Cup because their squad wanted to play barefoot. In reality, India withdrew because the country's managing body, theAll India Football Federation (AIFF), was insufficiently prepared for the team's participation.
There is no definitive proof thatviolent video games cause people to become violent. Some studies have found no link between aggression and violent video games, and the popularity of gaming has coincided with adecrease in youth violence. Themoral panic surrounding video games in the 1980s through to the 2020s, alongside several studies and incidents of violence and legislation in many countries, likely contributed to proliferating this idea.
The Japanese government did not pass a law banningSquare Enix from releasing theDragon Quest games on weekdays due to it causing too many schoolchildren to cut class. This rule is self-imposed by the developers.
The release ofSpace Invaders in 1978 did not cause a shortage of¥100 coins inJapan. An advertising campaign byTaito and an erroneous 1980 article inNew Scientist are the sources of this claim.
ThePyramids of Egypt were not constructed withslave labor. Archaeological evidence shows that the laborers were a combination of skilled workers and poor farmers working in the off-season with the participants paid in high-quality food and tax exemptions. The idea that slaves were used originated withHerodotus, and the idea that they wereIsraelites arose centuries after the pyramids were constructed.
Galleys in ancient times were not commonly operated by chained slaves or prisoners, as depicted in films such asBen Hur, but by paid laborers or soldiers, with slaves used only in times of crisis, in some cases even gaining freedom after the crisis was averted.Ptolemaic Egypt was a possible exception. Other types of vessels, such as Roman merchant vessels, were manned by slaves, sometimes even with slaves as ship's master.
The ancient Greeks did not use the word "idiot" (Ancient Greek:ἰδιώτης,romanized: idiṓtēs) to disparage people who did not take part in civic life. Anἰδιώτης was simply a private citizen as opposed to a government official. The word also meant any sort of non-expert or layman, then later someone uneducated or ignorant, and much later to mean stupid or mentally deficient.
The so-calledRoman salute, in which the arm is fully extended forwards or diagonally with palm down and fingers touching, was not used in ancient Rome. The gesture was first associated with ancient Rome in the 1784 paintingThe Oath of the Horatii by the French artistJacques-Louis David, which inspired later salutes, most notably theNazi salute.
Wealthy Ancient Romans did not use rooms calledvomitoria to purge food during meals so they could continue eating and vomiting was not a regular part ofRoman dining customs. Avomitorium of an amphitheatre or stadium was a passageway allowing quick exit at the end of an event. The relation of the word "vomit" to the word "vomitorium" comes from both deriving from a latin term meaning "to spew forth", referring to food in "vomit" and spectators of an event in "vomitorium".
Julius Caesar was not born viacaesarean section. Such a procedure would have been fatal to the mother at the time, and Caesar's mother was still alive when he was 45 years old.
TheMiddle Ages were not "a time of ignorance, barbarism and superstition"; the Church did not place religious authority over personal experience and rational activity; and the term "Dark Ages" is rejected by modern historians.
While modernlife expectancies are much higher than those in the Middle Ages and earlier, adults in the Middle Ages did not die in their 30s on average. That was the life expectancyat birth, which was skewed by high infant and adolescent mortality. The life expectancy among adults was much higher; a 21-year-old man in medieval England, for example, could expect to live to the age of 64.
In the tale ofKing Canute and the tide, the king did not command the tide to reverse in a fit of delusional arrogance. According to the story, his intent was to prove a point that no man is all-powerful, and that all people must bend to forces beyond their control, such as the tides.
There is no evidence thatiron maidens were used for torture, or even yet invented, in the Middle Ages. Instead they were pieced together in the 18th century from several artifacts found in museums, arsenals and the like to create spectacular objects intended for commercial exhibition.
Spiral staircases in castles were not designed in a clockwise direction to hinder right-handed attackers. While clockwise spiral staircases are more common in castles than anti-clockwise, they were even more common in medieval structures without a military role, such as religious buildings.
Theplate armor of European soldiers did not stop soldiers from moving around or necessitate a crane to get them into a saddle. They needed to be able to fight on foot in case they could not ride their horse and could mount and dismount without help. However, armor used in tournaments in the late Middle Ages was significantly heavier than that used in warfare.
Whetherchastity belts, devices designed to prevent women and men from having sexual intercourse, were invented in medieval times is disputed by modern historians. Most existing chastity belts are now thought to be deliberate fakes from the 19th century.
Medieval European scholarsdid not believe the Earth was flat. Scholars have known the Earth is spherical since at least the sixth century BCE.
Medieval cartographers did not regularly write "here be dragons" on their maps. The only maps from this era that have the phrase inscribed on them are theHunt-Lenox Globe and theOstrich Egg Globe, next to a coast in Southeast Asia for both of them. Maps in this period did occasionally have illustrations of mythical or real animals.
Christopher Columbus' efforts to obtain support forhis voyages were not hampered by belief in a flat Earth, but by valid worries that the East Indies were farther than he realized. In fact, Columbus grossly underestimated the Earth's circumference because of two calculation errors. The myth that Columbus proved the Earth was round was propagated by authors likeWashington Irving inA History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus.
Columbus was not the first European to visit the Americas:Leif Erikson, and possibly other Vikings before him, exploredVinland, an area of coastal North America. Ruins atL'Anse aux Meadows prove that at least one Norse settlement was built in Newfoundland, confirming a story in theSaga of Erik the Red.
Vikings did notname Iceland "Iceland" as a ploy to discourage oversettlement. According to theSagas of Icelanders,Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson saw icebergs on the island when he traveled there, and named the island after them. Popular legend holds that Greenland was named in the hopes of attracting settlers.
The elite of theDutch Golden Age wore black clothes primarily as a status symbol rather than out ofPuritan self-restraint. The clothes attracted status from the difficulty of the dyeing process and the cost of elaborate embellishments.
Shah Jahan, the IndianMughal Emperor who commissioned theTaj Mahal, did not cut off the hands of the rumored 40,000 workers or lead designers so as to not allow the construction of another monument more beautiful than the Taj Mahal. This is an urban myth that goes back to the 1960s.
The story thatIsaac Newton was inspired to research the nature of gravity when anapple fell on his head is almost certainly apocryphal. All Newton himself ever said was that the idea came to him as he sat "in a contemplative mood" and "was occasioned by the fall of an apple".
Marie Antoinette did not say "let them eat cake" when she heard that the French peasantry were starving due to a shortage of bread. The phrase was first published inRousseau'sConfessions, written when Marie Antoinette was only nine years old and not attributed to her, just to "a great princess". It was first attributed to her in 1843.
The early settlers (commonly known asPilgrims) of thePlymouth Colony in North America usually did not wear all black, and theircapotains (hats) did not include buckles. Instead, their fashion was based on that of the late Elizabethan era. The traditional image was formed in the 19th century when buckles were a kind of emblem of quaintness. (ThePuritans, who settled in the adjacentMassachusetts Bay Colony shortly after the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth,did frequently wear all black.)
People accused of witchcraft were not burned at the stake during theSalem witch trials. Of the accused, nineteen people convicted of witchcraft were executed by hanging, at least five died in prison, andone man was pressed to death by stones while trying to extract a confession from him.
George Washington did not havewooden teeth. His dentures were made of lead, gold, hippopotamus ivory, the teeth of various animals, including horse and donkey teeth, and human teeth, possibly bought from slaves or poor people. Because ivory teeth quickly became stained, they may have had the appearance of wood to observers.
George Washington also did not say "I cannot tell a lie" when being caught cutting down his father's cherry tree. Both the phrase and the tree were a fabricated anecdote created by one of Washington's biographers,Mason Locke Weems, to portray him as exceptionally honest.
The signing of theUnited States Declaration of Independence did not occur on July 4, 1776. After theSecond Continental Congress voted to declare independence on July 2, the final language of the document was approved on July 4, and it was printed and distributed on July 4–5. However, the actual signing occurred on August 2, 1776.
Benjamin Franklin did not propose that thewild turkey be used as the symbol for the United States instead of the bald eagle. While he did serve on a commission that tried to design a seal after the Declaration of Independence, his proposal was an image of Moses. His objections to the eagle as a national symbol and preference for the turkey were stated in a 1784 letter to his daughter in response to theSociety of the Cincinnati's use of the former; he never expressed that sentiment publicly.
There was never a bill to make German theofficial language of the United States that was defeated by one vote in the House of Representatives, nor has one been proposed at the state level. In 1794, a petition from a group of German immigrants was put aside on a procedural vote of 42 to 41, that would have had the government publish some laws in German. This was the basis of theMuhlenberg legend, named after the Speaker of the House at the time,Frederick Muhlenberg, who was of German descent and abstained from this vote.
Napoleon Bonaparte was not especially short for a Frenchman of his time. He was the height of an average French male in 1800, but short for an aristocrat or officer. After his death in 1821, the French emperor's height was recorded as 5 feet 2 inches inFrench feet, which in English measurements is 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m).
Cinco de Mayo is notMexico's Independence Day, but the celebration of the Mexican Army's victory over the French in theBattle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Mexico's Declaration of Independence from Spain in 1810 is celebrated on September 16.
Victorian-era doctors did not invent thevibrator to cure female "hysteria" by triggering orgasm.
Albert Einstein, photographed at 14, did not fail mathematics at school.
Albert Einstein did not fail mathematics classes in school. Einstein remarked, "I never failed in mathematics.... Before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus." Einstein did, however, fail his first entrance exam into theSwiss Federal Polytechnic School (ETH) in 1895, when he was two years younger than his fellow students, but scored exceedingly well in the mathematics and science sections, and then passed on his second attempt. The misconception likely stems from different grading systems in Swiss and Germany, where a 6 is the best grade in Swiss, but the worst grade in Germany.
Alfred Nobel did not omit mathematics in theNobel Prize due to a rivalry with mathematicianGösta Mittag-Leffler, as there is little evidence the two ever met, nor was it because Nobel's spouse had an affair with a mathematician, as Nobel was never married. The more likely explanation is that Nobel believed mathematics was too theoretical to benefit humankind, as well as his personal lack of interest in the field. (See also:Nobel Prize controversies)
Grigori Rasputin was not assassinated by being fed cyanide-laced cakes andwine, shot multiple times, and then thrown into theLittle Nevka river when he survived the former two. A contemporary autopsy reported that he was just killed with gunshots. A sensationalized account from the memoirs of co-conspiratorPrinceFelix Yusupov is the only source of this story.
The Italian dictatorBenito Mussolini did not "make the trains run on time". Much of the repair work had been performed before he and theFascist Party came to power in 1922. Moreover, the Italian railways' supposed adherence to timetables was more propaganda than reality.
There is no evidence ofPolish cavalry mounting a brave but futile charge against German tanks using lances and sabers during the Germaninvasion of Poland in 1939. This story may have originated from German propaganda efforts following thecharge at Krojanty.
Betsy Ross did not design or make the first official U.S. flag, despite it being widely known as theBetsy Ross flag. The claim was first made by her grandson a century later.
The Thirteenth Amendmentabolished chattel slavery in the United States nationwide, not the Emancipation Proclamation (red areas only).
Abraham Lincoln did not write hisGettysburg Address speech on the back of an envelope on his train ride to Gettysburg. The speech was substantially complete before Lincoln left Washington for Gettysburg.
TheEmancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves in the United States; the Proclamation applied in the ten states that were still inrebellion in 1863, and thus did not cover the nearly five hundred thousand slaves in the slaveholdingborder states that had not seceded. (See also:Abolition of slavery timeline)
Likewise, theJune 19, 1865 order celebrated annually as "Juneteenth" only appliedin Texas, not the United States at large.The Thirteenth Amendment, ratified and proclaimed in December 1865, was the article that banned slavery nationwide except as punishment for a crime.
TheAlaska Purchase was generally viewed as positive or neutral in the United States, both among the public and the press. The opponents of the purchase who characterized it as "Seward's Folly", alluding toWilliam H. Seward, the Secretary of State who negotiated it, represented a minority opinion at the time.
Cowboy hats were not initially popular in theWestern American frontier, withderby or bowler hats being the typical headgear of choice. Heavy marketing of theStetson "Boss of the Plains" model in the years following theAmerican Civil War was the primary driving force behind the cowboy hat's popularity, with its characteristic dented top not becoming standard until near the end of the 19th century.
TheGreat Chicago Fire of 1871 was not caused byMrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern. A newspaper reporter later admitted to having invented the story to make colorful copy.
There is no evidence thatFrederic Remington, on assignment to Cuba in 1897, telegraphedWilliam Randolph Hearst: "There will be no war. I wish to return," nor that Hearst responded: "Please remain. You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war". The anecdote was originally included in a book byJames Creelman and probably never happened.
Immigrants' last names were not Americanized (voluntarily, mistakenly, or otherwise) upon arrival atEllis Island. Officials there kept no records other than checking ship manifests created at the point of origin, and there was simply no paperwork that would have let them recast surnames, let alone any law. At the time in New York, anyone could change the spelling of their name simply by using that new spelling. These names are often referred to as an "Ellis Island Special".
Prohibition did not make drinking alcohol illegal in the United States. TheEighteenth Amendment and the subsequentVolstead Act prohibited the production, sale, and transport of "intoxicating liquors" within the United States, but their possession and consumption were never outlawed.
Distraught stockbrokers did notjump to their deaths in large numbers after theWall Street Crash of 1929. Although extensively reported by the news media, the phenomenon was limited in number and the overall suicide rate following the 1929 crash did not increase.
There was no widespread outbreak of panic across the United States in response toOrson Welles' 1938radio adaptation ofH.G. Wells'The War of the Worlds. Only a very small share of the radio audience was listening to it, but newspapers, beingeager to discredit radio as a competitor for advertising, played up isolated reports of incidents and increased emergency calls. Both Welles and CBS, which had initially reacted apologetically, later came to realize that the myth benefited them and actively embraced it in later years.
U.S. SenatorGeorge Smathers never gave aspeech to a less-educated audience describing his opponent,Claude Pepper, as an "extrovert" whose sister was a "thespian", in the apparent hope they would confuse them with similar-sounding words like "pervert" and "lesbian". Smathers offered US$10,000 to anyone who could prove he had made the speech; it was never claimed.
Dwight D. Eisenhower did not order the construction of theInterstate Highway System for the sole purpose of evacuating cities in the event of nuclear warfare. While military motivations were present, the primary motivations were civilian.
Rosa Parks was not sitting in the front ("white") section of the bus during the event that made her famous and incited theMontgomery bus boycott. Rather, she was sitting in the front of the back ("colored") section of the bus, where African Americans were expected to sit, and rejected an order from the driver to vacate her seat in favor of a white passenger when the "white" section of the bus had become full.
The African-American intellectual and activistW. E. B. Du Bois did not renounce his U.S. citizenship while living in Ghana shortly beforehis death. In early 1963, his membership in theCommunist Party and support for the Soviet Union led theU.S. State Department to refuse to renew hispassport while he was already in Ghana. After leaving the embassy, he stated his intention to renounce his citizenship in protest, but while he took Ghanaian citizenship, he never actually renounced his American citizenship.
US PresidentJohn F. Kennedy's words "Ich bin ein Berliner" are standard German for "I am a Berliner (citizen of Berlin)." It is not true that by using the indefinite articleein, he changed the meaning of the sentence from the intended "I am a citizen of Berlin" to "I am aBerliner", a Berliner being a type of German pastry, similar to ajelly doughnut, amusing Germans. Furthermore, the pastry, whichis known by many names in Germany, was not then – nor is it now – commonly called "Berliner" in the Berlin area.
WhenKitty Genovese was murdered outside her apartment in 1964, there were not 38 neighbors standing idly by and watching who failed to call the police until after she was dead, as was initially reported to widespread public outrage that persisted for years and evenbecame the basis of a theory in social psychology. In fact, witnesses only heard brief portions of the attack and did not realize what was occurring, and only six or seven actually saw anything. One witness, who had called the police, said when interviewed by officers at the scene, "I didn't want to get involved", an attitude later attributed to all the neighbors.
The Wendell O. Pruitt Homes and William Igoe Apartments complex
While it was praised by one architectural magazine before it was built as "the best high apartment of the year", thePruitt–Igoehousing project in St. Louis, Missouri never won any awards for its design. The architectural firm that designed the buildings did win an award for an earlier St. Louis project, which may have been confused with Pruitt–Igoe.
There is little contemporary documentary evidence for the notion that US Vietnam veterans werespat upon by anti-war protesters upon return to the United States. This belief was detailed in some biographical accounts and was later popularized by films such asRambo.
Womendid not burn their bras outside the Miss America contest in 1969 as a protest in support of women's liberation. They did symbolically throw bras in a trash can, along with other articles seen as emblematic of women's position in American society such as mops, make-up, and high-heeled shoes. The myth of bra burning came when a journalist hypothetically suggested that women may do so in the future, as men of the eraburned their draft cards.
The American space program in the 1960s never had a wide base ofpublic support and did not unify America. Belief that theApollo program was worth the time and money invested peaked at 51% for a few months after the1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, and otherwise had fluctuated between 35–45% support.
There is no scientific evidence that the motion of stars, planets, and other celestial bodies influences the fates of humans, andastrology has repeatedly been shown to have no explanatory power in predicting future events.
Astronauts in orbit have the sensation of beingweightless because they are infree fall around the Earth, not because they are so far away from the Earth that its gravitational pull is negligible. For example, on theInternational Space Station the Earth's gravity is nearly 90% as strong as at the surface. Objects orbiting in space would not remain in orbit if not for the gravitational force, and gravitational fields extend even into the depths of intergalactic space.
Thedark (far) side of the Moon receives about the same amount of light from theSun as thenear side. It is called "dark" not because it never receives light but because it had never been seen until humanssent spacecraft around the Moon, since the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth due totidal locking.
Black holes have the same gravitational effects as any other equal mass in their place. They will draw objects nearby towards them, just as any other celestial body does, except at very close distances to the black hole, comparable to itsSchwarzschild radius. If, for example, the Sun were replaced by a black hole of equal mass, the orbits of the planets would be essentially unaffected.
The Earth'sequator does not line up with theplane of the Earth's orbit, so for half of the year theNorthern Hemisphere is tilted more towards theSun and for the other half the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more away, causing seasonal temperature variation.
Egg balancing is possible on every day of the year, not just thevernal equinox, and there is no relationship between any astronomical phenomenon and the ability to balance an egg.
TheFisher Space Pen was not commissioned by NASA at a cost of millions of dollars, while the Soviets used pencils. It was independently developed by Paul C. Fisher, founder of the Fisher Pen Company, with $1 million of his own funds. NASA tested and approved the pen for space use, then purchased 400 pens at $6 per pen. The Soviet Union subsequently also purchased the Space Pen for itsSoyuz spaceflights.
TheSun is not yellow; rather, it emits light across the fullspectrum of visible colors, and this combined light appears white when outside of Earth's atmosphere. Earth's atmospherescatters shorter wavelengths of light, particularly blues and violets, more than longer wavelengths like reds and yellows, and this scattering is why the Sun appears yellow during the day or orange or red during sunrise and sunset. The scattered blue/violet light, appearing to come from all directions, is what makes the rest of the sky look blue.
A satellite image of a section of theGreat Wall of China, running diagonally from lower left to upper right (not to be confused with the much more prominent river running from upper left to lower right).
TheGreat Wall of China is not the onlyhuman-made object visible from space or from the Moon. None of theApollo astronauts reported seeingany specific human-made object from the Moon, and even Earth-orbiting astronauts can see it only with magnification. City lights, however, are easily visible on the night side of Earth from orbit.
TheBig Bang model does not fully explain theorigin of the universe. It does not describe how energy, time, and space were caused, but rather it describes the emergence of the present universe from an ultra-dense and high-temperature initial state.
Bats are not blind. While about 70% of bat species, mainly in themicrobat family, useecholocation to navigate, all bat species have eyes and are capable of sight. In addition, almost all bats in themegabat or fruit bat family cannot echolocate and have excellent night vision.
The color of a red cape does not enrage a bull.
Bulls are not enraged by the color red, used in capes byprofessional bullfighters. Cattle aredichromats, so red does not stand out as a bright color. It is not the color of the cape, but the perceived threat by the bullfighter that incites it to charge, along with the spearing of the bull and mental agitation and abuse it endures beforehand.
Camels do not store water in their humps, but rather fatty tissue which can be used as a reserve source of calories. They can go long periods without water but the water is stored in the animal's bloodstream, not their humps.
Domestic cats' behavioral and personality traits cannot be predicted from their coat color. Rather, these traits depend on a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors.
Not all cats are attracted and intoxicated bycatnip, which only affects about two thirds of them. Alternatives exist, such asvalerian root and leaves.
Dogs do not sweat bysalivating. Dogs actually do havesweat glands and not only on their tongues; they sweat mainly through their footpads. However, dogs do primarily regulate their body temperature throughpanting. (See also:Dog anatomy § Temperature regulation)
Dogs do not consistently age seven times as quickly as humans.Aging in dogs varies widely depending on the breed; certain breeds, such asgiant dog breeds andEnglish bulldogs, have much shorter lifespans than average. Most dogs reach adolescence by one year old; smaller and medium-sized breeds begin to age more slowly in adulthood.
Old elephants near death do not leave their herd to go to an "elephants' graveyard" to die.
The hippopotamus does not produce pink milk, nor does it sweat blood. The skin secretions of the hippopotamus are red due to the presence ofhipposudoric acid, a red pigment which acts as a natural sunscreen, and is neither sweat nor blood. It does not affect the color of their milk, which is white or beige.
Lemmings do not engage in mass suicidal dives off cliffs when migrating. The scenes oflemming suicides in the 1958Disney documentary filmWhite Wilderness, which popularized this idea, were completely fabricated. The lemmings in the film were actually purchased fromInuit children, transported to the filming location in Canada and repeatedly shoved off a nearby cliff by the filmmakers to create the illusion of a mass suicide. The misconception itself is much older, dating back to at least the late 19th century, though its exact origins are uncertain.
Mice do not have a special appetite for cheese, and will eat it only for lack of better options; they actually favor sweet, sugary foods. The myth may have come from the fact that before the advent of refrigeration, cheese was usually stored outside and was therefore an easy food for mice to reach.
Porcupines do not shoot their quills. They can detach, and porcupines will deliberately back into attackers to impale them, but their quills do not project.
Rabbits are not especially partial to carrots. Their diet in the wild primarily consists of dark green vegetables such as grasses and clovers, and excessive carrot consumption is unhealthy for them due to containing high levels of sugar. This misconception originated from cartoon characterBugs Bunny, whose carrot chomping habit was made as a reference to the character played byClark Gable inIt Happened One Night.
Tomato juice and sauce are ineffective at neutralizing the odor of a skunk. Rather, due toolfactory fatigue, a person sprayed by a skunk loses sensitivity to the smell over time.Effective treatments for skunk odor involve artificial compounds rather than household remedies.
There is no such thing as an "alpha" in a wolf pack. An early study that coined the term "alpha wolf" had only observed unrelated adult wolves living in captivity. In the wild, wolf packs operate like families: parents are in charge until the young grow up and start their own families, and younger wolves do not overthrow an "alpha" to become the new leader.
Thephases of the Moon have no effect on thevocalizations of wolves, and wolves do not howl at the Moon. Wolves howl to assemble the pack usually before and after hunts, to pass on an alarm particularly at a den site, to locate each other during a storm, while crossing unfamiliar territory, and to communicate across great distances.
A human touching or handling eggs or baby birds will not cause the adult birds to abandon them. The same is generally true for other animals having their young touched by humans as well, with the possible exception of rabbits (as rabbits will sometimes abandon their nest after an event they perceive as traumatizing).
Eating rice, yeast, orAlka-Seltzer does not cause birds to explode and is rarely fatal. Birds canflatulate andregurgitate to expel gas, and some birds even include wild rice as part of their diet. The misconception has often led to weddings usingmillet,confetti, or other materials to shower the newlyweds as they leave the ceremony, instead of thethrowing of rice that is traditional in some places.
The bold, powerful cry commonly associated with thebald eagle in popular culture is actually that of ared-tailed hawk.Bald eagle vocalizations are much softer and chirpier, and bear far more resemblance to the calls ofgulls.
The dodo was intelligent and inedible despite popular belief
Despite the saying "dumb as a dodo", thedodo's intelligence was above average for an avian, as it was a member of the familyColumbidae (pigeons). The perceived stupidity of the dodo, a medium-sized flightless bird that was native toMauritius, is due to naivety and passivity from living in isolation without significant predators.
Many believe that the dodo was hunted to extinction by European settlers due to its high culinary value. However, the dodo's meat was stated to be inedible by historical accounts, as one of its early names given by the Dutch wasWalghvoghel (tasteless bird). The dodo's decline was caused more by predation of their eggs frominvasive species as opposed to direct predation from humans.
A duck's quack actually doesecho, although the echo may be difficult to hear for humans under some circumstances. Despite this, a British panel show compiling interesting facts has been given the nameDuck Quacks Don't Echo.
Ostriches do not stick their heads in the sand to hide from enemies or to sleep. This misconception's origins are uncertain but it was probably popularized byPliny the Elder (23–79 CE), who wrote that ostriches "imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of their body is concealed".
Sixty common starlings were released in 1890 into New York'sCentral Park byEugene Schieffelin, but there is no evidence that he was trying to introduce every bird species mentioned in the works ofWilliam Shakespeare into North America. This claim has been traced to an essay in 1948 by naturalistEdwin Way Teale, whose notes appear to indicate that it was speculation.
The skin of a chameleon is not adapted solely for camouflage purposes, nor can a chameleon change its skin color to match any background. Chameleons usually change color for social signaling, based on their mood, and for heat regulation. The use in social signaling may be to display bright colors for only brief periods of time to avoid increased visibility to predators.
Contrary to the allegorical story about theboiling frog, frogs die immediately when cast into boiling water, rather than leaping out; furthermore, frogs will attempt to escape cold water that is slowly heated before reaching theircritical thermal maximum.
ThePacific tree frog and theBaja California chorus frog are some of the only frog species that make a "ribbit" sound. The misconception that all frogs, or at least all those found in North America, make this sound comes from its extensive use in Hollywood films.
The memory span of goldfish is much longer than just a few seconds. It is up to a few months long.
There is no credible evidence that thecandiru, a South American parasitic catfish, can swim up a human urethra if one urinates in the water in which it lives. The sole documented case of such an incident, written in 1997, has been heavily criticized upon peer review, and this phenomenon is now largely considered a myth.
Pacus, South American fish related topiranhas, do not attack or feed on human testicles. This myth originated from a misinterpreted joke in a 2013 report of a pacu being found inØresund, the strait between Sweden and Denmark, which claimed that the fish ate "nuts".
Piranhas do not eat only meat but are omnivorous, and they only swim in schools to defend themselves from predators and not to attack. They very rarely attack humans, only when under stress and feeling threatened, and even then, bites typically only occur on hands and feet.
Sharks can get cancer. The misconception that sharks do not get cancer was spread by the 1992 bookSharks Don't Get Cancer, which was used to sell extracts of sharkcartilage as cancer prevention treatments. Reports ofcarcinomas in sharks exist, and current data does not support any conclusions about the incidence of tumors in sharks.
Great white sharks do not mistake human divers for seals or otherpinnipeds. When attacking pinnipeds, the shark surfaces quickly and attacks violently. In contrast, attacks on humans are slower and less violent: the shark charges at a normal pace, bites, and swims off. Great white sharks have efficient eyesight andcolor vision; the bite is not predatory, but rather for identification of an unfamiliar object.
Snake jaws cannot unhinge. The posterior end of the lower jaw bones contains a quadrate bone, allowing jaw extension. The anterior tips of the lower jaw bones are joined by a flexible ligament allowing them to bow outwards, increasing the mouth gape.
It is not true that aerodynamic theory predictsthat bumblebees should not be able to fly; the physics of insect flight is quite well understood. The misconception appears to come from a calculation based on a fixed-wing aircraft mentioned in a 1934 book, and was further popularized in the 2007 filmBee Movie.
While certainly critical to thepollination of many plant species,European honey bees are not essential to human food production, despite claims thatwithout their pollination, humanity would starve or die out "within four years". In fact, the most essential staple food crops on the planet, like wheat, maize, rice, soybeans and sorghum are wind pollinated or self pollinating, and only slightly over 10% of the total human diet of plant crops is dependent upon insect pollination.
Bees do not always die if they use their sting. This only happens for a very small minority of species, which includes the honey bee, when they sting mammals, as they have thick skin. They are able to survive when they sting other insects.
Cockroaches would not be the onlyorganisms capable of surviving inan environment contaminated with nuclear fallout. While cockroaches have a much higherradiation resistance than vertebrates, they are not immune to radiation poisoning, nor are they exceptionally radiation-resistant compared to other insects.
Not all earthworms become two worms when cut in half. Only a limited number of earthworm species are capable of anteriorregeneration.
Earwigs are not known to purposely climb into external ear canals, though there have been anecdotal reports of earwigs being found in the ear. The name may be a reference to the appearance of their hindwings, which are unique and distinctive among insects, and resemble a human ear when unfolded.
Houseflies have an average lifespan of 20 to 30days, not 24hours. However, members ofone species of mayfly have an adult lifespan of as little as 5 minutes.
Applying urine to jellyfish stings does not relieve pain; indeed, it may make the pain worse. The best immediate treatment for jellyfish stings is to rinse them in salt water.
A scorpion will not sting itself to death if submerged inalcohol. Another claim, that eating a scorpion will causehallucinations, is also entirely false.
The daddy longlegs spider (Pholcidae) is not the most venomous spider in the world. Their fangs are capable of piercing human skin, but the tiny amount of venom they carry causes only a mild burning sensation for a few seconds. Other species such asharvestmen andcrane flies are also calleddaddy longlegs, and share the misconception of being highly venomous but unable to pierce the skin of humans.
People do not swallow large numbers of spiders during sleep. A sleeping person makes noises that warn spiders of danger. Most people also wake up from sleep when they have a spider on their face.
Though they are often called "white ants", termites are not ants, nor are they closely related to ants. Termites are actuallyhighly derivedcockroaches.
Ticks do not jump or fall from trees onto their hosts. Instead, they lie in wait to grasp and climb onto any passing host or otherwise trace down hosts via, for example,olfactory stimuli, the host's body heat, orcarbon dioxide in the host's breath.
Poinsettias are not highly toxic to humans or cats. While it is true that they are mildly irritating to the skin or stomach, and may sometimes causediarrhea and vomiting if eaten, they rarely cause serious medical problems.
Sunflowers do not always point to the Sun. Flowering sunflowers face a fixed direction (often east) all day long, but do not necessarily face the Sun. However, in an earlier developmental stage, before the appearance of flower heads, the immature budsdo track theSun (a phenomenon calledheliotropism).
The wordtheory in "the theory of evolution" does not imply scientific doubt regarding its validity; the concepts oftheory andhypothesis have specific meanings in a scientific context. Whiletheory in colloquial usage may denote a hunch or conjecture, ascientific theory is a set of principles that explains anobservable phenomenon in natural terms. "Scientific fact and theory are not categorically separable", and evolution is a theory in the same sense asgerm theory or the theory ofgravitation.
The theory of evolution does not attempt to explain the origin of life or the origin and development of the universe. The theory of evolution deals primarily with changes in successive generations over time after life has already originated. The scientific model concerned with the origin of the first organisms from organic or inorganic molecules is known asabiogenesis, and the prevailing theory for explaining the early development of the universe is theBig Bang model.
Evolution is not aprogression from inferior to superior organisms, and it also does not necessarily result in anincrease in complexity. Evolution throughnatural selection only causes successive generations of a population of organisms to become morefit for their environment than previous generations. A population can evolve to become simpler or to have a smallergenome, andatavistic ancestral genetic traits can reappear after having been lost through evolutionary change in previous generations. Biologicaldevolution or de-evolution is amisnomer, not only because it implies that organisms can only evolve backward or forward, but also because it implies that evolution may cause organisms to evolve in the "wrong" direction.
Evolution does not "plan" to improve an organism's fitness to survive. This misconception is encouraged as it is common shorthand forbiologists to speak of a purpose as a concise form of expression (sometimes called the "metaphor of purpose"); it is less cumbersome to say "Dinosaurs may have evolved feathers for courtship" than "Feathers may have been selected for when they arose as they gave dinosaurs a selective advantage during courtship over their non-feathered rivals". However, this can result in many students explaining evolution as an intentional and purposeful process.
Mutations are not all equally likely, nor do they occur at the same frequency everywhere in the genome. Certain regions of an organism's genome will be more or less likely to undergo mutation depending on the presence ofDNA repair mechanisms and othermutation biases. For instance, in a study onArabidopsis thaliana, biologically important regions of the plant's genome were found to be protected from mutations, and beneficial mutations were found to be more likely, i.e. mutation was "biased in a way that benefits the plant".
Althoughthe worddinosaur can be used pejoratively to describe something that is becoming obsolete due to failing to adapt to changing conditions, non-avian dinosaurs themselves did not go extinct due to an inability to adapt to environmental changeas was initially theorized. Moreover, not all dinosaurs are extinct (see below).
Dimetrodon is often mistakenly called a dinosaur or considered to be a contemporary of dinosaurs in popular culture, but it became extinct some 40 million years before the first appearance of dinosaurs. Being asynapsid,Dimetrodon is actually more closely related tomammals than to dinosaurs, birds, lizards, or otherdiapsids.
Humans andaviandinosaurs currentlycoexist, but humans and non-avian dinosaurs did not coexist at any point. The last of the non-avian dinosaurs died 66 million years ago in the course of theCretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, whereas the earliest members of the genusHomo (humans) evolved between 2.3 and 2.4 million years ago. This places 63 million years between the last non-avian dinosaurs and the earliest humans. Humans did coexist withwoolly mammoths andsaber-toothed cats: extinct mammals often erroneously depicted alongside non-avian dinosaurs.
Fossil fuels do not originate from dinosaur fossils. Petroleum is formed when algae and zooplankton die and sink inanoxic conditions to be buried on the ocean floor without being decomposed byaerobic bacteria, and only a tiny amount of the world's deposits of coal containdinosaur fossils; the vast majority of coal isfossilized plant matter.
Mammals did not evolve from any modern group of reptiles; rather, mammals descend from aReptiliomorph, "reptile-like," ancestor. The termreptile is problematic,since its conventional usage unnaturally excludes birds and mammals, and the modern consensus is that the reptiles are not anatural group. After the firstfully terrestrialtetrapods evolved, one of their lineages split into thesynapsids (the line leading to mammals) and thediapsids (the line leading to crocodiles, birds and other dinosaurs,tuatara, lizards, and snakes). The synapsids and the diapsids diverged about 320 million years ago, in the mid-Carboniferous period. Only later, in theTriassic, did the modern diapsid groups (thelepidosaurs and thearchosaurs) emerge and diversify. The mammals themselves are the only survivors of the synapsid line.
Humans did not evolve from either of the living species ofchimpanzees or any other living species of apes. Humans and chimpanzees did, however, evolve from acommon ancestor. Thismost recent common ancestor of living humans and chimpanzees would have lived between 5 and 8 million years ago.
Humans are animals, despite the fact that the wordanimal is colloquially used as an antonym forhuman.
Diamonds are not formed from highly compressed coal. Almost all commercially mined diamonds wereformed in the conditions of extreme heat and pressure about 150 kilometers (93 mi) below the earth's surface. Coal is formed from prehistoric plants buried much closer to the surface, and is unlikely to migrate below 3.2 kilometers (2.0 mi) through geological processes. Most diamonds that have been dated are older than thefirst land plants, and are therefore older than coal.
Neither "tin" foil nor "tin" cans still use tin as a primary material. Aluminum foil has replaced tin foil in almost all uses since the 20th century; tin cans now primarily use steel or aluminum as their main metal.
There is nospecial compound added to the water in swimming pools that will reveal the presence of urine and catch those who urinate in the pool.
Although the core of a wooden pencil is commonly referred to as "lead", wooden pencils do not contain the chemical element lead, nor have they ever contained it; "black lead" was formerly a name of graphite, which is commonly used for pencil leads.
Thedeep web is not primarily full of pornography, illegal drug trade websites, and stolen bank details. This information is primarily found in a small portion of the deep web known as the "dark web". Much of the deep web consists of academic libraries, databases, and anything that is not indexed by normal search engines, including most private email accounts and direct messages.
Private browsing (such asChrome's "Incognito Mode") does not protect users from beingtracked by websites, governments, or one'sinternet service provider (ISP), nor does it hide one's information when using devices or networks owned or maintained by one's employer, school, or other entity, such as a coffee shop. Such entities can still use information such asIP addresses anduser accounts to uniquely identify users. Private browsing also does not provide additional protection against viruses or malware.
Submerging a phone in rice after it has suffered from water damage has not been shown to be effective in repairing it. Even if submerging them in a desiccant were more effective than leaving them to dry in open air, common desiccants such as silica gel or cat litter are better than rice.
TheApple logo was not inspired byAlan Turing or his death bycyanide-laced apple. Although Turing was found dead with a half-eaten apple near his bed in 1954 and was a key figure in computing history, Apple's logo designerRob Janoff has repeatedly denied any connection.
Global surface temperature reconstruction over the last 2000 years using proxy data from tree rings, corals, and ice cores in blue. Directly observed data is in red.
Global warming is not caused by thehole in the ozone layer. Ozone depletion is a separate problem caused bychlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which have been released into the atmosphere. CFCs are stronggreenhouse gases, however the hole in the ozone layer is shrinking and in 2019 was the smallest it had been since 1982, while global warming continues.
Cooling towers from a nuclear power plant. The white clouds are harmless water vapor from the cooling process.
Cooling towers inpower stations and other facilities do not emit smoke or harmful fumes; they emit water vapor and do not contribute to climate change.
Nuclear power isone of the safest sources of energy, resulting in orders of magnitude fewer deaths than conventional power sources per unit of energy produced. Extremely few people are killed or injured due to nuclear power on a yearly basis. (See also:Radiophobia)
Earthquake strength (or magnitude) is not commonly measured using theRichter scale. Although the Richter scale was usedhistorically to measure earthquake magnitude (although, notably, notearthquake damage), it was found in the 1970s that it does not reliably represent the magnitude of large earthquakes. It has therefore been largely replaced by themoment magnitude scale, although very small earthquakes are still sometimes measured using the Richter scale. Nevertheless, earthquake magnitude is still widely misattributed to the Richter scale.Death rates from air pollution and accidents related to energy production, measured in deaths per terawatt hours (TWh) (left). Carbon emissions measured in tons per gigawatt hour (GWh) (right).
Lightning can, and often does, strike the same place twice. Lightning in a thunderstorm is more likely to strike objects and spots that are more prominent or conductive. For instance, lightning strikes theEmpire State Building inNew York City on average 23 times per year.
Heat lightning does not exist as a distinct phenomenon. What is mistaken for "heat lightning" is usually ordinary lightning from storms too distant to hear the associatedthunder.
TheYellowstone Caldera isnot overdue for asupervolcano eruption. There is also no evidence that it will erupt in the near future. In fact, data indicates there will not be an eruption in the coming centuries. The most likely eruption would behydrothermal rather than volcanic. Acaldera-forming volcanic eruption (and subsequent impacts on global weather patterns and agricultural production) is the least likely scenario and has an extremely low likelihood.
TheEarth's interior is not molten rock. This misconception may originate from a misunderstanding based on the fact that theEarth's mantle convects, and the incorrect assumption that only liquids and gases can convect. In fact, a solid with a largeRayleigh number can also convect, given enough time, which is what occurs in the solid mantle due to the very large thermal gradient across it. There are small pockets ofmolten rock in the upper mantle, but these make up a tiny fraction of the mantle's volume. The Earth'souter coreis liquid, but it is liquid metal, not rock.
TheAmazon rainforest does not provide 20% of Earth's oxygen. This is a misinterpretation of a 2010 study which found that approximately 34% of photosynthesis by terrestrial plants occurs in tropical rainforests (so the Amazon rainforest would account for approximately half of this). Due to respiration by the resident organisms, all ecosystems (including the Amazon rainforest) have a net output of oxygen of approximately zero. The oxygen currently present in the atmosphere was accumulated over billions of years.
Bird deaths due towind turbines are extremely rare compared to those caused by cats, windows, vehicles, poison, and overhead power lines.
Total population living in extreme poverty, by world region 1987 to 2015
The total number of people living inextremeabsolute poverty globally, by the widely used metric of $1.00/day (in 1990 U.S. dollars) has decreased over the last several decades, but most people surveyed in several countries incorrectly think it has increased or stayed the same.
Although the human population of Earth is increasing, the rate ofhuman population growth is decreasing and the world population is expected to peak and then begin falling during the 21st century. Improvements in agricultural productivity and technology are expected to be able to meet anticipated increased demand for resources, making a globalhuman overpopulation scenario unlikely.
For any givenproduction set, there is not a set amount of labor input (a "lump of labor") to produce that output. This fallacy is commonly seen inLuddite and later, related movements as an argument either that automation causes permanent, structural unemployment, or that labor-limiting regulation can decrease unemployment. In fact, changes in capital allocation, efficiency, andeconomies of learning can change the amount of labor input for a given set of production.
Income is not a direct factor in determiningcredit score in the United States. Rather, credit score is affected by the amount of unused available credit, which is in turn affected by income. Income is also considered when evaluating creditworthiness more generally.
The US public vastly overestimates the amount spent onforeign aid.
In the US, an increase ingross income will never reduce a taxpayer's post-tax earnings (net income) by putting them in a highertax bracket. Tax brackets specifymarginal tax rates: only income earned in the higher tax bracket is taxed at the higher rate. An increase in gross income can reduce net income in awelfare cliff, however, when benefits are withdrawn when passing a certain income threshold. Prevalence of the misconception varies by political party affiliation.
Constructing new housing decreases the cost of rent and the price of homes in both the immediate neighborhood and in the city as a whole. Inreal estate economics, "supply skepticism" leads many Americans to misunderstand the effect of increasing the supply of housing on housing costs. The misconception is unique to the housing market.
Businesses do not get a tax benefit bycollecting charitable donations from their customers. Corporation taxes are based onprofit; the customer's donation would not change the amount of profit and therefore the tax payable. A business would need to donateits own money to receive a tax break.
There is a near-unanimous consensus among economists thatimport tariffs have a net-negative effect on economic growth and welfare, and harm consumers through higher prices by more than they benefit domestic producers and governments. Additionally, import tariffs are taxes paid to the government by importers, not by exporting countries or manufacturers as is claimed by some, includingDonald Trump.
TheCape of Good Hope is not the southern tip of Africa, which is actuallyCape Agulhas, about 150 kilometres (90 mi) to the east-southeast.
The majority of theSahara consists ofrocks, rather thansand.
Rivers do not predominantly flow from north to south.Rivers flow downhill in all compass directions, often changing direction along their course. Many major rivers flow northward, including theNile, theYenisey, theOb, theRhine, theLena, and theOrinoco.
Sleeping in a closed room with an electric fan running does not result in "fan death", as is widely believed in South Korea among older people. As of 2019 this belief was in decline.
Nocturia (waking up at night to urinate) is equally prevalent in women and men, although it is more common among both men and women over 50.
Waking up a sleepwalker does not harm them. Sleepwalkers may be confused or disoriented for a short time after awakening, but the health risks associated with sleepwalking are from injury or insomnia, not from being awakened.
Seizures cannot cause a person to swallow their own tongue, and it is dangerous to attempt to place a foreign object into a convulsing person's mouth. Instead it is recommended to gently lay a convulsing person on their side to minimize the risk of asphyxiation.
Drowning is often inconspicuous to onlookers. In most cases, theinstinctive drowning response prevents the victim from waving or yelling (known as "aquatic distress"), which are therefore not dependable signs of trouble; indeed, most drowning victims undergoing the response do not show prior evidence of distress.
Human blood in veins is not actually blue. Blood is red due to the presence ofhemoglobin; deoxygenated blood (in veins) has a deep red color, and oxygenated blood (inarteries) has a light cherry-red color. Veins below the skin can appear blue or green due tosubsurface scattering of light through the skin, and aspects of human color perception. Many medical diagrams also use blue to show veins, and red to show arteries, which contributes to this misconception.
Exposure to a vacuum, or experiencing all but the most extremeuncontrolled decompression, does not cause the body to explode or internal fluids to boil (although the fluids in the mouth and lungs will indeed boil at altitudes above theArmstrong limit); rather, it will lead to a loss ofconsciousness once the body has depleted the supply of oxygen in the blood, followed by death fromhypoxia within minutes.
Exercise-induceddelayed onset muscle soreness is not caused bylactic acid build-up. Muscular lactic acid levels return to normal levels within an hour after exercise; delayed onset muscle soreness is thought to be due tomicrotrauma from unaccustomed or strenuous exercise.
Urine is not sterile, not even in the bladder. This misconception may derive from urine bacterial screening tests, which return "negative" when bacteria levels are low, but nonzero.
Cremated remains are not ashes in the usual sense. After the incineration is completed, the dry bone fragments are swept out of the retort and pulverized by a machine called acremulator (essentially a high-capacity, high-speed blender) to process them into "ashes" or "cremated remains".
The alveoli.
The lung'salveoli are not tiny balloons that expand and contract under positive pressure following theYoung–Laplace equation, as is taught in some physiology and medical textbooks. The tissue structure is more like a sponge with polygonal spaces that unfold and fold under negative pressure from the chest wall.
Half ofbody heat is not lost through the head, and covering the head is no more effective at preventingheat loss than covering any other portion of the body. Heat is lost from the body in proportion to the amount of exposed skin. The head accounts for around 7–9% of the body's surface, and studies have shown that having one's head submerged in cold water only causes a person to lose 10% more heat overall.[medical citation needed]
Adrenochrome is not harvested from living people and has no use as a recreational drug.Hunter S. Thompson conceived a fictional drug of the same name in his bookFear and Loathing in Las Vegas, apparently as a metaphor and unaware that a real substance by that name existed; it is Thompson's fictional adrenochrome, and not the real chemical compound, that is the source of numerous conspiracy theories revolving around human trafficking to harvest the fictional drug.
Men and women have the same number of ribs: 24, or 12 pairs. The erroneous idea that women have one more rib than men may stem from thebiblical creation story ofAdam and Eve.
The use ofcotton swabs (aka cotton buds or Q-Tips) in the ear canal has no associated medical benefits and poses definite medical risks.
The idea that a precise number of stages of grief exists is not supported in peer-reviewed research or objective clinical observation, let alone thefive stages of grief model.
37 °C (98.6 °F) is not the normal or averagetemperature of the human body. That figure comes from an 1860 study, but modern research shows that the average internal temperature is 36.4 °C (97.5 °F), with small fluctuations.
Thecells in the human body are not outnumbered 10 to 1 bymicroorganisms. The 10 to 1 ratio was an estimate made in 1972; current estimates put the ratio at either 3 to 1 or 1.3 to 1.
The total length of capillaries in the human body is not 100,000 km. That figure comes from a 1929 book by August Krogh, who used an unrealistically large model person and an inaccurately high density of capillaries. The true number is believed to be between 9,000 and 19,000 km.
Wood smoke, for example fromwood-burning stoves, is not a benign form of pollution because it is "natural", but is as harmful as other common forms of air pollution such asdiesel fumes.
It is not true that more people have died from theCOVID-19 vaccine than from COVID-19 itself. Severe adverse reactions from the vaccine are rare, and an "exceedingly small" number of deaths have been caused by the vaccine.
Tuberculosis is not purely a disease of the lungs that has symptoms of coughing. It may instead infect a wide range of other organs in the body.
Cancer cannot be treated by restricting food intake and so supposedly "starving" tumors. Rather, the health of people with cancer is best served by maintaining ahealthy diet.
Thecommon cold and thecommon flu are caused byviruses, not exposure to cold temperatures. However, low temperatures may somewhat weaken the immune system, and someone already infected with a cold or influenza virus but showing no symptoms can become symptomatic after they are exposed to low temperatures. Viruses are more likely to spread during the winter for a variety of reasons such as dry air, less air circulation in homes, people spending more time indoors, and lowervitamin D levels in humans.
Antibiotics will not cure a cold; they treat bacterial diseases and are ineffectual against viruses. However, they are sometimes prescribed to prevent or treatsecondary infections.
In those with the common cold, the color of thesputum or nasal secretion may vary from clear to yellow to green and does not indicate the class of agent causing the infection. The color of the sputum is determined byimmune cells fighting an infection in the nasal area.
Vitamin Cdoes not prevent or treat the common cold, although it may have a protective effect during intense cold-weather exercise. If taken daily, it may slightly reduce the duration and severity of colds, but it has no effect if taken after the cold starts.
The bumps on a toad are notwarts and cannot cause warts on humans.
Humans cannot catch warts from toads or other animals; the bumps on a toad are not warts.Warts on human skin are caused byhuman papillomavirus, which is only known to affect humans.
In people witheczema, bathing does not dry the skin as long as a moisturizer is applied soon after. If moisturizer is not applied after bathing, then the evaporation of water from the skin can result in dryness.
There have never been any programs in the US that provide access todialysis machines in exchange for pull tabs on beverage cans. This rumor has existed since at least the 1970s, and usually cites theNational Kidney Foundation as the organization offering the program. The Foundation itself has denied the rumor, noting that dialysis machines are primarily funded by Medicare.
High dietary protein intake is not associated withkidney disease in healthy people. While significantly increased protein intake in the short-term is associated with changes in renal function, there is no evidence to suggest this effect persists in the long-term and results in kidney damage or disease.
Leprosy is not auto-degenerative as commonly supposed, meaning that it will not (on its own) cause body parts to be damaged or fall off. Leprosy causes rashes to form and may degrade cartilage and, if untreated,inflame tissue. In addition, leprosy is only mildly contagious, partly because 95% of those infected with the mycobacteria that causes leprosy do not develop the disease.Tzaraath, a Biblical disease that disfigures the skin, is often identified as leprosy, and may be the source of many myths about the disease.
Rust itself does not causetetanus infection. Thebacteria that causes tetanus thrives inlow oxygen environments, including rust where the oxygen has combined with iron, so many people associate rust with tetanus. However, any puncture wound can introduce spores that cause a tetanus infection, not just rusty nails.
Quarantine has never been a standard procedure for those withsevere combined immunodeficiency, despite the condition's popular nickname ("bubble boy syndrome") and its portrayal in films. Abone marrow transplant in the earliest months of life is the standard course of treatment. The exceptional case ofDavid Vetter, who lived much of his life encased in a sterile environment because he would not receive a transplant until age 12, was an inspiration for the "bubble boy" trope.
Post-exposure prophylaxis forrabies does not require a painful series of injections into the abdomen with a long needle. Prior to the 1980s, the rabies vaccine did indeed require injection into the abdomen, but modern rabies vaccines are given asintramuscular injections into thedeltoid muscle of the upper arm.
Statements inmedication package inserts listing the frequency ofside effects describe how often the effect occurs after taking a drug, but are not making any assertion that there is a causal connection between taking the drug and the occurrence of the side effect. In other words, what is being reported on is correlation, not necessarily causation.
There is no peer-reviewed scientific evidence thatcrystal healing has any effect beyond acting as a placebo.
There is a scientific consensus that currently available food derived fromgenetically modified crops poses no greater risk to human health than conventional food.
Reading in dim light causeseye strain rather than permanent damage to the eye.
Color blindness cannot be significantly alleviated byglasses or lenses. While there are lenses marketed towards the colorblind, their efficacy is doubted by professionals, and they do not enable wearers to see new colors.
Afever from infection does not cause brain damage by itself. The myth has been linked to the association between fevers and typically non-seriousfebrile seizures.
Tourette's syndrome is not predominantly characterised by the compulsive or frequent use of profanity or taboo words and phrases (coprolalia), as it is commonly misunderstood to be. Only approximately 10% of people with Tourette's exhibit coprolalia at all, and most Tourette's tics (which can be physical or verbal) often go unnoticed by casual observers.
Diet has little influence on the body'sdetoxification, and there is no evidence thatdetoxification diets rid the body of toxins. Toxins are metabolized and removed from the bloodstream by the liver and kidneys, and they are primarily removed from the body in urine and bile (excreted with the feces).
Drinking milk or consuming otherdairy products does not increasemucus production. As a result, they do not need to be avoided by those with the flu or coldcongestion. However, milk and saliva in one's mouth mix to create a thick liquid that can briefly coat the mouth and throat. The sensation that lingers may be mistaken for increasedphlegm.
Drinking eight glasses (2–3 liters) of water a day is not needed to maintain health. The amount of water needed varies by person, weight, diet, activity level, clothing, and the ambient temperature and humidity. Water does not actually need to be drunk in pure form, and can be derived from liquids such as juices, tea, milk, soups, etc., and from foods including fruits and vegetables.
Drinking coffee and other caffeinated beverages does not cause dehydration for regular drinkers, although it can for occasional drinkers.
Eating disorders do not exclusively affect women; women are merely more likely than men to suffer from eating disorders.
Neither spicy food nor coffee has a significant effect on the development ofpeptic ulcers.
Sugar does not causehyperactivity in children. Double-blind trials have shown no difference in behavior between children given sugar-full or sugar-free diets, even in studies specifically looking at children withattention deficit hyperactivity disorder or those considered sensitive to sugar. A 2019 meta-analysis found no positive effect of sugar consumption onmood but did find an association with lower alertness and increased fatigue within an hour of consumption, known as asugar crash. Sugar can however lead to jump in blood sugar levels, causing temporary hyperactivity even if it does not cause clinical hyperactivity.
Eating nuts, popcorn, or seeds does not increase the risk ofdiverticulitis. These foods may actually have a protective effect.
Eating less than an hour before swimming does not significantly increase the risk of experiencing muscle cramps, and does not increase the risk of drowning. One study shows a correlation between alcohol consumption and drowning, but not between eating and stomach cramps.
Vegan andvegetarian diets can provide enough protein for adequate nutrition. In fact, typical protein intakes ofovo-lacto vegetarians meet or exceed requirements. The American Dietetic Association maintains that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful. However, a vegan diet does requiresupplementation ofvitamin B12, andvitamin B12 deficiency occurs in up to 80% of vegans that do not supplement their diet. Consuming no animal products increases the risk of deficiencies of vitamins B12 andD,calcium,iron,omega-3 fatty acids, and sometimesiodine. Vegans are also at risk of lowbone mineral density without supplementation for the aforementioned nutrients.
Swallowed chewing gum does not take seven years to digest. Chewing gum is mostly indigestible, and passes through the digestive system at the same rate as other matter.
Thebeta carotene in carrots does not enhancenight vision beyond normal levels for people receiving an adequate amount, only in those with adeficiency of vitamin A. The belief that it does may have originated fromWorld War II Britishdisinformation meant to explain theRoyal Air Force's improved success in night battles, which was actually due to radar and the use of red lights on instrument panels.
Spinach is not a particularly good source ofdietary iron. While it does contain more iron than many vegetables such as asparagus, Swiss chard, kale, or arugula, it contains only about one-third to one-fifth of the iron in lima beans, chickpeas, apricots, or wheat germ. Additionally, thenon-heme iron found in spinach and other vegetables is not as readily absorbed as theheme iron found in meats and fish.
Most cases ofobesity are not related to slowerresting metabolism. Resting metabolic rate does not vary much between people. Overweight people tend to underestimate the amount of food they eat, and underweight people tend to overestimate. In fact, overweight people tend to have faster metabolic rates due to the increased energy required by the larger body.
Alcoholic beverages do not make the entire body warmer. Alcoholic drinks create the sensation of warmth because they cause blood vessels to dilate and stimulate nerve endings near the surface of the skin with an influx of warm blood. This can actually result in making the core body temperature lower, as it allows for easier heat exchange with a cold external environment.
Alcohol does not necessarily kill brain cells. Alcohol can, however, leadindirectly to the death of brain cells in two ways. First, in chronic, heavy alcohol users whose brains have adapted to the effects of alcohol, abrupt ceasing following heavy use can causeexcitotoxicity leading to cellular death in multiple areas of the brain. Second, in alcoholics who get most of their daily calories from alcohol, a deficiency ofthiamine can produceKorsakoff's syndrome, which is associated with serious brain damage.
The order in which different types of alcoholic beverages are consumed ("Grape or grain but never the twain" and "Beer before liquor never sicker; liquor before beer in the clear") does not affect intoxication or create adverse side effects.
Authenticabsinthe has nohallucinogenic properties, and is no more dangerous than any other alcoholic beverage of equivalent proof. This misconception stems from late-19th- and early-20th-century distillers who produced cheap knockoff versions of absinthe, which usedcopper salts to recreate the distinct green color of true absinthe, and some also reportedly adulterated cheap absinthe with poisonousantimony trichloride, reputed to enhance thelouche effect.
Older adults are not necessarily sexually inactive nor have they lost interest in sex; although the frequency of sexual activity tends to decline with age, older adults are still sexually active. One survey inEngland of people aged 60–69 recorded 86% of men and 60% of women as sexually active.
"Double bagging", the practice of using two condoms at once, is not an extra-effective method of birth control; instead such use is more likely to cause condom breakage due to friction between the condoms.
It is not possible to get pregnant from semen released in a commercialswimming poolwithout penetration. The sperm cells would be quickly killed by thechlorinated water and would not survive long enough to reach the vagina.
An examination of thehymen is not an accurate or reliable indicator that a woman or girl has had penetrativesex, because the tearing of the hymen may have been the result of some other event, and some women are born without one.Virginity tests, such as the"two-finger" test, are unscientific.
While pregnancies from sex betweenfirst cousins do carry a slightly elevated risk ofbirth defects, this risk is often exaggerated. The risk is 5–6% (similar to that of a woman in her early 40s giving birth), compared with a baseline risk of 3–4%. The effects ofinbreeding depression, while still relatively small compared to other factors (and thus difficult to control for in a scientific experiment), become more noticeable if isolated and maintained for several generations.
Having sex before a sporting event or contest is not physiologically detrimental to performance. In fact some studies suggest that sex prior to sports activity can elevate maletestosterone levels (which could potentially enhance performance for male athletes), while long periods of abstinence can reduce those levels.
The heightened sensitivity some women experience at theG-spot is not due to it being a distinct anatomical structure, but rather because pressure in that area may stimulate other internal structures, notably theSkene's gland. Many sexologists take issue with the term, concerned that women who "fail to find their G-spot" may feel abnormal.
Closeted orlatent homosexuality is not correlated withinternalized homophobia. A 1996 study claiming a connection in men has not been verified by subsequent studies, including a 2013 study that found no correlation.
Themenstrual cycles of women who live together do nottend to synchronize. A 1971 study made this claim, but subsequent research has not supported it.
A person's hair and fingernails do not continue togrow after death. Rather, the skin dries and shrinks away from the bases of hairs and nails, giving the appearance of growth.
Shaving does not causeterminal hair to grow back thicker or darker. This belief is thought to be due to the fact that hair that has never been cut has a tapered end, so after cutting, the base of the hair is blunt and appears thicker and feels coarser. That short hairs are less flexible than longer hairs contributes to this effect.
MC1R, the gene mostly responsible for red hair, is notbecoming extinct, nor will thegene for blond hair do so, although both arerecessivealleles. Redheads and blonds may become rarer but will not die out unless everyone who carries those alleles dies without passing their hair color genes on to their children.
Acne is not caused by a lack of hygiene or eating fatty foods, though certain medication or acarbohydrate-rich diet may worsen it.
Dandruff is not caused by poor hygiene, though infrequent hair-washing can make it more obvious. The exactcauses of dandruff are uncertain, but they are believed to be mostly genetic and environmental factors.
James Watt did not invent the steam engine, nor were his ideas on steam engine power inspired by a kettle lid pressured open by steam. Watt improved upon the already commercially successfulNewcomen atmospheric engine (invented in 1712) in the 1760s and 1770s, making certain improvements critical to its future usage, particularly the external condenser, increasing its efficiency, and later the mechanism for transforming reciprocating motion into rotary motion; his new steam engine later gained huge fame as a result.
Although the guillotine was named after the French physicianJoseph-Ignace Guillotin, he neither invented nor was executed with this device. He died peacefully in his own bed in 1814. Rather, it was Guillotin's speech favoring beheadings over other forms of execution that led to the device being referred to as "La machine Guillotine" and later simply guillotine.
Thomas Crapper did not invent the flush toilet. A forerunner of the modern toilet was invented by the Elizabethan courtierSir John Harington in the 16th century, and in 1775 the Scottish mechanicAlexander Cumming developed and patented a design for a toilet with anS-trap and flushing mechanism. Crapper, however, did much to increase the popularity of the flush toilet and introduced several innovations in the late 19th century, holding nine patents, including one for the floatingballcock.
A 230-volt incandescent light bulb.
Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb. The team of inventors Edison employed at his laboratories in Menlo Park, New Jersey did, however, develop the firstpractical light bulb in 1880 (employing a carbonizedbamboo filament), shortly prior toJoseph Swan, who invented an even more efficient bulb in 1881 (which used a cellulose filament).
Henry Ford did not invent either the automobile or the assembly line. He did improve the assembly line process substantially, sometimes through his own engineering but more often through sponsoring the work of his employees, and he was the main person behind the introduction of theModel T, regarded as the firstaffordable automobile.Karl Benz (co-founder ofMercedes-Benz) is credited with the invention of the first modern automobile, and the assembly line has existedthroughout history.
Al Gore never said that he had "invented" the Internet. What Gore actually said was, "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet", in reference to his political work towards developing the Internet for widespread public use. Gore was the original drafter of theHigh Performance Computing and Communication Act of 1991, which provided significant funding for supercomputing centers, and this in turn led to upgrades of a major part of the already-existing early 1990s Internet backbone, theNSFNet, and development ofNCSA Mosaic, thebrowser that popularized theWorld Wide Web. (See also:Al Gore and information technology)
Kodak did not refuse to invest in digital cameras, but was rather a pioneer in the field, and at one point was the market leader in digital camera sales in the United States.
There is no evidence that the ancient Greeks deliberately designed theParthenon to match thegolden ratio. The Parthenon was completed in 438 BCE, more than a century before the first recorded mention of the ratio byEuclid. Similarly,Leonardo da Vinci'sVitruvian Man makes no mention of the golden ratio in its text, although it describes many other proportions.
The repeating decimal commonly written as0.999... represents exactly the same quantity as the numberone. Despite having the appearance of representing a smaller number, 0.999... is a symbol for the number1 in exactly the same way that 0.333... is an equivalent notation for the number represented by the fraction1⁄3.
Thep-value is not the probability that thenull hypothesis is true, or the probability that thealternative hypothesis is false; it is the probability of obtaining results at least as extreme as the results actually observed under the assumption that the null hypothesis was correct, which can indicate the incompatibility of results with the specific statistical model assumed in the null hypothesis. This misconception, and similar ones like it, contributes to the commonmisuse ofp-values in education and research.
If one were to flip afair coin five times and get heads each time, it would not be any more likely for a sixth flip to come up tails. Phrased another way, after a long and/or unlikelystreak ofindependentlyrandom events, the probability of the next event is not influenced by the preceding events.Humans often feel that the underrepresented outcome is more likely, as if it is due to happen. Such thinking may be attributed to the mistaken belief that gambling, or even chance itself, is a fair process that can correct itself in the event of streaks.
The incorrect equal-transit-time explanation of aerofoil lift
Thelift force is not generated by the air taking the same time to travel above and below an aircraft's wing. This misconception, sometimes called theequal transit-time fallacy, is widespread among textbooks and non-technical reference books, and even appears in pilot training materials. In fact, the air moving over the top of an aerofoil generating lift is always moving much faster than the equal transit theory would imply, as described in theincorrect andcorrect explanations of lift force.
Blowing over a curved piece of paper does not demonstrateBernoulli's principle. Although a common classroom experiment is often explained this way, Bernoulli's principle only applies within a flow field, and the air above and below the paper are in different flow fields. The paper rises because the air follows the curve of the paper and a curvedstreamline will develop pressure differences perpendicular to the airflow.
TheCoriolis effect does not cause water to consistently drain from basins in a clockwise/counter-clockwise direction depending on the hemisphere. The common myth often refers to the draining action of flush toilets and bathtubs. In fact, rotation is determined by whatever minor rotation is initially present at the time the water starts to drain, as the magnitude of the coriolis acceleration isnegligibly small compared to the inertial acceleration of flow within a typical basin.
A penny dropped from theEmpire State Building would not kill a person or crack the sidewalk. A penny is too light and has too much air resistance to acquire enough speed to do much damage since it reachesterminal velocity after falling about 15 metres (50 ft). Heavier or more aerodynamic objects could cause significant damage if dropped from that height.
Using aprogrammable thermostat's setback feature to limit heating or cooling in a temporarily unoccupied building does not waste as much energy as leaving the temperature constant. Using setback saves energy (5–15%) becauseheat transfer across the surface of the building is roughly proportional to the temperature difference between its inside and the outside.
It is not possible for a person to completely submerge in quicksand, as commonly depicted in fiction, although sand entrapment in the nearshore of a body of water can be a drowning hazard as the tide rises.
The slipperiness of ice is not due topressure melting. While it is true that increased pressure, such as that exerted by someone standing on a sheet of ice, will lower the melting point of ice, experiments show that the effect is too weak to account for the lowered friction.Materials scientists still debate whetherpremelting or the heat of friction is the dominant cause of ice's slipperiness.
Cannabis use in pregnancy is not low risk. The tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) within cannabis crosses the placenta, directly exposing the developing fetus to this chemical. Cannabis use in pregnancy is linked to increased risk of preterm delivery and lower birth weight, along with a higher likelihood of infants needing placement in the neonatal intensive care unit. Additionally, infants exposed to cannabis in pregnancy may have increased rates of behavioral conditions such as hyperactivity and impulsivity, attention deficits, sleep disorders, emotional disturbances, and a higher chance of substance use. According to a 2015 study, 70% of American women that had used marijuana in the past year thought that consumption of cannabis once or twice per week carried low to no risk of general harm.
Truephotographic memory (the ability to remember endless images, particularly pages or numbers, with such a high degree of precision that the image mimics a photo) has never been demonstrated to exist in any individual, although a small number of young children haveeidetic memory, where they can recall an object with high precision for a few minutes after it is no longer present. Many people have claimed to have a photographic memory, but those people have been shown to have high precision memories as a result ofmnemonic devices rather than a natural capacity for detailed memory encoding. There are rare cases of individuals withexceptional memory, but none of them have a memory that mimics that of a camera.
The phase of the Moon does not influence fertility, cause a fluctuation in crime, or affect the stock market. There is no correlation between thelunar cycle and human biology or behavior. However, the increased amount of illumination during the full moon may account for increased epileptic episodes, motorcycle accidents, or sleep disorders.
Dyslexia is not defined or diagnosed asmirror writing or reading letters or words backwards. Mirror writing and reading letters or words backwards are behaviors seen in many children (dyslexic or not) as they learn to read and write.Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder of people who have at least average intelligence and who have difficulty in reading and writing that is not otherwise explained by low intelligence.
Self-harm is not generally anattention-seeking behavior. People who engage in self-harm are typically very self-conscious of their wounds and scars and feel guilty about their behavior, leading them to go to great lengths to conceal it from others. They may offer alternative explanations for their injuries, or conceal their scars with clothing.
There is no evidence that a chemical imbalance or neurotransmitter deficiency is the sole factor in depression and other mental disorders, but rather a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors.
Schizophrenia is characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, paranoia, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdrawal, decreased emotional expression, and apathy. The term was coined from the Greek rootsschizein andphrēn, "to split" and "mind", in reference to a "splitting of mental functions" seen in schizophrenia, not a splitting of the personality. It does not involve split or multiple personalities; a split or multiple personality isdissociative identity disorder.
Broad generalizations are often made in popular psychology about certain brain functions beinglateralized, or more predominant in one hemisphere than the other. These claims are often inaccurate or overstated.
The human brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, does not reach"full maturity" or "full development" at any particular age (e.g. 16, 18, 21, 25, 30). Changes in structure and myelination of gray matter are recorded to continue with relative consistency all throughout life including until death. Different mental abilities peak earlier or later in life. The myth is believed to have originated from Jay Giedd's work on the adolescent brain funded by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, though it has also been popularized byLaurence Steinberg in his work with adolescent criminal reform who has considered ages 10–25 to constitute cognitive adolescence, despite denying any connection to the notion of the brain maturing at "25".
Some neurons can reform in the human brain.
Humans do not generate all of the brain cells they will ever have by the age of two years. Although this belief was held by medical experts until 1998, it is now understood that newneurons can be createdafter infancy in some parts of the brain into late adulthood.
People do not useonly 10% of their brains. While it is true that a small minority ofneurons in the brain are actively firing at any one time, a healthy human will normally use most of their brain over the course of a day, and the inactive neurons are important as well. The idea that activating 100% of the brain would allow someone to achieve their maximum potential and/or gain various psychic abilities is common infolklore and fiction, but doing so in real life would likely result in a fatalseizure. This misconception was attributed to late 19th century leading thinkerWilliam James, who apparently used the expression only metaphorically.
AlthoughPhineas Gage's brain injuries, caused by a several-foot-long tamping rod driven completely through his skull, caused him to become temporarily disabled, many fanciful descriptions of his aberrant behavior in later life are without factual basis or contradicted by known facts.
Anincorrectmap of the tongue showing taste zones. In fact, all zones can sense all tastes.
Humans have more than the commonly cited five senses. The number of senses in various categorizations ranges from 5 to more than 20. In addition to sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing, which were the senses identified byAristotle, humans can sensebalance and acceleration (equilibrioception), pain (nociception), body and limb position (proprioception or kinesthetic sense), and relative temperature (thermoception). Other senses sometimes identified are the sense of time,echolocation, itching, pressure, hunger, thirst, fullness of the stomach, need to urinate, need to defecate, blood carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, and electric field sensation.
All different tastes can be detected on all parts of the tongue by taste buds, with slightly increased sensitivities in different locations depending on the person; thetongue map showing the contrary is fallacious.
There are not fourprimary tastes, but five: in addition to bitter, sour, salty, and sweet, humans have taste receptors forumami, which is a "savory" or "meaty" taste. Fat does interact with specificreceptors intaste bud cells, but whether it is a sixth primary taste remains inconclusive.
The humansense of smell is not weak or underdeveloped. Humans have similar senses of smell to other mammals, and are more sensitive to some odors than rodents and dogs.
Swallowing gasoline does not generally require special emergency treatment, as long as it goes into the stomach and not the lungs; inducing vomiting can make it worse.
Achloroform-soaked rag cannot instantly incapacitate a person. It takes at least five minutes of inhaling an item soaked in chloroform to render a person unconscious. Most criminal cases involving chloroform also involve another drug being co-administered, such as alcohol ordiazepam, or the victim being found to have been complicit in its administration. The misconception that chloroform can be used as anincapacitating agent has been popularized by crime fiction authors.
IngestingVisine, a brand of eye drops, does not cause diarrhea. It isneurotoxic, with consumption causing several serious side-effects. Pranks spiking people with Visine rose after the misconception was popularized by the filmWedding Crashers.
TheBermuda Triangle does not have any more shipwrecks or mysterious disappearances than most other waterways.
Toilet waste is never intentionally jettisoned from a commercial aircraft. All waste is collected in tanks and emptied intotoilet waste vehicles.Blue ice is caused by accidental leakage from the waste tank.Passenger train toilets, on the other hand, have indeed historically flushed onto the tracks; modern trains in most developed countries usually have retention tanks on board and therefore do not dispose of waste in such a manner.
Automotive batteries stored on a concrete floor do not discharge any faster than they would on other surfaces, in spite of a worry that concrete harms batteries. Early batteries with porous, leaky cases may have been susceptible to moisture from floors, but for many yearslead–acid car batteries have had impermeablepolypropylene cases. While most modern automotive batteries aresealed, and do not leak battery acid when properly stored and maintained, the sulfuric acid in them can leak out and stain, etch, or corrode concrete floors if their cases crack or tip over or their vent-holes are breached by floods.
^Yotam Feldner."72 Black-Eyed Virgins?".Claremont Review of Books.CBS translated the Arabic term hur 'ayn as "virgins". According to two native Arabic speakers, Hafez Al-Mirazi Osman, Washington bureau chief of the Al-Jazeera television network, and Dr. Maher Hathout, a scholar at the Islamic Center of Southern California, the Arabic word has no sexual connotation or gender. Hathout said that a more appropriate translation would be "angel" or "heavenly being".
References can be found at the full versions of the three included sub-articles:
Smith, F. J. (January 1, 1979). "Some aspects of the tritone and the semitritone in the Speculum Musicae: the non-emergence of the diabolus in musica".Journal of Musicological Research.3 (1–2):63–74.doi:10.1080/01411897908574507.ISSN0141-1896.
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