While most myths and false facts are relatively harmless, this one can be life-threatening. For some reason, various crime shows have created the assumption that a person is supposed to wait 24 hours before filing a missing person report with the police. This is simply not true.
There is absolutely no rule which states that you have to wait for a certain period of time before filing a missing person report. If someone you know is missing and the signs (or your intuition) indicate that something might be wrong, you should spare no time and call 911, even if it’s just to explain the situation to them. The call operators are highly trained and will be able to determine the gravity of the situation, no matter how long it’s been.
Our Body Heat Escapes Mostly From Our Heads
Many people believe that we lose body heat primarily from our heads. But in fact, adults lose their body temperature quite evenly throughout their bodies.
The only ones who lose most of their body temperature through their head are babies, and even that is only when they're not fully covered and clothed. While it's important to cover your head, it won't really help if the rest of your body isn't properly covered.
Hair Turns Grey Earlier If You Dye It Frequently
Many girls hesitate to dye their hair because they believe it will lead to premature graying. As we age, our hair begins to lose its pigmentation.
Things that might make your hair turn grey earlier include stress and poor health choices. So, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will likely keep your hair vibrant and full. Aside from them, it pretty much depends on your genetics. If dying your hair makes you happy, go ahead!
Goldfish Forget Things After Just Three Seconds
A beautiful goldfish used to be a child's most prized possession. Today, no one has time to look at pretty fish anymore and goldfish is just a synonym for ‘forgetful’. There’s a very popular myth going around that goldfish only have a three-second memory, and the phrase “the memory of a goldfish” does nothing to support the helpless fish’s cause.
It’s currently unknown exactly where this belief originally came from. What we do know though, is that these fish forget things after a lot more than three seconds. It’s been speculated that goldfish actually have the ability to remember things up to at least a few months. So if you happened to say something mean to your goldfish, you’re in for an awkward few months.
Washing Your Hands With Soap Kills Germs
Washing your hands is extremely important, as it helps keep you relatively safe from germs and bacteria. While there’s no dispute on the importance of using soap, the actual reason for it is much more simple.
When we wash our hands with soap, all the bad things we’ve touched stick to the soap and then get washed down the drain as we rinse it off. It’s a win-win situation. We get clean, and no bacteria is hurt in the process. The whole thing is very vegan-friendly.
Bottled Water Is Better Than Tap Water
Many people swear that bottled water is much cleaner and healthier than tap water. While bottled mineral water ads give the impression that it's much healthier than tap water, the opposite is usually the case.
You see, bottled water is not nearly as regulated as regular tap water. In the United States, for example, bottled water is considered packaged food, and is, therefore, less regulated for health issues. That's not even taking into account the negative ramifications of plastic, both on the environment and on the water.
Touching Frogs or Toads Gives You Warts
One of the most common misconceptions about these little green creatures is that touching them will give you warts. Fortunately, the little bumps on frogs' bodies aren’t warts at all, but defensive "tools" called parotoid glands that protect them from predators.
They contain irritating chemicals that only get released if the predator puts the toad in its mouth. Not that you should be going around touching toads in any case, but you should definitely avoid putting them in your mouth.
Clouds Are Light and Fluffy
Clouds. Everyone loves them. But did you know that these beautiful, fluffy things weigh more than you'll ever imagine? Think, a million pounds or the equivalent of about 100 large trucks or elephants.
A cloud's weight is evenly distributed between countless tiny droplets, which allows them to be so airy that they can easily float in the sky, and make it easy for airplanes to fly through.
Eating Carrots Helps Your Eyesight
One of the best excuses our mothers used to make us eat carrots, is that they’re good for our eyes. It’s true that carrots are rich in Vitamin A, which is a nutrient essential for good vision, but this vitamin is quite common and found in many other foods too.
If you're already eating any of the basic common foods such as milk, cheese, or eggs, there's really no need to eat carrots for vitamin A. You'll get plenty of vitamin A in these foods and many others.
Bagpipes Originated in Scotland
Bagpipes come from Scotland, right? Well, they don’t. Almost every single depiction of bagpipes involves a Scotsman in a traditional outfit and kilt, often showing off a long beard and a strong jaw.
Bagpipes were invented in the middle east, and are believed to have originated from the Ancient Egyptians. It took many years for bagpipes to find their way into Western Europe, although it’s still not clear how they got there. While this musical instrument was mostly forgotten in the old desert cities, it was widely adopted by the Scotts and quickly turned into their national musical instrument.
You Get One Phone Call When You’re Arrested
One myth we often see in movies and TV shows is that inmates are entitled to one phone call. In reality, each jail has its own rules and can choose how many calls its inmates can get.
In some jails, you'll get the complimentary phone call, and then be able to make as many paid ones as you wish. Other places let you have as many phone calls in booking as you want, only limiting you once you're put into a cell.
Cops Have to Read You Your Miranda Rights
If you're a crime drama fan like us, you can probably recite most of the Miranda Rights off by heart by now. The popularity in which we see TV arrests followed by the reading of their rights has caused many citizens to wrongly believe that the police officer must read you your Miranda rights or else they can't prosecute you. Well, this is not true in the least.
Cops often skip that part entirely. The only time that a police officer is required by law to read your rights, is when you are in custody.
People With Red Hair Are Going Extinct
In recent years there's been some rumor spreading that redheads are slowly going extinct, and will completely disappear in the next few decades or so.
First off, redhead genes are actually recessive, which means that they can skip generations and manifest out of nowhere. Even in your family! Secondly, even if redheads were beginning to wither out, genetic scientists would have quite an easy time propagating that gene, as they’ve already mapped out exactly how to do it. So, red, blond, black, and brunette, hair colors are all here to stay.
You Can See the Great Wall of China From Space
The Great Wall of China is truly a masterpiece unlike any other in the world. Many people do believe that it's so massive that you can see it from space, and this is simply false.
This misconception came about when various sky images of the Great Wall of China began appearing on the web. These, however, were not taken by satellites in space but simply using a zoom lens.
People’s Hair and Nails Continue to Grow Postmortem
One creepy rumor that has been going around for many years now is that a person’s hair and nails actually continue growing after they pass away. In addition to creating quite a disturbing image in our heads, it’s also completely false. It’s not clear where this myth came from, but it’s time that we put it to rest (no pun intended).
When someone passes on, their cells die with them. This means that everything in their body stops reproducing, and growth inevitably ends. However, when someone’s body starts to decay, their skin begins to shrink as it dries, giving it a thinner and bonier look. This might give the impression that a person’s hair and nails grew out, but in reality, they most certainly did not.
Dogs Sweat by Sticking Their Tongues Out
Dogs are one of the most lovable animals on the planet. Although they are extremely common, they are unfortunately very misunderstood. In this entry, we’ll focus on a common misconception about dogs, relating to their ability to sweat.
Most people believe that dogs sweat through their tongues by panting. Well, although they pant in order to lower their body temperature, they do not sweat through their tongues while doing so. Dogs actually sweat through their paws, as their sweat glands (called ‘merocrine glands’) are on the bottom of their feet. Next time you take your dog on a walk, touch its paws and you’ll see.
Healthy Teeth Are Supposed to Be White
We’ve all seen beautiful Hollywood celebrities flaunt their beautiful, white, perfect teeth, and thought to ourselves, “Why can’t I have such healthy teeth?”. While white teeth tend to look better than yellow teeth, they’re actually not the real sign of dental health.
Teeth are actually stronger and healthier when they have a natural slightly yellowish color. This is because enamel, the tough shell that covers the teeth, is slightly yellow and translucent. As long as your teeth are a very light shade of yellow, that's a great sign they are healthy.
Drinking Milk Promotes Mucus Production
Everyone knows it's bad to drink milk when you're sick. But is it really? The assumption is that drinking dairy-based products while having a cold, will only make your throat more phlegmy.
While dairy is known for thickening your saliva, it will do nothing to increase the amount of mucus in your throat. In fact, frozen dairy products can soothe a sore throat and provide calories you may not be getting otherwise. So grab a pint of Ben & Jerry's and have some fun. You deserve it, you’re sick!
Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice
If you’ve heard the claim “lightning never strikes the same spot twice” it may surprise you to know that besides the low probability of this happening, there is actually no real evidence for that claim.
In fact, Henrik Moltke of The Intercept, recently captured timelapse footage of the Empire State Building in New York City showed getting hit multiple times in one day. Did you know that the skyscraper is known for being struck by lightning 23 times annually on average!? It was even reported that one night the building was hit eight times in under half an hour!
Adam and Eve Ate the Forbidden Apple
In this biblical story, God creates the world, then creates a man and a woman, then commands them never to eat from the fruit of The Tree of Knowledge.
They end up eating the fruit of the tree (often depicted as an apple in art) and God banishes them from the garden forever as punishment. Throughout the story of Genesis, the word “fruit” is mentioned often, but the word “apple” is never mentioned even once.
You Must Wait a Full Day Before Filing a Missing Person Report
While most myths and false facts are relatively harmless, this one can be life-threatening. For some reason, various crime shows have created the assumption that a person is supposed to wait 24 hours before filing a missing person report with the police. This is simply not true.
There is absolutely no rule which states that you have to wait for a certain period of time before filing a missing person report. If someone you know is missing and the signs (or your intuition) indicate that something might be wrong, you should spare no time and call 911, even if it's just to explain the situation to them. The call operators are highly trained and will be able to determine the gravity of the situation, no matter how long it’s been.
Only Wealthy People Can Legally Adopt Children
Many young couples have difficulties conceiving naturally. These couples usually don’t even think of adoption as an option, which is quite sad. Most believe that adoption is only for the rich.
Fortunately, almost anyone can legally adopt a child, except for rare cases that have a lot more to do with your legal history than how much money you have in the bank. The only thing you’ll need to prove is that you can manage to fulfill the minimal requirements for proper living conditions. And love. Lots and lots of love.
Undercover Cops Must Admit to Being Undercover if Asked Directly
While we don't exactly get the logic behind this one, it’s a nice little story. But sadly no, undercover cops aren't required to reveal their identity if they don't want to. Think about it — if police officers had to reveal their identity so easily, what’s the point of being undercover in the first place!?
In reality, not only are police officers allowed to hide their identity, but they are also able to get away with a lot more than that. The criminal code doesn’t apply the same way to undercover cops, as they are allowed under specific circumstances to be accomplices to crimes if it helps them maintain their cover. So not only is this “fact” not true, but the opposite is more likely.
Mount Everest Is the Tallest Mountain in the World
Take a poll and ask people what the highest mountain in the world is. Most people will immediately say it’s Everest. Although most people believe without a doubt that it is the tallest of all the earth’s mountains, facts and basic math say otherwise.
The official highest mountain in the world is not Mount Everest, which is located on the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The real winner of this competition is Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, which stands at 33,000 feet from its underwater floor to its peak. That's almost 4,000 feet taller than Mount Everest. We don’t know about you, but a 6.25-mile-high volcano is much scarier than a snowy mountain in the middle of nowhere. Try climbing that for size!
Evolution Is Just a “Theory”
When people attempt to make light of evolution by saying that it's “just a theory.” A theory, the way most people use the word, is actually closer to what scientists call a “hypothesis.” A scientific theory, on the other hand, is a hypothesis that has been thoroughly tested and is as close to the truth as possible.
Evolution is not a fact, because such a complex phenomenon can't be proven beyond a reasonable shadow of a doubt, but the fact that it's been a scientific theory for so many decades without ever being disproved makes it as close to a fact as you can possibly get.
Caffeine Causes Dehydration
Countless students and workers rely on coffee as their primary source of fuel. While caffeine has various downsides, it doesn’t cause dehydration, despite popular belief.
Katherin Zeratsky, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic, explained that “Drinking caffeine as part of a normal lifestyle doesn’t cause fluid loss in excess of the volume ingested. While caffeinated drinks may have a mild diuretic effect, they don’t appear to increase the risk of dehydration.” So while your coffee might give you a feeling of pressure in your chest region, it certainly won’t make you dehydrated, which provides some comfort for the overworked public.
Every Person Has a Unique Fingerprint
We believe that every person is born with a unique fingerprint. Unfortunately, many forensic cases ended up in wrongful convictions when fingerprints were used as the main evidence in the prosecution.
While the odds are very low that someone will have exactly the same fingerprint as yours, this can and has happened. This is why it’s extremely important to have cross-supporting evidence in criminal cases, as just relying on a single point of data is often not enough in these cases.
Sitting Too Close to the TV Hurts Your Eyesight
You can finally, confidently, tell your parents to relax. What actually damages eyesight is staring at a screen without blinking or looking around for long periods at a time.
Doing so causes your eyes to become dry, which can eventually damage your eyesight. So, distance doesn't really matter. But be sure to take breaks from looking at your screen.
Police Can’t Enter Your House Without a Warrant
This myth can be attributed to Hollywood and its often wrongful depiction of the law. It’s true that homeowners have what’s called “a reasonable expectation of privacy”, as is stated in the 4th amendment of the Constitution. However...
These are exceptions known as “exceptions to the warrant requirement.” This includes situations where a suspect is fleeing in your building, seizing and searching for items that can be seen in plain sight, and if the evidence is about to be destroyed.
The Egyptian Pyramids Were Built by Israelites
The story goes that the Israelites built the great Egyptian pyramids before the pharaoh set them free (you know, 'Let my people go').
However, the Bible's account is that they built cities named Pitom and Ramses. Also, documentations from ancient Egypt don't mention the builders to be Israelites specifically, but refers to them as soldiers or slaves.
You Save Water by Washing Dishes
We all try and do our best to save water, whether the motivation comes from saving the planet, or just trying to save a few dollars at the end of the month. There’s a popular myth that hand-washing your dishes is more cost-effective in terms of water usage than using a dishwasher.
Well, in fact, our average dishwasher will use around seven liters of water in a full dish-cleaning run. On the other hand, washing your dishes manually could cost up to 40 liters. This is due to the effective use of water in dishwashers, which recycle the water and use it strategically. If you switch from manually washing your dishes using a dishwasher, you could potentially save over 9,000 liters of water annually.
Alcohol Helps Keep You Warm
Many people believe that alcohol helps keep you warm during cold nights out. Alcohol works by reducing the oxygen supply in our blood, therefore less oxygen reaches the brain, effectively making us drunk.
Alcohol also makes our veins tighten, making our blood rush faster through our veins, thus giving us the feeling of warmth. While we might feel warmer, our body's temperature doesn't increase.
Mind Game Apps Help Improve Your Intelligence
Daily mind game challenges are a fun way to kill time. But unfortunately, while your results in these games may be improving, this doesn’t mean that you’re smarter, just that you’re better at the specific game.
We’re not saying that you shouldn't play these games, just don’t expect to suddenly become a Nobel prize winner overnight.
Ninjas Use Black Clothes to Stay Hidden
When people think of Ninjas, they imagine a stealthy shinobi, hiding in the darkness and throwing shurikens to dispatch their targets. Many Japanese paintings show ninjas wearing all-black costumes. This makes sense because they need to stay stealthy when sneaking up on a target.
But most ninjas wore traditional outfits based on their location, which helped them blend in with their surroundings better. The black costumes do look awesome on TV though, so we’re happy for them to stay.
Salt Makes Water Boil Faster
Let’s face it, nobody likes waiting for the water to boil. This no doubt caused people to think of ways to make water boil faster. One common theory is that putting salt in your water will do the trick.
Not only is this not true, but salt actually makes water take longer to boil. Due to a phenomenon called boiling point elevation, which occurs when a non-volatile solute, like salt, is added to a solvent, like water, the salt increases the boiling point of the water, thus, making it take more time to boil.
Bats Are Blind
As kids, one of the things we’re taught in biology class is that bats are completely blind and use natural sonar to find their way around. While the latter is mostly true, the idea that bats are blind is simply false.
In fact, it’s actually been found that bats sometimes prefer to use their eyesight instead of their sonar/echolocation abilities. Not only do these animals have very good eyesight, but some bats can even see ultraviolet light. Whoever invented the myth that bats are blind definitely owes them an apology. Take it from us, you do not want to get on a bat's bad side.
Human Beings Evolved From Monkeys
Speaking of biology, one of the most commonly held beliefs in the world is that mankind originally evolved from monkeys. Well, the truth is, we didn't evolve from monkeys. It's just that we humans and monkeys have a common ancestor, way back in history.
More specifically, we share a common ape ancestor with chimpanzees. Our ancestors lived between 8 and 6 million years ago, but we then evolved differently from that same ancestor.
Different Parts of Your Tongue Taste Different Flavors
Another common knowledge tidbit we pick up as kids is the idea that our tongues contain various regions which all pertain to a different part of our sense of taste. For example, the sides of our tongue are responsible for experiencing a sour taste while only the front tip can taste all things sweet.
Today we know that our tongue possesses about eight thousand taste buds evenly spread throughout its surface. While different parts of the tongue could potentially be more or less sensitive to specific tastes, there is no clear mapping of regions when it comes to different tastes.
Standing Too Close to a Working Microwave Is Dangerous
Anyone who’s seen HBO’s hit "Chernobyl" knows that radiation is one of the scariest things in the world. Luckily for us, there’s a huge difference between the bad radiation and the one we use to heat up our dinner. One is scary and can be harmful while the other makes popcorn go POP.
Microwaves work by using non-ionizing radiation, which channels energy directly into molecules, causing them to heat up. This type of radiation is completely harmless to people, as it does not affect our body’s cells in any way. If microwaves were that harmful, you can be sure that they would have been banned before we’d have ever heard about it.
Body Hair Grows Back Thicker if You Shave It
This is one “fact” that widely affects women because they're usually the ones who are afraid that shaving their body hair will just lead to it growing back thicker. And as far as the men are concerned, sorry to disappoint you. No, shaving won't help your beard grow back fuller.
The appearance of thicker hair after shaving is nothing but an illusion. Shaving with a razor blade just makes the tip of our hairs temporarily sharper which causes light to bounce off them in a different way, giving the illusion of having thicker hair. Just be patient, soon enough the hair will become softer, and the apparent thickness will disappear.
You Only Use 10% of Your Brain
Popular pseudoscience strands say that your average person only uses 10% of their brains at any given time. While this is technically true, it doesn’t mean what you think it means.
They're implying that there's a whole 90% potential “brain energy” that we are not using, and that by tapping into it, we can become infinitely smarter than we are today. In truth, your brain only uses about 10% of its functionality the same way we only use our eyes to see. We simply don’t need to involve our feet in the task of vision.
Rolling Your Tongue Is a Genetic Trait
It's been a long and pervasive myth that the ability to roll your tongue was a genetic one but according to BBC Future, it's not that simple. On average, about 70% of people can transform their tongue into a U-shape.
In 1940, geneticist Alfred Sturtevant suggested that tongue-rolling was a Mendelian (pre-modern genetic research) trait. This theory was considered true until it was found that not all identical twins (who share the same genes) can both roll their tongues, so, myth busted!
Bulls Hate the Color Red
Matadors put themselves in very dangerous situations. Ever wonder why it is that bulls chase matadors with such passion? Well, after a bit of research, we found out that bulls can really only see the colors red and green. This still doesn’t explain why they chase matador’s capes so fervently, but luckily, we found an answer.
The reason why bulls chase red capes doesn’t actually have as much to do with the color and a lot more to do with the movement. These animals are inherently afraid of sudden movements and tend to be quite aggressive, especially in captivity.
You Should Wait Until Your Phone Reaches 0% Before Recharging It
This myth is based on the notion that charging from zero helps maintain your phone’s long-term battery health. While this used to be true for older types of nickel-metal hybrid batteries, it's no longer true for today's smartphones.
Our phones now come equipped with a standard lithium-ion battery which doesn't have a so-called “memory effect”, so you can safely recharge them at any point without any problem.
If You Swallow Your Gum It’ll Stay in Your Body for Years
As children, we all remember the terrifying and traumatic moment when an adult first told us to never swallow gum, because it will “stay in your belly for years.”
In truth, gum does not stay in your digestive system forever. It actually leaves your body in just a few days once it grabs traction. Your digestive system is a long disposal canal, and anything that’s not processed gets shoved gradually down the drain pipe. So, no worries, it does eventually get out.
Daddy Longleg Spiders Are Highly Venomous
Daddy Longleg spiders might have small bodies, but their massively long legs make them look creepier and crawlier than anything. Although they may look terrifying to some people, in reality, these spiders are as harmless as a newborn puppy.
According to Rick Vetter of the University of California at Riverside, the daddy-long-legs spider has never harmed a human and there is no evidence that they are dangerous in any way. While this doesn’t make them any less creepy, it does go to show that just because something looks scary, doesn’t mean there’s actually anything to fear.
Sugar Mades Kids Hyperactive
Sugar gives you energy, there is no doubt about that. But many parents believe that eating too much sugar can actually cause their children to turn into little Tasmanian devils. This is often referred to as a “sugar high.” While large amounts of sugar do raise glucose levels, it is not a direct cause of hyperactivity.
In fact, the opposite may be true, as digesting large amounts of sugar can lead to a hypoglycemic after-effect, which can leave you feeling quite "down." Excess sugar also causes a lot of other problems, including diabetes and high blood pressure. The last thing you need to worry about though is a hyperactive fit as the result of a Mars Bar.
Bananas Are Naturally Yellow
One thing that makes ripe bananas look so tasty and inviting is their beautiful yellow color. The fact is, these fruits are not as tasty or beautiful as they are in nature.
Bananas are actually green in their natural habitat. Humans have basically engineered bananas to appear much more appealing. So, next time you're eating a banana, remember that this color is actually a result of the beautiful cooperation between man and nature.
Humans Have Five Senses
Common knowledge dictates that the human body has five basic senses — sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing.
Other senses that people share include equilibrioception, our sense of balance which allows us to stay upright and perform gymnastics. Nociception is our ability to perceive pain, and chronoception, our sense of time passing. These are just a small assortment of examples, as there are many more senses which we unanimously share.
Doing Number Two in a Ninety Degree Angle Is Normal
This little bit of information might seriously improve your quality of life. When most people do "number two", they tend to sit at a ninety-degree angle with their feet neatly pressed on the floor. While this may seem normal to you, it’s actually putting a serious strain on your body.
The proper way to do your business is by putting your feet on a stool to bend your knees and lift them up to mid-torso height. This angled position helps release all tension in your lower abdomen, where all the equipment for doing a number two exists. Try this next time you feel the urge and you’ll instantly feel the difference.
The Moon Has a Dark Side
We blame Pink Floyd for this one. While the moon does have a backside, often called “the far side of the moon”, there’s nothing dark about it except for the fact that we don’t see it. So no, no one, not even Roger Waters will be seeing us on the dark side of the moon, because there simply isn’t one.
The far side of the moon is built just the same as the one we see, except for a few minor geographical differences. In 1960, the first people that ever saw the far side of the moon were the Apollo 8 astronauts, and we can guarantee you, from their keen observations and photography, that one side is no darker than the other.
You Could Seriously Hurt Someone by Dropping a Penny From a Skyscraper
When people first climb to the top of a tall building, many of them theorize that they could probably seriously hurt someone just by dropping a penny on their head from so high above. While this belief is great in the sense that it prevents people from throwing things down on people below, it’s also false.
This myth was tested on an episode of Mythbusters, an American science entertainment TV show that tests the validity of various rumors and myths. They found that a penny dropped from the Empire State Building, falling at 64.4 miles per hour, would definitely hurt you, but not anything serious. Myth busted.
You Can "Restart" Someone’s Heart Using a Defibrillator
Think about the last hospital show you’ve seen. At some point, a good-looking doctor always rushes out to a patient with no heartbeat, and begins shocking them using a defibrillator. The patient opens their eyes and gasps for air, miraculously coming back to life.
This, of course, is completely Hollywood. Defibrillators only help fix an irregular heart rate, they can’t revive a person without one.
Tracing Calls Takes Time
One of Hollywood's most enduring plot devices is the call tracing delay. Our protagonist receives a phone call from the evil criminal antagonist and needs to keep them on the phone for a certain amount of time before the tech geek manages to get a location.
While this rule made heroes like Jack Bauer famous in the classic TV show "24", they have nothing to do with reality. “In the digital age, it’s immediate,” says private investigator Gary Tuttle of Assured Investigations in Atlanta. “As soon as the call is placed, it can be tracked and traced to where it is being originated.”
Mother Birds Will Abandon Their Offspring if You Touch Them
If you’ve ever found a tiny chick that fell out of its tree, it’s likely that your friends told you not to touch it because the mother bird will abandon her child, leaving it to fend for itself.
In reality, the only way for a mother bird to know if you touched its offspring is by using her sense of smell, and most birds have a very poor sense of smell. So next time you see a helpless chick little don't hesitate to safely put it back in its nest.
You Can Restart a Heart That Stopped Beating With CPR
One common misconception that comes from films and TV shows is that CPR can somehow help someone’s heart “restart”, which is not necessarily true.
CPR is used to help a person’s lungs get the oxygen they need and continue passing it through the body to the brain to prevent brain damage in emergencies. While we can help the body pump air into us sometimes, we cannot pump blood or replace the heart's functions with our hands. Just call 911 as soon as possible and save your hero’s moment for acting class.
Bananas Grow on Trees
Bananas are one of the world's most consumed fruits. They contain high amounts of potassium, are great for your heart, and even aid in the function of your digestive system. One of the most common misconceptions regarding this beautiful and healthy fruit is that bananas grow on trees.
Their stems grow above the ground, giving the lant a tree-like appearance but bananas are actually considered to be berries, while the banana tree is botanically considered a "herbaceous flowering plant".
The Abbreviation SOS Stands for “Save Our Ship”
Many survival films such as "Castaway" have our heroes shown improvising a large “SOS” sign out of whatever they can find so that somebody might pick it up and rescue them from their unfortunate predicament. Everyone knows that SOS basically means “HELP!”, but many believe that the letters are an acronym for “Save Our Ship”.
The abbreviation actually stands for “Save Our Souls” and was made so as a quick message that could be sent using Morse Code. The word SOS originates from its easy Morse distress signal, done by using: three dots, three dashes, and three dots again.
Going to Bed With Wet Hair Will Give You a Cold
Are you an evening-shower person? Does that sometimes make you sleep later because you wait for your hair to dry before you hit that pillow? Well, no more! This is one myth that has to go. People don’t get sick from cold wet hair, they get sick from viruses and bacteria. Period.
As long as you’re not sleeping in severe levels of cold that would lead to hypothermia, not a cold, you will be fine.
Your Fingernails All Grow at the Same Rate
On average, nails grow 0.14 inches per month. What most people don’t know, is that nails often grow at different rates in a person’s own hands. It’s highly likely that your dominant hand’s fingers grow nails at a faster rate than your weak one.
The reason for this is that more blood flows to a person’s strong hand because it’s often used a lot more. This increased blood flow causes your nails to grow faster on one side, although the difference isn’t large enough to notice for most people who haven’t read this article.
You Have to Wait an Hour After Eating Before Going Swimming
If you’ve even gone vacationing at a beach or a pool with your family, where both food and water were involved, there’s a good chance you’ve heard this fib come out of your mother’s mouth.
If you were a curious child and asked your parents why it is that you were not to go in the water after you’d just eaten, there was never one clear reason. The usual answer was some sort of murmur of something about cramps. While swimming on a full stomach might make you short of breath, the truth is it doesn’t increase the chances of your muscles cramping.
There Are Left-Brained and Right-Brained People
Some people are more analytical, while others tend to think more abstractly. The first kind is commonly referred to as “left-brained,” and the latter is called “right-brained.” While these traits do exist, they tend to manifest themselves over a spectrum rather than a binary choice of nature.
The right side of our brain governs mostly behaviors that relate to dealing with the unknown, while the left side focuses on things that are known. So, while the two brain hemispheres have different functions, they work together in tandem. We simply exercise the functions of one side more often than the other.
Napoleon Was a Short Man
Napoleon was one of the world's most feared and respected military leaders back in the early 19th century. He became emperor of France in 1804 after successfully campaigning during the French Revolutionary Wars. He was also as tall as your average European, despite popular belief to the contrary.
In one of the world's most successful propaganda campaigns, Napoleon’s enemies were able to convince the masses that the fearsome French leader was a very short man. This trait was exaggerated as a way of discrediting his grandeur and motivating his enemy's armies against him.
We Eat Three Spiders Per Year While Sleeping
Well, we're happy to save you from your next bedridden anxiety attack by saying that this is in fact, is no fact at all.
Arachnids are a much smarter family of insects than most think, and crawling into a person's mouth is simply not something they do. While we're not saying that this never happened in the history of mankind, there is absolutely no evidence that makes the “three spiders a year” myth something you should take seriously.
People With Strong Immune Systems Don’t Catch Colds
Many believe that healthy people don’t catch colds. Those who are never cold like to flaunt their perceived health status and let everyone know that they “just never seem to get sick.”
Getting cold is actually a symptom of your body activating its immune system and fighting other perceived threats it wants to neutralize. Catching colds is actually a sign of a strong immune system, and the more cold symptoms you get, the quicker your immune system responds.
The Eiffel Tower Has the National Motto Written in Braille
Contrary to popular belief, the Eiffel Tower does not actually have the national motto written in braille along its "legs." While the motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" is an idea that is entrenched in French culture, apparently they weren't committed to the idea to the point of plastering it on their iconic landmark.
The motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was coined and became the legacy of the Age of Enlightenment
Buzz Aldrin Left a Pen on the Moon
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." That's pretty much all that went down there. Yup, nobody was penning letters or taking down notes on the moon. The famed astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins didn't do much on that big ol' moon other than walk around and put a flag in there.
The legend goes that moon-walker Eugene Cernan found Buzz Aldrin's pen on the moon, and...it still worked. This is just false.
Your Upper Eyelid Has a Unique Pattern Like Your Fingerprint.
Unfortunately, your upper eyelid is not like your finger and does not actually have a unique individualistic mark that we see in a fingerprint. Apparently, your eyelid is pretty much a non-unique flap of skin that covers your eye.
Maybe there are other parts that have similar kinds of patterns, but the eyelid is just not one of them.
Cultures Using Sparrow Skulls as Money
Civilizations take time to evolve. The notion of trade at one point in our history was a whole new concept for humans. Then came the introduction of money. Of course, it took time for people to start using paper and coins, so they started out with other valuable and rare goods, like sparrow skulls. Well, the last part is just not true. There was never a group of people who actually did this.
It might be easy to believe. A precious little sparrow skull does look rather unique and one might like to think it could have been sued as currency. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
The President of Senegal Developed a Large Hadron Collider
The world's largest and highest-energy particle collider (and the largest machine in the world, in case you didn't know) is called the Large Hadron Collider. The device was built between 1998 and 2008 by the European Organization for Nuclear Research in collaboration with thousands of scientists.
But the President of Senegal was not one of them. The machine is housed in a 17-mile tunnel near the border of Geneva.
The Roundest Part of Your Body Is Your Kneecap
We have no idea how this false notion got so widespread when anyone with a set of eyes and a functioning body can see it's just not true. Of course, just right off the bat, we can already name a bunch of rounder body parts that aren't the kneecap.
Perhaps someone's biology textbook must have had an error because, for some reason, this idea caught on.
The Tree Falling in the Woods Discovery Got a Nobel Prize
If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? This profound thought has been a great question for many years and has become somewhat more of an expression.
The idea just began as a philosophical question during the 1700s. The expression, however, was not actually discovered by a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Plus, under what Nobel category would that even go under? It's not like there's no Noble Prize in philosophy.
JRR Tolkien Refused to Let His Books Be Read Aloud After He Passes
JRR Tolkien, the legendary author of the "Lord of The Rings" trilogy as well as "The Hobbit", apparently had a big ego when it came to his writing. At least that's what people chose to believe.
In reality, the author never actually cared about whether or not his books were read out loud after his passing. We are sure that he just wanted people to read his books in any way they could.
Cat Stevens' First name Is Catherine
Born Steven Demetre Georgiou, Cat Stevens's first name was clearly not actually short for Catherine. His name wasn't even Cat, it was just a nickname. The Wild World singer is probably just as perplexed as the rest of us as to how this became a widely believed fact.
These days the famous musician doesn't even go by Cat Stevens anymore, and not even Steven Demetre Georgiou. It's Yusuf.
All Fossils in Canada Belong to The Queen
It may not sound so bizarre as Canada was once a British colony and does still technically recognize the Queen. Still, they do not relinquish all fossil rights at all.
While still considered a commonwealth country, what Canada finds is very much theirs and the fancy lady across the pond has nothing to do with it!
The First Sunglasses Were Made of Animal Skins
Apparently, according to the book "Historical Things That Never Happened" the first sunglasses were made of animal skin that was scraped so thin it became transparent. What's really the truth about the first pair of sunglasses?
In reality, the first pair ever invented happened around 12th century China. They were made of a coarse plate of smoked quartz that blocked out the sun and had two tiny slits to see out of. Even that sounds more advanced.
‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ Is the Most Stolen Book of All Time
Nothing would make JRR Tolkien happier than knowing that his book is the most stolen piece of literature of all time. If only that could be true. While the book is indeed incredibly famous, and some copies of it must have been stolen over the years, the title goes to a different literary piece entirely.
Unfortunately for Tolkein, and well, fortunately for the Lord, it's the Bible that is actually the most stolen book of all time.
Touchdowns Were Originally Called ‘Tapstops’
The term "touchdown" in American football has actually always been around since the invention of the game. We are sorry to say, but "tap-stops" were never actually a thing.
Who knows, maybe it's a term that will come in the future.
The Dairy Cow’s Moo Used to Be Louder
According to bogus historical records, the dairy cow's moo has actually lowered a few octaves over the years. These records indicate that the cow once had almost deafening vocal capabilities.
We have no idea what inspired that false piece of information, but it seems that the cow has been mooing at the same level for years. Maybe our hearing has worsened?
The Tallest Grass in the World Is the Banana Tree
This statement could almost be true. It is in fact, not a tree, but isn't actually a type of grass either. One thing is certain, it is not the tallest grass in the world. That happens to be the Dragon Bamboo.
The Dragon Bamboo, Giant Bamboo, or Giant Burmese Bamboo — Dendrocalamus giganteus is the tallest known type of grass in the world and can grow up to 40-45 meters tall.
'Bat Out of Hell' Was About an Argument Between Meatloaf and Ozzy Osborne
While it's likely that two hard rock giants from the '70s would go head to head with each other and make iconic music about it, the truth is, that song has nothing to do with Ozzy Osborne.
The song, like much of the album, is actually about James Matthew Barrie's famous Peter Pan.
Ancient Greeks Used Jellified Red Wine as Lubricant
The Ancient Greeks have been known to live it up and indulge. Quite a lot of ideas of that time have made it into our modern-day lifestyle, especially when it comes to the salacious little luxuries.
While they can claim a lot, they actually cannot claim the invention of the ancient lubricant made of jellified wine. There is no actual proof that this ever existed. Also, ew.
One of the Rings of Saturn Is Silver Dust
When it comes to outer space, a lot of us are none the wiser. Honestly, we'll believe anything. And if we hear that Saturn has a ring of silver dust, many folks will just say okay.
The rings of Saturn are, in truth, made up of things that aren't any less interesting. These include pieces of comets, asteroids, or shattered moons that broke up before they reached the planet.
Every Member of Iron Maiden Was a Quaker
Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain, and Janick Gers — these kings of metal make up the dynamite band that is Iron Maiden. A rumor went around at one point that they were all Quakers.
Of course, that is not true. That amount of rage and energy does not come from the Quaker lifestyle.
The National Anthem of Lithuania a Palindrome
Whoever said this either didn't know what the anthem is or what a palindrome is, because the Lithuanian national anthem is certainly not palindromic at all.
As in, it does not play backward exactly the same way that it plays forwards. Still doubtful? Well, the anthem is called "Tautiška giesmė." Look it up and see for yourself.