Upon examination, many of us might be surprised to learn how many myths and misconceptions have made their way into our culture over the years disguised as facts. Whether they began as tall tales or perhaps stories invented to keep young children a little more interested in history class, we’ve concocted a collection of some of the most common misconceptions believed by many people to be true. So get ready to rewrite the history books… or at least appear a little more clever at parties, as we expose these common myths.
Van Gogh cut off his own ear.
Many historians now believe that the infamous ear injury was actually inflicted by Van Gogh’s friend and fellow artist, Paul Gaugin, an avid fencer.
Napoleon was short.
If he was, he didn’t realize it. Evidence suggests that Napoleon was around 5’7 tall, the average height for a Frenchman at the time.
Columbus discovered the Earth was round.
Nope. The fact was actually common knowledge in Columbus’ day and was what prompted him to attempt to sail around it to reach the Orient in the first place.
The theory of evolution proposes that humans evolved from apes.
This is actually a common misconception- the theory states that humans and apes shared a common, now extinct ancestor, not that one evolved from the other.
The first Thanksgiving was one big fluffy celebration of peace and friendship.
An apple falling on his head gave Newton the key to identifying gravity.
Though Newton himself was partially responsible for this myth, he never claimed the apple fell on his head and did not make the discoveries that would lead him to develop the theory of universal gravitation until nearly 20 years later.
Swallowed Gum takes 7 years to digest.
It actually never does but passes through the body at the same rate as everything else anyway.
Three wise men visited baby Jesus on the night of His birth.
The Bible actually never specifies the number of wise men who visited baby Jesus. It does however, indicate that they didn’t actually find Him until He was about 2 years old.
Caffeinated drinks dehydrate you.
If you were consuming only caffeine, it might have a dehydrating effect but the water contained in most caffeinated beverages offsets the effect.
Shaving makes hair grow back thicker.
Nope! The new hairs only appear darker due to the fact that they are no longer tapered.
Humans and dinosaurs coexisted.
We actually missed each other by about 63 million years!
Touching baby birds will cause their moms to abandon them.
Birds don’t actually have that great a sense of smell, helping a fallen baby bird back into it’s nest is unlikely to cause it’s mom to abandon it.
Bulls hate the color red.
Bulls are actually color-blind and are generally reacting to the bull fighter’s waving of a cloth when they are compelled to charge.
You should never wake a sleepwalker.
It’s really not that big a deal. They’ll be confused for sure, but it’s generally safer than letting them wonder around unconscious.
Most people only use 10% of their brain.
Brain scans have been unable to locate any part of the brain that isn’t regularly used.
