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The 10 Most Bizarre Misconceptions
 Animals

1. A panther is a huge black cat.

A panther isn’t a specific animal. A panther is any cat that can roar (tigers,
lions, and jaguars).
Most people picture Bagheera from The Jungle Book when they think
of a panther. Bagheera is a black leopard. Black leopards have spots but
they are very hard to distinguish. There is no big cat that is completely
black in the way Bagheera is depicted in the film.

2. Dolly the sheep was the first cloned animal.

The first cloned animal was a sea urchin in 1885; over a century before
Dolly. Dolly wasn’t even the first cloned sheep. The same institute that
cloned her cloned five other sheep (two of which survived to adulthood.)
The reason Dolly was important was because she was cloned from adult
cells. The other sheep were cloned from embryos.

3. The Easter Bunny is a rabbit.

The Easter Bunny is a hare. Early Christians celebrated the goddess of
spring and fertility, Eostre, during Easter. She is often depicted with a hare,
who eventually represented the holiday.

4. Bugs Bunny is a rabbit.

Bugs Bunny is also a hare. Well, technically he’s a fictional animated
character but you know what I mean. He first appeared in the 1940
animated short, The Wild Hare.

5. Vultures circle dying animals and pounce on them the instant

they die.
Vultures never circle prey and will usually wait for a carcass to be so rotten,
that no other animal would touch it. Although vultures prefer to eat fresh
meat, they don’t want to risk being attacked during a meal.

6. Vultures are irredeemably disgusting animals.

Vultures eat 70% of all dead meat in the African regions where they live.
Without vultures, there would be many more carcasses lying around Africa
contaminating water. Not only are vultures immune to rabies, anthrax,
salmonella, and cholera, but their bodies don’t spread the diseases; they
expunge them. Africa would be an ecological catastrophe without vultures.

7. Bats are the only animals that use echolocation.

Shrews, dolphins, whales, and rats use echolocation to navigate in the dark.

8. Bats are horrible creatures.

Bats are the most efficient animals in the world at killing insects. One bat
can kill six hundred insects in an hour. That’s one insect dead every six
seconds. Do you know how many insects there would be if bats didn’t
exist? Probably a lot.

9. Bats get stuck in people’s hair.

There is also a myth that bats get stuck in people’s hair. The most common
place to be attacked by a bat is the toe, not the head. Since bats rely on
sound waves, walking will make the bat attracted to your feet because your
feet make sounds every time you take a step.

10. Bats suck blood.

The vampire bat is the only bat that drinks blood. But the vampire bat
doesn’t suck the blood, it laps it.

11. Don’t kill a spider. Put it outside.

The reason you find spiders inside your house is because it has adapted to
the heat indoors. Once you chuck the arachnid outside, it dies within
minutes. If you thought you were a good person because you were putting
spiders outside instead of squashing them, you were killing them anyway,
only more slowly. So, that’s a bit awkward.

12. Spider webs are weak.

Although you can effortlessly destroy a web with your hand, that’s because
the web strands are thin. If steel and spider silk were the same weight and
size, the silk would be five times stronger.
 13. Spiders kill humans.
There are 40,000 types of spider. 12 of them are dangerous. Most spiders
aren’t strong enough for their bite to breach human skin.
However, the majority of spiders prey on other insects and will never
go out of their way to bite a human. Although bites are rare, lethal bites are
unheard of nowadays. In 2016, Jayden Burleigh from Sydney died when he
was bitten by a redback spider. Although that’s tragic, it was the first time
someone died from a spider bite in 37 years.
In fact, why do spiders get a bad reputation? Most spiders kill animals
we hate like flies, bees, and mosquitoes. One spider can kill 2,000 insects a
year.

14. All spiders weave webs.

Only half of spider species make webs. If you don’t find that fact
particularly interesting, it’s not uncommon for spiders to get trapped in their
own webs. Basically, spiders are the Wile E. Coyote of the animal kingdom.

15. Webs always have a spiral pattern.

Spiders can use their webbing to form funnels, tubes, sheets, ladders, and
even fences.

16. If you come across a crocodile, you are as good as dead.

Although a crocodile’s jaw muscles are incredibly strong at clamping down,
it takes a lot of effort for the reptile to open its mouth.
If a two-year old toddler put his or her fingers around a crocodile’s
mouth, the reptile couldn’t open it. A crocodile can be defeated with an
elastic band wrapped around its snout.

17. Alligators live in sewers.

Nature writer, Diana Ackerman, said, “Alligators can only live in
temperatures between 78 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s 25-30 Celsius.
They couldn’t survive in a sewer, because they can’t live in salmonella,
shigella or E. coli.”

18. Alligators kill hundreds of people every year.

From 1928-2009, only 24 reported deaths from alligators occurred in the
US. However, some of these people may have drowned and been eaten by
alligators later.

19. Roadrunners are faster than coyotes.

A roadrunner’s top speed is 20mph. A coyote can run 43mph. You’d think
somebody working for Looney Tunes would’ve researched this before
making an entire show revolving around a coyote chasing a roadrunner.

20. A rhino’s horn is made of bone.

The rhino’s horn is made of keratin, which is the same material that your
fingernails and hair are made of. There was a rhino with a horn made of
bone called the Brontotheres 45 million years ago. If the animal collided
with a predator, the horn shattered, leaving the Brontotheres in agony. Also,
it had to wait months for its horn to heal, leaving it vulnerable. This
impracticality led to the Brontotheres’ extinction.
If the modern-day rhino’s horn breaks, it doesn’t hurt and it heals much
faster than bone. Because the rhino’s “horn” isn’t made of bone, technically
it’s not a horn. A horn isn’t just a pointy spike sticking out of an animal’s
head. A horn by definition is a natural protruding point that has a bone core.
There’s another misconception that the “horn” is used as an
aphrodisiac. In reality, it’s used to deter a fever (even though it doesn’t
work.) This idea stems from superstition rather than science.

21. The horse inspired the myth of the unicorn.

Bizarrely, the unicorn myth originated from the skeleton of a narwhal
whale. During the crusades, knights stumbled upon an enormous horned
skeleton and thought it was of a gigantic horned horse. This was a common
belief until the 17th century.

22. Narwhals have horns.

Horns have bone cartilage. The narwhal’s “horn” doesn’t have any. Okay...
if it’s not a horn, what is it then?
It’s a tooth. It starts in the mammal’s mouth but it keeps growing until
it pierces through the poor whale’s head. It is known as an “erupted tooth.”
You may be thinking, “How is that practical?”
Teeth have millions of nerve-endings, which make them
hypersensitive. A narwhal’s erupted tooth is so sensitive, the whale can tell
if it is approaching salt water or non-salt water. Narwhals can’t survive in
fresh water so this erupted tooth is evolution’s way of keeping it alive.

23. Possums play dead.

If a possum sees a predator, it will seize up and become stiff like a board.
The predator assumes the possum is dead and will not be interested in
eating it. Possums don’t “play dead.” It’s not a conscious decision. It is so
terrified, the possum goes into shock.

24. Chimpanzees have more hair than humans.

Chimps have thicker hair but humans have more hair follicles.

25. When the English originally went to Australia, they asked an

Aborigine what a kangaroo was called. The Aborigine said, “I don’t
know” in his native tongue, which is “kangaroo.”
The word “kangaroo” is derived from the Guugu Wimithirr word,
“gangurru,” which means “big foot.”

26. Camels are most common in the Middle East.

Camels are mostly found in Australia. They are so common there that Saudi
Arabia imports them. Saudi Arabia also imports sand from Australia.
Seriously.

27. A camel stores water in its hump.

A camel’s hump stores fat.

28. A camel can survive without water longer than any other
mammal.
A camel can only live about two weeks without water. The kangaroo rat can
live without water for five years, which is longer than any other mammal.

29. Buzzing mosquitoes cause malaria.

Only the silent mosquitoes cause malaria.

30. People have always known that mosquitoes cause malaria.

Less than a hundred years ago, our ancestors believed that malaria was
simply “bad air.” It was believed that malaria was something you just “got”
like the flu. This erroneous theory was accepted until the 1930s.

31. The animal that has saved the most lives is the Saint Bernard.
There is a misconception that Saint Bernards used to carry small barrels of
brandy attached to their collar to awaken and warm up people who got lost
in snowy mountains.
This couldn’t work since the barrel would weigh down the St. Bernard,
slowing it down, which is the last thing you need when someone is dying in
the cold.
This isn’t even hypothetically possible. Brandy freezes quickly. Even if
it didn’t, alcohol makes you feel warmer, but your body gets colder so it
would be counter-productive.
So what animal has saved the most human lives? The horseshoe crab.
The horseshoe crab (which is related to the spider) has blood that clots
around invading bacteria and viruses. This blood is used to test every single
pharmaceutical drug. Every pill, injection, transfusion, and anesthetic you
have had is all thanks to the horseshoe crab.

32. If a dangerous animal is about to attack you, you can distract

it by pointing at something.
Only apes and elephants understand what pointing means. If a bear was
about to attack you and you pointed somewhere, the bear would just stare at
your pointed finger. A bear might even think you are presenting something,
thus encouraging it to come towards you.

33. If you touch a bird’s nest, the mother bird will pick up on
your scent and abandon its young.
Most birds can barely smell. Even if the mother bird saw you touching its
eggs, it would not be enough reason for it to desert its offspring.

34. Don’t throw rice at weddings. If a bird eats it, it will explode.
The rice is dangerous to humans since it can easily catch in someone’s eye.
Throwing rice onto a flat, slippery surface or on stairs makes it likely that
somebody slips. But it would make their wedding more memorable.
Hospitals have a tendency to do that.

35. Pandas only eat bamboo.

Pandas are slow, clumsy, and lethargic so bamboo is pretty easy prey.
Pandas prefer to eat small animals to give them energy. Bamboo barely
gives them enough energy to keep going.

36. All bees live in hives and make honey.

85% of bees live alone. Only 20% of the bees that live in a hive make the
honey.

37. Bees die when they sting you.

A bee’s stinger can get stuck in a person’s skin and the bee has to rip itself
apart to escape. If the bee is careful, it will be fine. So, when people say,
“You got stung, but at least the bee is dead,” just remember that those
people are liars.

38. The best thing to use for a bee sting is butter.

Butter will numb the pain but it won’t get rid of the bee sting in your skin.
The best thing to do is wipe the area with a credit card. Doctors do this in
emergencies when people have been stung hundreds of times.

39. A snake dislocates its jaw when it eats.

This is not true. Snakes just have incredibly flexible jaws.

40. The rules of aerodynamics show that bees shouldn’t be able to

fly.
A bee seems to be too big in comparison with its wings to fly. No one knew
how bees flew until 2005. As HD technology advanced, a bee’s wings could
be studied in slow motion and high definition while it was flying. It turns
out bees flap their wings 230 times per second, which is far more than other
insects. Their wings don’t just move up and down. They move with short
choppy strokes, followed by a quick rotation of the wing as it spins over
and reverses direction, along with a fast wing-beat frequency. If you can’t
understand this, the alternative explanation is, “Magic.”

41. Wolverines aren’t real.

Even Hugh Jackman didn’t know wolverines existed until after he was cast
in X-Men as Wolverine. The wolverine is a small Canadian weasel that
doesn’t like confrontation. If it is cornered, it becomes vicious and goes for
the jugular vein, killing its predator almost instantly.

42. The animal that kills the most people in the United States is
the grizzly bear.
Bears kill 128 people in the US per year. Ironically, the United States’
biggest killer animal is the dreaded white-tailed deer. Just to remind you,
that is the same deer as Bambi. This deer kills 130 people in the US per
year by wandering onto the road and causing car accidents.

43. The elephant is the only mammal that can’t jump.

An adult elephant can’t jump but a young one can. The only mammals that
can’t jump at all are hippos and sloths.

44. The most ferocious animal is the lion.

The honey badger is the most ferocious animal on Earth. Honey badgers
have no fear. That’s not an embellishment They are literally immune to fear.
Honey badgers have killed hyenas, crocodiles, bears, lions, tigers, and even
humans. They have killed porcupines in spite of being horrendously stung.
They’ve penetrated tortoises’ hard shell through pure force. They even
attack bees! What kind of animal is so psychotic that it would attack
bees?!?!! Honey badgers can kill and eat venomous snakes in 15 minutes.
So what is the honey badger’s greatest advantage? How does it win
against animals a hundred times its size? Simple. It goes for one body part.
The reproductive organs. A honey badger can instantly tell where these
organs are on any animal. Once this area has been attacked (or removed,) it
doesn’t matter how big an animal is, the honey badger is going to win.

45. White horses don’t exist.

They are very rare but there are pure white horses (sometimes called
dominant whites) in the world.

46. The lion is the strongest big cat,

The leopard is the strongest big cat pound for pound. Okay, but surely the
lion has the strongest bite, right? Bizarrely, the lion has the weakest bite in
the big cat family, measuring 600lbs per square inch. The jaguar has the
strongest bite of the big cats, measuring 2,000lbs per square inch.
 47. The lion is the king of the jungle.
Lions don’t live in the jungle. They reside in Saharan Africa and Asia.

48. Dodos were stupid, fat birds.

Many models and drawings of the dodo depict the bird as looking rather
chubby. However, this was based on dodos that were kept in cages. A
complete dodo skeleton was only discovered in 2007 and reveals that it
would’ve had a very thin frame.
Also, the main reason why dodos are perceived as being stupid is
because it only took 75 years for the bird to become extinct after settlers
landed on its homeland of Mauritius in 1598. But CT scans of their skulls
reveal that the dodo was as smart as a pigeon. Pigeons can memorize
human faces and have some mathematical abilities.
It’s easy to assume that the bird went extinct quickly because it tasted
delicious. According to Alexander Gordon Melville, who is best known for
his comparative anatomical work on the dodo, the bird didn’t taste very
nice. Settlers only ate it because it posed no challenge to catch it. Dodos
had no predators on their homeland so they didn’t have any survival skills.

49. Frogs ribbit.

There are 4,800 types of frog. One of them ribbits.

50. Ants are the most common creatures in the world.

No, and it’s not flies, spiders, or bees either. There are 500 trillion Antarctic
krill on Earth, making it the world’s most abundant animal. That means
there are approximately 65,800 of these creatures for every single human.

51. The anglerfish has the biggest size-difference between the

male and female.
The female deep-sea anglerfish is the size of a basketball. The male is the
size of a human’s pinky finger. A male anglerfish is so small that when it
mates with the female it is absorbed into her bloodstream. Because this fact
appears in many animal encyclopedias, people assume that anglerfish have
the biggest difference in size between the male and female.
However, that honor belongs to the 6ft 6 blanket octopus, which is
40,000 times larger than the male. In fact, the male is so small that it wasn’t
discovered until 2002.

52. Dolphins and humans are the only animals that have sex for
pleasure.
Bonobo apes have sex for fun and to relieve tension in their group.

53. Penguins have the highest tolerance for cold.

Weirdly, most penguin species have a body temperature of 38 degrees
Celsius. That’s less than one degree warmer than a human. Polar bears are a
pretty good contender since they can withstand temperatures of -50 degrees
Celsius. In fact, they usually overheat during the summer. But the animal
with the greatest resistance to cold is the Arctic fox. It doesn’t even shiver
until it’s -70 degrees Celsius.

54. Big cats can’t purr.

The leopard is the only big cat that can purr.

55. “Species” is another word for an animal.

“Species” and “animals” aren’t the same thing. A species is a class of
animals that can have fertile children. If a female tiger mates with a male
lion, she will give birth to a liger. If a female lion mates with a male tiger,
she will have to a tigon. Tigons and ligers are animals but they aren’t
species because they can’t produce fertile cubs.
 Books

56. Lewis Carroll created the twin characters, Tweedledee and

Tweedledum in his book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
This is a triple misconception! In almost every film depiction of the story,
Tweedledee and Tweedledum are twins. This is never referenced in Lewis
Carroll’s book. Also, Lewis Carroll didn’t create the Tweedles. They are
nursery rhyme characters and first appeared in stories in 1805.
On top of that, the Tweedles don’t appear in Alice Adventures in
Wonderland. They debuted in the sequel.

57. The Cheshire Cat originated from Alice’s Adventures in

Wonderland.
The Cheshire Cat was first mentioned in literature in the 1788 book, A
Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. It refers to a person who shows
all their teeth and gums when they smile.

58. In the Wizard of Oz novels, the main villain is the Wicked

Witch of the West.
The Wicked Witch of the West is the villain in the first story in the Oz
series. The main antagonist for the rest of the series is a rock fairy called
Roquat the Red.
Also, the Wicked Witch of the West looks nothing like the character
from the 1939 film. She is extremely short and wears an eyepatch. Despite
how she is often depicted in other media, she does not have green skin in
the novel.

59. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy has ruby shoes.

In the original novel by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,
Dorothy’s shoes are silver. They were changed to ruby for the movie as the
color looked better onscreen.

60. The Wooden Horse of Troy is first mentioned in Homer’s epic,

The Iliad.
The Iliad concludes before the Wooden Horse invades Troy. The Wooden
Horse is discussed in hindsight in the sequel, The Odyssey. It is elaborated
on in more depth in Virgil’s book, The Aeneid.

61. The film, Frankenstein is faithful to the book it’s based on.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Monster is an 8ft-tall monster with
muscles protruding from his yellow skin. Although the Monster is often
depicted with a square forehead and bolts on his neck, these were invented
for the film.
In the film, the Monster can only communicate by grunting. In the
novel, he teaches himself to speak by reading Paradise Lost. Over time, he
becomes extremely intelligent and talks about myths, religion, and
philosophy.
Although the Monster is brought to life in the film by being struck by
lightning, the novel never explains how the Monster came to be.
If you ask anyone to impersonate Frankenstein’s Monster, they will
most certainly outstretch their hands. The Monster never does this in the
original movie. He only does this in the 1943 sequel, Frankenstein Meets
the Wolf Man, after he is rendered blind.
The titular character in the film is called Henry Frankenstein instead
of Victor Frankenstein. Although Frankenstein is proud of his creation in
the film, he rejects the Monster in the novel.
Many people believe Frankenstein has a hunchbacked assistant called
Igor. This isn’t true in the film… or the book! In the novel, there is no
assistant. In the movie, the assistant is a normal looking man called Fritz.
Igor (spelt “Ygor”) appears in the second sequel, Son of Frankenstein.
He’s played by Bela Legosi, who is most famous for playing the titular
character in the 1931 film, Dracula.

62. Tarzan says, “Me Tarzan, you Jane.” in the original novel.
Although this is the most popular line from the Tarzan films, he never says
it in the original 1912 novel, Tarzan of the Apes.

63. James Bond is a secret agent who always drinks a vodka

martini shaken, not stirred.
A British agent is an informant. Informants don’t get to engage in shooting
assassins or fighting sumo wrestlers like Bond. What James Bond does in
the books and films would make him an Intelligence Officer. In the novels,
Bond consumes whiskey more than any other drink. He drinks triple
whiskey 101 times in the novels.

64. King Louie and Kaa are villains in The Jungle Book.
In the original novel, Kaa is a mentor to Mowgli. King Louie is not in the
original novel and was created for the Disney film.

65. In The Jungle Book, Mowgli’s name is pronounced “Moe-glee”.

According to the writer, Rudyard Kipling, Mowgli is pronounced “MOW-
glee”. His daughter never forgave Walt Disney for having the name
mispronounced in the movie.
 Disorders

66. Although Alzheimer’s is a debilitating disease, it doesn’t kill.

This horrific disorder doesn’t just destroy the sufferer’s memory. It kills
people within three to nine years. In fact, Alzheimer’s is the sixth most
common cause of death in the US.

67. Alzheimer’s is a genetic disorder.

Just because Alzheimer’s isn’t in your family doesn’t mean you can’t get it.
The Alzheimer’s Society of Canada state that many things can cause
Alzheimer’s. To limit the risk of developing this disorder, the ASC
recommends “being physically active, eating healthy foods, keeping your
brain challenged, reducing stress, keeping an eye on your blood pressure,
blood sugar and cholesterol levels, avoiding traumatic brain injury, and
keeping socially active.” Just do all of those things every day for 80 years
and you should be fine.

68. Skin moles become cancerous when you are in your 50s or
60s.
If you have a mole on your body that starts to change in size, color, or
shape, it can become dangerous. It doesn’t matter if you are 12 years old or
50 years old. Once a mole starts changing, go see a doctor.

69. Nicotine causes cancer.

Nicotine creates the addiction to smoking. The tar in a cigarette causes
cancer.

70. Too much red meat gives you cancer.

Inuits eat almost nothing but red meat but they stay in great health. The
Masai are an African tribe that mostly eat red meat and yet, they rarely
succumb to cancer or heart diseases.
Red meat isn’t bad. Processed red meat is what’s dangerous. To
preserve meat, it is filled with additives and salts that are linked to many
diseases. Eating red meat is totally fine as long as it’s unprocessed and
fresh.

71. If someone is suffering from hypothermia, he or she must be

made warm as soon as possible.
If a person was suffering from hypothermia, you’d think you should give
them a hot water bottle or put them in a warm bath.
Ironically, this might kill them. Warming up someone with
hypothermia too quickly will cause blood to rush to the newly opened
vessels in the arms and legs, and away from the brain and vital organs.
The first thing you should do when someone develops hypothermia is
to ring an ambulance. While you wait, make sure the person is wrapped in
dry blankets or towels. Warm drinks and high-energy food will help but
only if they can swallow.

72. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder makes a person have an

obsession with cleanliness.
People who suffer OCD have odd obsessions or habits (which they usually
call rituals.) An OCD sufferer may have an inability to sit in blue chairs or
feel like they to close every door three times in a row. Many OCD sufferers
have rituals which do not include over-cleanliness.

73. You can get the flu from a flu-shot.

The flu-shot doesn’t contain a weakened version of flu, as many people
believe. It is impossible to catch the flu from this shot.

74. You can only get appendicitis once.

An Englishman called David Beminster suffered from appendicitis twice.
He had his appendix removed in a hospital in Surrey in 2007. In 2008,
David started suffering intense pains in his abdomen. When David
described the symptoms to doctors, they said it sounded like appendicitis.
When David assured them it had been removed, they dismissed his pain
and assumed he had a stomach ache.
Eventually, David went to hospital and learned that a small amount of
his appendix was still in his abdomen and it had become inflamed. He
learned that during appendix removal, it is common for surgeons to leave a
tiny part of the organ within the abdomen since it is very painful and
dangerous to remove. It should only be removed when absolutely
necessary.

75. You can catch a cold by kissing someone with a cold.

The cold virus is in the nasal mucus, not the lips or tongue. Unless you kiss
the inside of a person’s nose, you should be fine.

76. Ebola spreads through contact with human skin.

Ebola can only spread through mucus membrane, broken skin, or bodily
fluid. Unless you come into contact with an Ebola sufferer’s blood, sweat,
or urine, you can’t catch it.

77. Glaucoma and cataracts can be corrected.

Although there are surgical procedures to correct eye damage, once
glaucoma sets in, it cannot be reversed. There’s also this myth that cataracts
can be removed with a laser because cataracts form on the outside of the
eye. The idea that a cataract is on the outside of the eye is also a
misconception (That’s right, it’s a misconception within a misconception).
Cataracts form within the lens of the eye and cannot be removed with a
laser. The lens can be removed with a physical tool and be replaced with an
artificial one but it is expensive, painful, and dangerous.

78. Stomach ulcers are caused by stress.

Until 1984, it was believed that ulcers were caused by stress. A
gastroenterologist called Barry Marshall proved that ulcers are caused by
bacteria. Antibiotics are the best treatment for ulcers.

79. All deaf people read lips.

Less than a third of deaf people read lips. Even the best lip readers don’t
pick up on every word. Their brain just can’t process that much information
that quickly. Also, the person they are speaking with may be mumbling,
mispronouncing words, or have a heavy accent.
My deaf friend, Nathan, lip-reads and he says it’s like when you have
to speak to someone on the phone with a bad signal. You can’t hear
everything, but you can make out most of the words to understand what
they are saying.
 80. All deaf people use sign language.
Only 10% of deaf people use sign language since it is not as practical as
you may assume. There is no definitive sign language. The American
version of sign language is completely different to the English version.
A friend of mine has a deaf mother called Sarah who knows sign
language. Sarah’s friend Maggie lost her hearing and her hand years ago,
which means Maggie can only sign with one hand. So Sarah uses a different
type of sign language when talking to Maggie with one hand than when she
talks to her other deaf friends. She basically had to learn a different
language just to talk to one person!
She can’t speak to a deaf person who’s foreign because their sign
language is different to hers.

81. AIDS is a death sentence.

Thanks to advances in medicine, the average person infected with AIDS
will live to 69 years.

82. Sweat out a cold.

Putting a blanket on top of your head over a bowl of hot water feels nice but
is utterly ineffective against a cold. Although you may have little impulse to
eat, food will make your body strong enough to fight off the cold.

83. Starve a fever.

Why would starving yourself work when you are ill? Food = fuel. Food =
energy. Food = strength. You need strength to combat a fever. The more you
eat, the stronger your immune system will be to fight the fever.

84. Mental illnesses have only been treated in the past century.
The first recording of treating mental illness dates back to 1300 BC in
Mesopotamia (now known as Iraq.) Medical documents from this time
detail how soldiers experienced depression and flashbacks soon after being
engaged in battle. This is the first historical reference to PTSD (Post-
traumatic stress syndrome.) Doctors at the time advised medication, prayer,
or religious offerings to find peace.

85. Mentally ill people know what mental illness they have.
In movies, there is a moment where a character has an epiphany and learns
the truth – they have bipolar. Or depression. Or a split-personality. Or
schizophrenia.
Sadly, it’s not that simple. Bipolar can be genetic, so if it is in your
genes, symptoms may arise without having to experience a tragedy to
“trigger” it. It might activate over weeks or months and it may happen so
slowly that you don’t even realize how much you have changed until years
later.
A mental illness can trigger if you experience a horrific tragedy. As
the months go by, the illness might make you enraged or terrified. But you
might not see it as an illness. You might think you are childish because you
can’t get over the past.
It can take years to learn that you have a mental illness. It can take just
as long to receive the correct treatment or medication.
 Food and Drink

86. Carrots are good for your eyesight.

The idea that carrots can improve your eyesight came from RAF pilot, John
“Cat Eyes” Cunningham, who got his nicknames because he could spot
enemy planes at nighttime with perfect accuracy. In an interview, he
mentioned that he loved carrots and marketers saw it as an opportunity to
sell them. The two aren’t connected.

87. Oranges are orange.

Oranges are naturally green in most countries. Oranges are only orange in
certain climates, but most oranges worldwide stay green (but are orange on
the inside.) When oranges were originally transported to Europe, the
climate changed their color from green to orange. Europeans had never seen
oranges before and assumed they were supposed to be orange. The oranges
you eat are made orange as most people wouldn’t eat them otherwise,
worried that they have gone off.

88. Sugar makes kids hyper.

At least 12 studies have confirmed that there is no link that sugar makes
children hyperactive. In fact, there isn’t a single verified study confirming
the two are linked.
The only children that are affected are those who are told they are
drinking a sugary drink, even if the kids are consuming a sugar-free.
Alternatively, these same children acted normally when they were told
they were drinking a health-drink, even thought it was filled with sugar.
Sugar doesn’t even make a difference when the kids that were tested had
ADHD. The director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism
Research at Indiana University School of Medicine, Aaron Caroll, said,
“That’s probably more randomized controlled trials than most drugs go
through.”

89. Airplane food tastes awful.

It’s not the food that tastes bad. If you take your own food onto a plane, it
should taste mildly stale. Increased cabin pressure and low humidity reduce
your ability to taste salt and sugar by 33%.

90. If you eat nine bananas in a row, you will die from a potassium
overdose.
Have you ever heard of anyone die this way? It is true that potassium in
large doses can be lethal. It is one of the ingredients in the lethal injection.
However, the potassium levels of bananas are far too low to be
dangerous. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, “Banana and plantain do not contain significant levels of
any toxic principles.” You would need to eat 487 bananas in a row to reach
fatal levels.

91. If you drop food, you can still eat it if you pick it up in less
than five seconds.
Bacteria doesn’t hang around for five seconds to “give you a chance to pick
it up.” The food is contaminated the second it touches the germ-infested
floor.

92. In the early 90s, a kid ate Pop Rocks and soda, which caused a
chemical reaction that made his stomach explode.
This is one of the most famous urban legends ever. This rumor came about
because Pop Rocks were falsely accused of having a huge amount of
acid/base mixtures, which become explosive when mixed with fizzy drinks.
The kid who supposedly died, John Gilchrist, is still alive today.

93. Food was healthier in the old days.

Until 1966, food didn’t have food labels. Not only would you not know the
level of protein or fat in a food, but you didn’t know if a food contained an
ingredient that could cause a lethal allergic reaction.
I know the preservatives that are put into food aren’t healthy. But do
you know what’s less healthy? Rotting food. That’s what you would be
eating if your meat didn’t have preservatives in it.

94. Fish oil prevents heart disease because it is full of Omega-3.

This idea comes from the Inuit tribes who mostly eat fish and rarely
succumb to heart disease. However, the reason that Inuits don’t die from
heart disease is because they usually die from the cold. Outside of badly
researched Eskimo diets, there’s little evidence to support this theory.
Although fish oil isn’t bad for you, it’s not going to affect your heart, for
better or for worse.

95. If a food is described as “light,” it has less calories.

Imagine you regularly consume a fizzy drink. For simplicity sake, let’s call
this drink, Soda. One day, you decide to go on a diet so you drink Soda
Light instead of Soda. However, you don’t seem to lose any weight. How is
this possible? It has less calories, right?
Sometimes, the “light” in a product’s name applies to the food’s color,
not the calories. Manufacturers intentionally state that food is “light” to
mislead the consumer to buy “healthy food.” Although this is a very
deceptive tactic, it’s completely legal.

96. There are no pesticides in organic food.

Non-synthetic pesticides are allowed on organic produce, including
abamectin, pyrethrum and rotenone. All these pesticides are more toxic than
glyphosate pesticides that are found on non-organic food.

97. When toast falls butter-side down, it’s because the universe
hates you.
Seriously… why does dropped toast always land butter-side down. It’s not
50/50. It’s far more likely that it will land on the side you want to eat. What
are the odds?
Very likely, actually. It’s simple physics. If you drop toast, it’s about 3-
4ft from the ground. This only gives the toast enough time to flip about 180
degrees.

98. At fast-food restaurants, salads are the healthier choice.

Salads are covered with artificial sweeteners and sugar. In most restaurants,
salads have more calories and fat than a normal burger. At Wendy’s, a
Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad has more calories (780 calories) and more fat
(51 grams) than a Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger (680 calories and 36 grams
of fat). So how do you avoid this dilemma? It’s simple. Don’t eat at a fast
food restaurant.

99. Sausages can be naturally red.

Red sausages seem more appetizing than brown sausages but that redness
comes from a dye called E128, which is also known as Red 2G.
But who cares if it’s dyed? It’s not like the dye gives you cancer, right?
Oh, wait. It does. Test mice have been injected with this dye and they
contracted cancer. Remember, the red dye doesn’t affect the taste, just the
color. There is no advantage in eating these types of sausages.

100. Spinach doesn’t have as much iron as we originally thought.

Okay, this is a double misconception. The idea that spinach has tons of iron
has been popularized by the character, Popeye the Sailor Man. However, a
recent idea has been circulating the Internet stating that the ingredients on a
can of spinach erroneously read that there is ten times more iron in the
vegetable than there actually is because a decimal point was misplaced.
This was intended as a joke by the British Medical Journal in 1981
but was taken seriously.

101. Table salt increases blood pressure.

Not having enough salt in your body is more dangerous than having too
much salt. The human body needs 1.5g of salt per day to function. It’s a
requirement just like protein, carbs, and fats.
It’s true that salt will increase your blood pressure if you have over 6g
per day. However, an average salt intake in the United States is 3.4g so it’s
quite difficult to consume too much salt daily. If you have less than the
required 1.5g per day, it is more likely that your blood pressure will
increase.

102. The sugar that you eat is natural.

90% of the sugar in America (and most countries) comes from sugar beets
with GMOs.

103. Potatoes are a natural food.

Most potatoes worldwide are genetically modified to decrease the amount
of acrylamide, which is a chemical that can cause cancer. This GM will
make the potatoes resistant to bruising so they will last longer. This shows
that GMOs can be beneficial to our food.

104. Heinz 57 is named after its 57 different products.

Although its slogan was “57 varieties,” the founder, Henry Heinz, made this
up. He chose 57 because his favorite number was 5 and his wife’s favorite
number was 7. Weirdly, when this became the company’s slogan, Heinz
produced 60 different products.

105. Honey pots contain honey.

Most industries get their honey from China. A lot of Chinese honey has its
pollen filtered out and replaced with corn syrup and sweeteners.
You might think, “Okay, it’s diluted honey but it’s still technically
honey, right?” According to the FDA, honey must contain pollen. Over
75% of the honey they tested from America didn’t have a trace of pollen.
So, you have probably consumed a quarter of the honey you think you
have. The only way to guarantee you’re eating pure honey is to stick your
hand in a beehive. Good luck with that.
 Games

106. If you are caught in a casino counting cards, you will have your
winnings taken from you and you will be thrown in jail for up to 15
years.
Counting cards isn’t illegal. If you are caught counting cards in a casino
you will be asked to leave, but you can keep your winnings.
However, the casino can use facial recognition to memorize your face
and store it into a computer. They can use this technology, not only to bar
you from the casino, but send it to other casinos so you can’t gamble
anywhere else.

107. Swimming less than an hour after eating will give you horrific
cramps.
This was first published in Scouting for Boys in 1908. It was considered a
potentially lethal danger. This notion was dismissed in 1961 by exercise
physiologist, Arthur Steinhaus, and it hasn’t been taken seriously since.

108. American football always had female cheerleaders.

Not only were the cheerleaders primarily male before World War II, but
some universities, like Yale, banned women entirely from cheerleading.

109. The mascot of the Monopoly board game wears a monocle.

The Monopoly mascot, Milburn Pennybags, has never worn a monocle in
any iteration of the game since its launch in 1935. If you don’t believe me,
get your monopoly board out and see for yourself.

110. Ouija boards communicate with the dead.

You may be wondering what Ouija boards are doing in the “Games” section
of my book. Ouija boards were made as a game by Elijah Bond in 1890.
They were never intended to speak to the dead.
So how does the counter move on the board by itself, then? Simple.
The counter moves through the ideomotor effect. If you try to keep your
hand completely still, it’s impossible. Your hands will eventually move. If
you are holding a counter, and someone says, “Left,” over and over, your
brain will unconsciously take it as a command. You might only move it less
than a millimeter, but after ten minutes of the same command, your hands
can move the counter anywhere on the board. You can try this yourself with
any thin object that can stand upright like a candle. The brand owners
advertised it by saying your subconscious would guide you around the
board. As the ideomotor effect shows, it’s your unconscious mind being
stimulated, not your subconscious.

111. Cheerleading is a fun sport.

Cheerleading causes more broken bones, paralyzing injuries, and deaths
than the ten most dangerous female sports… combined.
What’s more depressing is that cheerleading isn’t a dangerous sport
because… it is not a classified sport. Cheerleaders have been fighting for
years to be considered a sport, but no such luck yet.

112. The first modern Olympics Games was in Athens.

The first modern Olympics was in Shropshire in England.

113. An Olympic Gold Medal is made of gold.

At least 92.5% of all Gold Medals are made of silver. An extremely small
amount is made of gold.

114. The first Olympics Games used the discus.

The original Olympics only had one event – running.

115. In Ancient Greece, the Olympic winners won medals.

The winners of the Olympics in Ancient Greece were given wreaths.

116. The Olympic torch relay has been around since the beginning
of the Olympics.
In Ancient Greece, the torch burned during the Olympic Games. However,
the torch relay has only existed since 1936. It was devised by… the Nazis.
How awkward.

117. “Paralympics” is an abbreviation for “Paraplegic Olympics.”

“Paralympics” is short for “Parallel Olympics”.
 118. Baseball originated in America.
Baseball came from England. It is not known exactly when but baseball is
first described in a 1744 book called A Little Pretty Pocket Book.

119. An American football is oval-shaped.

The exact term to describe a football’s shape is prolate spheroid.

120. You need to get 21 points to win a game of table tennis.

The rules have been changed recently. The game is now up to 11.

121. The most well-paid sportsman in history was Tiger Woods.

Diocles of Ancient Rome was the richest sportsman ever. This charioteer
won 1,500 races, allowing him to accumulate a fortune that is the
equivalent of $15 billion.

122. Ping-Pong is a game.

Originally, Ping-Pong was not the name of the game. The game was called
whiff-whaff. Ping-Pong was the name of a brand of whiff-whaff equipment.
When the game was popularized, people assumed the brand name was the
game’s title.
This would be like seeing a person with Nike shoes and thinking that
all shoes were called Nikes, whether they were boots, wellies, or clogs.
 History

123. Ninjas wore all-black suits.

The “ninja outfit” that you see in movies is a Kabuki costume. In Japanese
theatre, Kabukis are stagehands, which means that they changed the set in-
between scenes. They wore a black outfit covering them from head-to-toe
so the audience didn’t see them as it would ruin the illusion of theatre.
“Kabuki” translates into “we are not here.” Such outfits were never used by
ninjas.
This outfit is the worst disguise ever (especially in the day time). You
would stick out like… a Kabuki in a crowd.
Ninjas looked like normal people, usually under the guise of an
underling job like a farmer so they didn’t stand out. Many of them were
female since women were underestimated or discounted. Also, women were
more than happy to become ninjas since they were not allowed to be
samurais.
If a ninja had to commit a stealthy job at night, they would wear a
stealth outfit. However, the outfit was blue, not black.

124. People jumped from skyscrapers during the Wall Street crash.
The comedian, Will Rogers, said this as a joke. A total of two people
committed suicide by jumping out of buildings in the Wall Street crash of
1929. Neither of them were bankers.

125. King Henry VIII was a fat king.

Many people find Henry VIII’s depiction in the television show, The
Tudors, a typical example of studios romanticizing history, by making the
king a handsome, well-built cuckold instead of a grossly obese monarch.
When he was young, King Henry VIII was known for being incredibly
muscular and athletic. He took horse-riding and sports very seriously. Sadly,
this was his undoing. A horrific horse-riding accident left him in so much
agony, he was practically bed-ridden for the last ten years of his life, which
made him balloon up to 400lbs. In fact, Henry was so fat, that his corpse
literally exploded as it was being lowered into a lead-lined coffin. That
must’ve been memorable.
 126. King Henry VIII had six wives.
Henry himself said his first marriage “didn’t count.” His authority on this
decision was accepted because he was the head of the Church of England.
Henry’s second marriage was considered illegal according to the Pope
because he was still married to his first wife. Henry’s fourth and fifth
marriages were annulled, which means that they legally never happened. So
only his third and sixth marriages are considered “real marriages”.

127. Cavemen lived in caves.

Our Stone Age ancestors were excellent at building homes quickly and
efficiently. Their homes were simple but sturdy and fitted their needs.
Living in caves was uncommon and tended to happen as a result of
desperate circumstances like if there was a sudden change of weather, or to
hide from predators.
Although some of our ancestors lived in caves long-term, more people
live in caves nowadays in poverty-stricken countries. China has 40 million
cave dwellers today.

128. Those who were accused of witchcraft during Puritan times

were burned at the stake.
You might think you are clever and think they were hanged or drowned. But
most women accused of being witches were acquitted.
If a person was accused of being a witch in Puritan times, they could
avoid death either by admitting to witchcraft or by accusing someone else.
Some people refused to admit to witchcraft, worried that it would disgrace
their family name. Those few were punished by being hanged, not burned.

129. During the Bronze Age, people mostly used bronze.

In this time, nearly all people used stone. Bronze was extremely rare. It
would be like calling modern times The AntiMatter Age. Antimatter exists
but it’s so rare, you’re never going to see it in your entire life.
The “Bronze” Age was between 2300 BC-600 BC. Bronze became
common in 1200 BC-400 AD… which is confusing because this was right
smack in the middle of the Iron Age (where people actually used iron.)

130. Chastity belts existed.

Chastity belts are a fictional concoction. There are some belts in museums
that are completely fake. A chastity belt would be pretty impractical if the
wearer needed to use the toilet.

131. Saved by the bell” is a phrase that came from the idea that
people were buried alive in Victorian times.
Victorian society was so scared of being buried alive, people had strings in
coffins attached to a bell above ground. If a person woke up in a coffin
buried alive, they could tug the string, which would ring the bell, alerting
anyone nearby that the buried person wasn’t dead. This “saved by the bell”
story is said to have inspired the novel, Dracula. The bell idea was
seriously considered but there isn’t a single example of someone ever being
“saved by the bell.”
So where does the expression come from? The phrase was originally
used in boxing when the bell rang just before a boxer was about to be
knocked out.

132. Selfies are a recent fad.

If you hate the “selfies” fad, guess what? Selfies existed shortly after the
camera was invented. There are pictures of selfies that date back to 1839. I
don’t know if this is reassuring or more depressing.

133. Rap battles have been around for a few decades.

Vikings challenged each other to rap battles as early as the 5th century. Two
people took turns churning out insults in iambic tetrameter. It was called
flyting but it was the same format as has been seen in Eminem’s movie, 8
Mile.

134. The Yin-Yang symbol originated from China.

The Taoist yin/yang symbol (which many people incorrectly believe is
called the mandala) is probably the most iconic Chinese symbol even
though it originated in Ancient Rome. The symbol first appeared in a
Roman book from the 5th century called the Notitia Dignitatum. It has also
been spotted on ancient Roman shields. The symbol was supposed to
represent the first Roman emperor, Augustus. The symbol didn’t appear in
China for another seven centuries.
 135. There are more people alive today than ever before in history.
Calculations show that there have been approximately 106 billion people
since 50,000 BC. There are around eight billion people alive today.

136. Judo and black belts have existed for thousands of years.
Kano Jigoro created Judo in the 1880s. Shortly after, he created the concept
of black belts. Before black belts, martial artists were rewarded with scrolls
for their hard work. Kano’s belt concept became popular because it showed
the rank of each fighter as they fought.

137. A black belt fighter is a martial artist expert.

If you obtain a black belt, that means you have completed the first step of
your training. This rank is known as Shodan. This takes an average of 4.5
years to obtain.
However, that is the first level. There are nine more. It would take
literally a lifetime to reach level 10 for you to be considered an “expert.”
But by then, you’ll be about 70 so who’s going to fight you?

138. Our ancestors only ate meat.

Our ancestors’ diet was known as the Paleo Diet. This diet mainly consisted
of meat. However, our ancestors also ate bread, seeds, nuts, berries, roots,
grass, eggs, fruit, and fruit oils 30,000 years ago.

139. Everyone on the Hindenburg blimp died after it exploded.

Many believe that the Hindenburg exploded because a spark combusted the
helium within the blimp. However, the Hindenburg was filled with
hydrogen, not helium. 97 passengers were on the Hindenburg blimp when it
exploded. Only 35 of them were killed in the crash (and one more died
when the Hindenburg fell on him.)

140. During the 1960s, everyone was a stoner.

According to a poll performed by Gallup in 1969, 4% of American adults
had tried marijuana. 34% of the people asked didn’t even know what
marijuana did.

141. A cow caused the Great Chicago Fire.

After the fire in 1871, the Chicago tribune publicized the “fact” that the fire
was caused by a cow that knocked a lit lantern while it was being milked.
Michael Ahern admitted decades later that he fabricated the story.

142. The bubonic plague originated in Europe.

The Black Death originated in Europe but the bubonic plague has been
around for millennia. It’s still around today. The earliest record of this
plague was in China 2,600 years ago.

143. After the Taj Mahal was built, the emperor chopped off the
hands of all of the workers so they could never build anything to
surpass it.
The building of the Taj Mahal was overseen by Emperor Shah Jahan. He
dedicated the building to the memory of his third and favorite wife, Mumtaz
Mahal. Construction on the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and it took at least 17
years for 22,000 construction workers to build it.
Despite the fact that the Taj Mahal’s tour guide says that Jahan had the
workers’ hands chopped off, there is no evidence to support this. I mean,
how would that work? Did Jahan believe that 22,000 people were going to
spend 17 years building something else? How would they organize that?
Did they have a union?
 The Human Body

144. The funny bone is a bone.

The reason the funny bone hurts so much when it gets hit is a nerve called
the ulnar nerve. It’s nicknamed the “funny bone” because it’s near the
humerus bone.

145. People develop blood clots on planes because of the

decompressed air.
Decompression by itself can’t lead to blood clots. You may think it has to
do with sitting still for a long period of time. However, you have sat still for
hours at school or when you watched television. Decompressed air or
sitting still are not harmful by themselves. It’s the combination of the two
that can cause a blood clot.

146. If you are about to have a heart attack, you will have a sharp
paralyzing pain in your left arm and chest.
A lot of heart attacks give no warning. Half of the people who have heart
attacks suffer silently. This gives you less time to get to a doctor and these
types of heart attacks are considered more lethal. The type of pain can vary.
Before a heart attack, women tend to feel dizzy, anxious, fatigued, or
bloated. A man might feel a toothache, a tightness in the chest, a pain in the
shoulder or jaw, or a cold sweat. The common symptom for both genders is
pressure in the chest, shoulder, and arm.

147. You can’t tickle yourself.

You can tickle yourself in one spot – the roof of your mouth.

148. Reading in dim light damages your eyesight.

In dim light, the muscles around the pupils contract to let in more light. It
can strain your eyes but it won’t impair them in the long run.

149. If you are cold, you will catch a cold.

If you are cold, you will catch pneumonia before you catch a cold. A cold is
a virus that you catch from people. It is more likely you will catch a cold in
freezing weather because you spend more time indoors with other people.

150. Your nerves are hundreds of feet long.

If you stretched your nerves out, they would reach nearly 45 miles.

151. The dirtiest part of the human body is the underwear area.
This is the cleanest area because it’s tightly sealed twofold by trousers and
underwear. The dirtiest parts of the body are the most exposed body parts –
the hands. Your face gets a lot of bacteria and germs too, but your hands are
especially prone to getting dirty because they touch surfaces, open doors,
etc.

152. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience.

Although the idea that acupuncture helps your life energy is considered an
old-fashioned idea, this practice is still effective. When the needles are
inserted into the skin, the body naturally activates a chemical called
adenosine which is similar to an anesthetic. Acupuncture is especially
effective with migraines.

153. You can tell if someone is dead by feeling his or her pulse.
Doctors usually don’t check the pulse to verify if a patient is dead. Using a
stethoscope to verify a heartbeat is the most sensible technique.

154. If you get knocked out, you’ll wake up a few hours later with a
headache.
If you are knocked out for longer than five minutes, it’s likely you will
have a concussion. If that is the case, you need to see a doctor urgently or
you may suffer a life-threatening brain injury.

155. You should brush your teeth after you eat.

Brushing your teeth immediately after eating can cause extreme damage to
tooth enamel. Acidity in food causes enamel to soften so you shouldn’t
expose your teeth to brushing. You should brush before you eat and focus
on the gums rather than the teeth.

156. The heart will stop pumping once it is disconnected from the
body.
The heart has its own electrical impulse so it can keep pumping blood as
long as it’s receiving oxygen. A human heart can pump for as long as 25
minutes after it has been removed from the body.

157. You can only have your tonsils removed once.

Tonsil surgery has the same paradox as appendix surgery. When a patient
has his tonsils removed, only 80% of the tonsils are eliminated. Removing
them in their entirety is more difficult and can be excruciating for the
patient. The chance of the tonsils growing back is very slim but it is
possible, which means that they can become inflamed once more and have
to be removed again.

158. A person with an unresponsive heart should recover if they

receive CPR.
There’s a 3% chance a person will completely recover from CPR treatment
after three months.

159. If you don’t wash your hair, you will get lice.
Washing your hair will not stop lice from taking up residence in your head.
All you need to do to catch lice is to be near someone else with lice.

160. Humans have two nostrils.

Humans have four nostrils; two external ones that we can see and two
internal ones (called choannae) connected to the inside of your throat. The
choannae allow you to breathe without using your mouth.

161. You are born with 200 bones.

You are born with over 300 bones. As you grow older, the bones ossify to
form 206 bones, usually at the age of six.

162. Most of your body heat is lost through your head.

When the US Army originally performed these tests in 1951, the test
subjects were in freezing cold and they were wearing warm clothes.
However, they weren’t wearing hats! The heat could only escape from their
head. Heat does not have a favorite place to escape the body. Heat escapes
the body evenly from every body part.
 163. A human baby is weak.
Considering how small a newborn baby is, it can find its way to its mother
by crawling with one hand. That’s a newborn basically performing a one-
armed push up. If a baby grabbed onto a horizontal pole one-handed, it
would be able to keep up its entire body weight. Most adults can’t do this.
Pound for pound, a baby is stronger than a fully-grown ox.
 Inventions

164. Celluloid was invented for photography.

Celluloid was invented to replace ivory for making billiard balls.

165. Play-doh was invented for children to play with.

Play-doh was invented to remove coal residue from wallpaper.

166. Drones are a recent invention.

Archibald Low built the first drone in 1916 to help in World War I. The
drone was mostly made out of wood and tin and could be controlled by a
radio. The drone wasn’t successful as its own engine interfered with its
radio.

167. Apple invented the tablet.

The first tablet was the Gridpad. GRiD systems invented it in 1989. It
didn’t sell well because it cost $3,000.

168. Head-mounted computer displays like Google Glass are a

recent invention.
The first computer glasses were invented in 1961. Although these were very
rudimentary, Steve Mann built computer glasses called WearCamp in 1980
that could wirelessly communicate with other computers and were able to
share videos.

169. Rockets were invented in the last century.

The Chinese Navy used multi-stage rockets in the 14th century. And when I
say “rocket,” I don’t mean a firecracker. It had booster rockets that
propelled it into the air. It was very basic and could fly less than 200 meters
but it’s pretty impressive since this was a century before Columbus came to
America.

170. Newspapers didn’t exist until 1440.

The Chinese created their newspapers on sheets called Dibao between 713-
734 AD. Workers made a Dibao and copy it by hand enough times so there
was one for each imperial officer. Citizens flocked to these officers to hear
the latest news. There obviously couldn’t be enough so most people had to
share the newspapers or learn from word-of-mouth.

171. James Dyson invented bladeless fans in 2009.

Tokyo Shiba’s Electric company invented this fan in 1981 but it couldn’t
get the funding to mass-produce it.

172. Post offices are a recent invention.

The Persians invented postal offices in 500 BC.

173. Selfie sticks are a recent invention.

Hiroshi Ueda invented the selfie stick in 1983. It didn’t sell well and has
only become popular recently (even though it looks ridiculous.)

174. E-cigarettes are a recent invention.

Herbert Gilbert invented the e-cigarette in 1963. It was considered healthier
than the e-cigarettes of today because it used a battery to generate heat
rather than a chemical. Sadly, all chemical, tobacco, and pharmaceutical
companies turned him down for the same reason – money. These companies
were already making billions and didn’t need to change it up or risk turning
Gilbert into a competitor.

175. “Twerking” was invented recently.

Miley Cyrus did not invent this ridiculous dance. “Twerk” has been in the
Oxford English Dictionary since 1820.

176. The first invention to break the sound barrier was the fighter
jet.
If you’re clever, you may think the answer is the whip. But that’s wrong
too. The answer is… crunchy food. The snap you hear from biting into a
carrot, a crunchy bar, or a peanut is a sonic boom.

177. Fast food is a recent invention.

Fast food began in Ancient Rome in 113 AD. Romans weren’t able to
afford decent cooking equipment so they relied on quick, cheap meals.
 178. Roller skates were invented in the 1960s.
A Belgian inventor called John Joseph Merlin invented skates in the 1760s.

179. Air conditioning is a recent invention.

2,500 years ago, Persians built complex irrigation systems called qanats that
transported water underground. 1,000 years ago, Persians built wind towers
over their buildings. The wind flowed into the qanats, which circled the
cool air back.

180. Crosswords have existed for centuries.

Crosswords are such simple puzzles that you would imagine someone
invented them hundreds of years ago. But no. Arthur Wynne invented the
crossword in 1913.

181. Chewing gum is a recent invention.

Chewing gum has existed for 5,000 years. People were chewing gum during
the Neolithic age. The oldest gum ever discovered was in Finland and was
made out of birch bark tar. This gum was antiseptic so it was probably used
to eradicate gum infections.

182. CPR has been used to revive people for centuries.

CPR was invented in 1960 by Dr. James Elam and Peter Safar.

183. E-readers like Kindles are a recent invention.

A teacher called Angela Ruiz invented the e-reader in 1949. She came up
with the idea to stop her pupils from carrying heavy books. Her creation
was surprisingly advanced. In Ruiz’s version, the reader could zoom in on
sections and the screen lit up so it could be read at night. This sounds basic
now, but this was back in the 40s when televisions were too expensive for
the common man. Sadly, she could never find the funding to make a single
prototype.
 Law

184. Prohibition made it illegal to drink alcohol.

During Prohibition, alcohol could be consumed but it couldn’t be
transported or sold.

185. Teachers in the US are no longer allowed to hit disobedient

children.
You may have heard your parents or grandparents say, “You think school is
tough? In my day, teachers whacked us with a cane if we misbehaved!”
Sadly, flogging students still occurs today. In 19 US states, a teacher can hit
a child with a wooden paddle for talking out of turn or if their shirt is
untucked. In 2012, nearly 40,000 children were flogged in Mississippi.

186. Using fingerprints to identify criminals has been practiced for

about a century.
This practice originated in Babylon 4,000 years ago.

187. Slavery is at an all-time low in the world.

Despite slavery being illegal in every country, slavery is at an all-time high.
There are 27 million slaves in the world. That’s more than every African
shipped to the New World in the history of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
China has the most slaves with nearly three million.

188. If a cop doesn’t say the Miranda Rights (“You have the right to
remain silent, etc.”) while arresting someone, the arrested can’t go
to jail.
The film, 21 Jump Street, has popularized this idea. I’m pretty sure that if a
person shot a cop at point blank range in front of 50 witnesses and was on
live television and admitted he did it, Miranda Rights or not, that guy is
going to jail.

189. The US Constitution mentions God, democracy, and how

“everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”
The Constitution doesn’t mention any of those things. But it doesn’t end
there. Many Americans believe the US Constitution has the phrase “life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” However, it is the Declaration of
Independence that makes that statement.
Contrary to popular belief, the Constitution doesn’t state that
“marriage is between a man and a woman,” or “Everyone has the right to
vote.”
Also, it doesn’t mention a “separation of church and state.” Article VI
states that, “No religious test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any
Office or public Trust under the United States.” The First Amendment
states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion.” The phrase “separation of church and state” comes from a letter
written by Thomas Jefferson, not the Constitution.

190. You are only allowed one phone call after you get arrested.
This concept was invented for television. Standard prison cells should be
equipped with a phone. Prisoners can make as many calls as they want as
long as they are prepaid or collect calls. The phones are only usable at
specific times (normally 6am-10pm.) A prisoner can lose their call rights if
you misbehave.

191. A criminal can plead insanity to avoid jail.

This tactic is rarely tried and almost never works. Being in a psychiatric
ward can be more terrifying than prison. Three US states have completely
banned the insanity defense.

192. You need to wait 24 hours before filing a missing person’s

report.
This is often used as a plot device to build tension in a movie. You can file a
report after any length of time if there is sufficient evidence that a person is
missing.

193. Same-sex marriages have only existed recently.

Same-sex marriage was normal until the 14th century when Byzantine
Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos outlawed it in 1302.
In the 19th century, a Nigerian woman called Ifeyinwa Olinke had
nine wives. I am not singling out Ifeyinwa as if her circumstance was
exceptional. It is just well documented and irrefutable. But there were many
examples of same-sex marriages in Africa and they were very common in
Sudan (especially among women.)
 Miscellaneous

194. The continents used to be merged together to form a

supercontinent called Pangaea.
There have been seven supercontinents – Vaalbra, Ur, Kenorland,
Columbia, Rodinia, Pannotia, and the last one was Pangaea. There is no
defining supercontinent. People focus on Panagea simply because it is the
most recent one. There will be another supercontinent in 100 million years
called Ultima.

195. A day is 24 hours.

A day’s length varies. It can be up to 50 seconds shorter or longer. It can’t
be exactly 24 hours because of variances with the Earth’s rotation, the tides,
the weather, and geological events like tsunamis and earthquakes.

196. If everyone in China jumped at the same time, it would cause a

tsunami on the other side of the planet.
If everyone on Earth were to jump in one spot simultaneously, no seismic
event would occur. Our collective weight is not sufficient compared to the
6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons that the Earth weighs to have an effect.

197. The Earth has two poles.

The Earth has two geographic Poles; the North Pole and the South Pole.
However, our world had nine other poles – two magnetic Poles, two
geomagnetic Poles, two Poles of inaccessibility, two celestial Poles, and
one ceremonial Pole.

198. The world map is accurate.

It is impossible to convey a 3D object perfectly on a 2D scale. The
Mercator map that we are most familiar with is not the most accurate map
but it is the easiest one for us to process.

199. Breaking glass is easy and not dangerous.

In action movies, actors effortlessly smash glass like it’s made of Papier
Mache. Schwarzenegger or Stallone shatter glass in their movies just by
looking at it. But glass is sturdier than you might think. There are many
videos on YouTube of carjackers trying to break into vehicles with bricks
and hammers but they underestimated the strength of the glass.
Movies also depict people being thrown through glass with little to no
injuries. You might think, “Ok, I know when glass breaks in a movie, it’s
just a movie. I know glass can be really dangerous!”
But would you believe that safety glass is dangerous? Safety glass is
used on glass shower doors. Although this is the “safe” type of glass,
window expert, Mark Meshulam, says that “hundreds of people are sent to
the emergency room every year when this safety glass shatters.”

200. If the world’s magnetic poles reversed, life on Earth would end.
The magnetic poles reverse themselves every few thousand years. This
affects the sea and the weather but nothing cataclysmic takes place that
could end humanity.

201. Pencils contain lead.

There has never been lead in pencils. Pencils are made of graphite.

202. College students are lazy.

College students are considered privileged compared to our parents’ time.
However, twice as many students in the US have jobs today compared to 30
years ago. 55% of students now work full-time or part-time. It was less
than half that in 1984.

203. Biker gangs are criminals.

The idea that biker gangs are gangsters is easy to believe thanks to the
show, Sons of Anarchy, and the 2015 biker gang shootout in Texas that left
nine dead. According to a sergeant on the scene, it was the worst crime he
had seen in 30 years. Because of this, it’s going to taint all of the good
deeds that biker gangs have done over the last 20 years. The main thing that
biker gangs represent is the fight against child abuse. Bikers Against Child
Abuse is a volunteer group in 36 states which has existed since 1995.
Bikers will protect children being bullied, assaulted, or abused and walk
them to court or parole hearings against their potential attackers.
 Movies

204. Sean Connery has hair in the James Bond movies.

Connery went bald when he was 22. He is wearing a toupee in every Bond
film. You can even see him adjusting the toupee in the DVD extras.

205. In the James Bond movies, Q’s real name is undisclosed.

Desmond Llewelyn played Q in the James Bond movies for 46 years. In
From Russia With Love, Q is referred to by his surname, Boothroyd. In the
novels, his first name is Geoffrey.

206. In Goldfinger, Oddjob kills people with his bowler hat.

Bowler hats are round at the top. Oddjob wears a short top hat. Although he
throws it several times in the film, he only kills one person.

207. The ending of Total Recall is ambiguous.

In the movie, Quaid doesn’t know if he is a secret agent or a brain-damaged
comatose patient having a dream.
The movie ends by fading to white. Usually, movies fade to black. This
white light is meant to symbolize that Quaid’s dream has ended and he has
died in his coma. This has been confirmed by the director.

208. No one knows what Bill Murray says to Scarlett Johansson at

the end of Lost in Translation.
Cinephiles have debated this for over a decade and the answer will ruin the
ambiguity. There’s no way to hear it all but you can just about hear Murray
say, “When John is waiting on the next business trip…. Go up to that man,
and tell him the truth. Okay?”

209. Ewoks are mentioned in Star Wars.

“Ewok” isn’t said once at any point in any of the original Star Wars movies.

210. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is based on a true story.

The movie’s killer, Leatherface, is inspired by the real life serial killer, Ed
Gein. However, the circumstances of the film never happened. Gein also
inspired the killer in Psycho and Silence of the Lambs.

211. Sounds effects in films are created on set.

Apart from dialogue, nearly all sound effects on a movie are inserted into
scenes afterward. The microphones on set are designed to pick up on
dialogue and will not pick up on most sounds such as footsteps, opening
and closing doors, clicking, scratching, texting, etc. Some dialogue is edited
in later because it may not have sounded right on the day or the director
wanted to try it a different way. Try watching a film now knowing that
every sound you hear is a lie.

212. No one knows what was in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

The briefcase was filled with diamonds. The director’s previous movie,
Reservoir Dogs, revolved around diamonds. The director said he didn’t
want to do another “diamonds movie” so the contents of the case are never
seen on camera and nobody refers to them as “diamonds.”

213. In Pulp Fiction, Jules reads a Biblical quote from Ezekiel 25:17.
The only part that is even close to Ezekiel 25:17 is, “I will execute great
vengeance on them with wrathful punishments. Then they shall know that I
am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance on them.” The rest of the quote was
made up for the film.
 Music

214. The Sydney Opera House is the best opera house in the world.
Although the Sydney Opera House is the world’s most famous opera house,
it is considered to have the worst acoustics of all the major opera houses
because it is too big. It will realistically get shut down in the near future.

215. Violin strings are made of catgut.

Catgut isn’t from a cat. When catgut is used (which is rare,) it normally
comes from a goat, but it can be from a pig or a donkey. Nowadays, most
violin strings are made from steel or synthetic material.

216. Every Breath You Take by the Police is a romantic song.

This song is about a stalker in the process of stalking. Now that you know
this, listen to the lyrics and tell me if they sound sweet or disturbing.
“Every step you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you.”
That’s why the band is called The Police. Because that’s who you call
if a person plays this song to you.

217. Michael Jackson invented the moonwalk.

A musician called Bill Bailey (not the English comedian of the same name)
invented the dance in 1955.

218. Michael Jackson had hair.

During a Pepsi commercial, a pyrotechnic malfunction burned Jackson’s
hair. He had to wear a wig to his dying day.

219. Bob Marley sang the song, Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

I’ve heard this song many times sang over images of Bob Marley. It was
sung by Bob McFerrin years after Marley died.

220. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by The Beatles is an allusion to

drugs.
John Lennon’s son, Julian drew a picture of his friend Lucy in playgroup
looking at the sky and surrounded it with diamonds. John was inspired to
write a song about something his son loved. He did not realize until later
that the title’s initials are LSD.

221. Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul, and Mary is an allegory
to drugs.
Peter, Paul, and Mary sang Puff the Magic Dragon but it was written by
Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow who said he was “too square to write
about something like that.”

222. Jeff Buckley wrote the song, “Hallelujah.”

Buckley’s version of Hallelujah is the most famous but Leonard Cohen
wrote it.

223. Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Who,

Nirvana, Bob Marley, and Jimi Hendrix had a #1 hit.
Bruce Springsteen has sold 120 million records, won 20 Grammys, two
Golden Globes, and an Oscar. Born in the USA and Born to Run are the
two best-selling albums in US music history. In spite of all of his success,
Springsteen never had a #1 hit.
Led Zeppelin are often considered to be the creators of heavy metal.
Even though Stairway to Heaven is the most requested song in American
radio history, Led Zeppelin never had a #1 hit.
Although Bob Dylan is the only musician to win a Nobel Prize in
Literature, he has never had a #1 hit.
The Who’s music coined the term “rock opera” and have sold 100
million records worldwide. Despite the fact they are known as one of the
most influential rock bands of the 20th century, their songs never hit #1.
Nirvana only released three albums before lead singer Kurt Cobain’s
death. None of their songs reached #1.
Bob Marley’s most successful song was Roots, Rock, Reggae, which
only reached #51 in the charts.
James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix was only a mainstream musician for
four years. Hendrix died at the age of 27 before he had a single #1 hit.
 People

224. Martin Luther King wrote the speech, “I Have a Dream.”

On that day, the crowd received pamphlets with Martin Luther King’s
prepared speech. At the last minute, he didn’t feel like reading it. Instead,
he devised his own speech and spontaneously improvised his “I Have a
Dream” monologue on the spot and created one of the greatest speeches of
all time.

225. Martin Luther King was popular at the time of his death.
King was against the Vietnam War, which made him lose supporters.
Documentary maker, Michael Moore, said when he was a kid, he came out
of a church when the news confirmed King was dead. People cheered and
applauded at the news.

226. Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel lying on his back on a

platform.
This idea came from the 1965 movie, The Agony and the Ecstasy, with
Charlton Heston playing Michelangelo. In reality, Michelangelo was on a
platform but he painted the ceiling standing straight; the same way as any
painter. Painting this way would have put incredible strain on
Michelangelo’s neck.
In the movie, the filmmakers probably had Heston lying on his back to
avoid him being injured in a similar fashion.

227. Michelangelo was the most famous painter of his time.

Despite the fact that he painted the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo was better
known as a sculptor during his lifetime.

228. St. Patrick was Irish.

St. Patrick was either Welsh or Scottish. He was kidnapped and shipped to
Ireland at 16 as a slave. Also, his name wasn’t Patrick. He was born
Maewyn Succat. When he became a priest years later, he took the name
Patrick to honor Saint Patricius.
 229. Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston in the legendary
“Phantom Punch Fight.”
This moment has been turned into a classic poster of Muhammad Ali
standing over a defeated Sonny Liston. The poster has the caption, “First
Round. First Minute.” This picture helped define Muhammad Ali as a
champion and a legend. However, it’s against the rules not to return to your
corner after a knockdown. Liston should have continued but the referee
unfairly ruled a knock out.

230. Elvis Presley had jet-black hair.

Elvis dyed his hair black for most of his career. He was blond.

231. There is a picture of Uncle Ben on the front of Uncle Ben’s rice.
Gordon Harwell was in charge of a rice business in the 1950s. When
Harwell decided to expand his company, he wanted a mascot and a catchy
name. He saw an elderly black gentleman called Frank Brown in a
restaurant that he often visited and thought he had a good face to help
Harwell sell his rice. Harwell knew of a successful black rice farmer living
in Texas who called himself Uncle Ben. Ben had a great reputation, so
Harwell thought the combination of Ben’s name and Frank’s face would
sell his product.

232. Pythagoras came up with Pythagoras’ theorem.

If your mathematic knowledge is a bit rusty, Pythagoras theorem provides
an equation to figure out the angles in a right-angled triangle. However, the
Babylonians were the first to use this theorem a millennium before
Pythagoras was born. The Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians used it long
before Pythagoras did.

233. The Mayan civilization is extinct.

Seven million Mayans are alive today, mainly in Mexico and Guatemala. In
case you’re wondering, they are not savages. Many of them are assimilated
into modern society.
 Places

234. Holland is another word for the Netherlands.

The kingdom of The Netherlands has only existed since 1830. Nowadays,
The Netherlands is composed of 12 counties including North Holland and
South Holland. The major cities of The Netherlands are located in the
Hollands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague) so if you know
somebody from there, it’s likely they are from Holland.
Before 1830, many trading ships travelled from the Hollands to all
other regions in Europe. The traders were known to be from Holland so
when the 12 provinces were formed, Europeans were still dealing with the
same Holland traders that were now saying they were from The
Netherlands. Naturally, people assumed that Holland and The Netherlands
were one and the same.
If you ever visit The Netherlands, please don’t make that mistake as it
is considered rude.

235. Madagascar is a tropical rain forest.

The movie, Madagascar, has popularized this idea. Most of the rain forest is
on the east coast of Madagascar. Saying that Madagascar is “just a
rainforest” is like saying Ireland is heavily mountainous just because there
are some mountains in it. Madagascar is a mix of desert, grassland, dry
forests, farms, and rainforest.

236. Deserts are mostly made up of sand.

20% of the world’s deserts are made of sand. Most deserts are composed of
rock, salt, shingle and even snow.

237. Hawaii is a tropical paradise.

Hawaii does have beautiful beaches but not as many as you’d think. The
government emphasizes the palm trees and sunshine to boost tourism but
there’s a massive desert in Hawaii as well called Ka’u. Well, technically it’s
not a desert because it was formed by a volcano. It’s more like a charred,
smoldered, lifeless terrain. Not the image you would picture when you
think of Hawaii, is it?
 238. Nigeria has a prince.
At some point, you have spam stating that you will receive money if you
give the sender your credit card details. The most famous example of this is
an email from a Nigerian prince who will give you a fortune if you give
him your bank details. This story is not only baloney but it is impossible
since Nigeria doesn’t have a prince!

239. Scandinavia is made up of Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

Finland, Sweden, and Norway make up a peninsula called the
Fennoscandia. Since Norway and Sweden are also part of Scandinavia
(countries with an ethno-cultural North German heritage) many people
assume Finland is as well. However, Finland doesn’t share the German
heritage like the other countries. Finland heroically fought against Germany
throughout history and never fell under its reign. Because of this, it’s
considered ignorant and disrespectful to consider Finland as a part of
Scandinavia. Also, Iceland is considered a part of Scandinavia.

240. The Sahara Desert is covered in sand.

Although the Sahara is the world’s largest desert, only 15% is covered in
sand. By definition, a desert is not a sandy area. A desert is a barren area of
landscape with little to no life or precipitation.

241. There are 50 states in America.

There are 46 states in America. The other four “states,” Kentucky,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are Commonwealths. They titled
themselves as Commonwealths after the War of Independence and have
never been reverted to States.

242. South Africa has the highest production of diamonds.

Russia has the highest worldwide production of diamonds at 22.4%. South
Africa is fifth at 9%. Russia has a colossal diamond field containing
“trillions of carats,” which is more than enough to supply worldwide
markets for the next 3,000 years. The field was discovered in the 1970s
underneath a 35-million-year old asteroid crater in Siberia.

243. The Sistine Chapel is huge.

Before I was thrown out of the Sistine Chapel (don’t ask why,) I was
astonished by how small the building is. It’s far smaller than many
churches. Its dimensions are 40 x 13 x 21 meters. (I measured it. I had a lot
of free time after I got thrown out.) You can see the entire interior without
walking around. The chapel itself looks surprisingly dull. From the outside,
it looks like a boring, brown building. Based on its outward appearance you
would never assume it houses one of the world’s most famous paintings.
 Pronunciations

244. Beijing is pronounced “bay-zhhing.”

China’s capital is pronounced “Bey-JING.”

245. Iraq is pronounced “EYE-rack.”

I always say this word incorrectly. It’s “ee-ROCK.”

246. Dubai is pronounced “doo-BYE.”

It’s Du-BAY.”

247. Colombia is pronounced “Co-LUM-bee-a.”

The correct pronunciation is “Co-LOHM-bee-a.”

248. Hiroshima is pronounced “hir-rosh-im-ma.”

Considering Hiroshima suffered the worst attack in history, you’d think the
least we could do is pronounce the name of the city correctly. It’s
pronounced “Hir-row-sheem-ma.”

249. Qatar is pronounced “kwa-tar.”

Not even close. This country is pronounced “KUH-ter.”

250. Budapest is pronounced “boo-da-PEST.”

It’s “Boo-da-PESHT.”

251. “Larvae” is pronounced “lar-vay”.

The word can be pronounced “lar-vai” or “lar-vee” but never “lar-vay”
even though I have never heard it pronounced any way except the wrong
way.

252. Pakistan is pronounced “PAK-uh-stan.”

It’s pronounced “PAH-kee-STAHN” in spite of the fact I have never heard
a single person say it that way.

253. Kirsten Dunst’s first name is pronounced “kur-stin.”

This actress played Mary-Jane Watson in the Spider-Man movies (the good
ones). Despite how well-known she is, most people don’t realize her first
name is pronounced “Keer-stin.”

254. Rihanna’s name is pronounced “Ree-awn-ah.”

It’s “Ree-ahnne-uh.” Even her biggest fans get this wrong.

255. Nutella is pronounced “nut-tel-la.”

It’s “NEWT-tel-la.” This blew my mind more than all of the other facts in
this book combined.
 Religion

256. The most important Commandment is Thou Shalt Not Kill.

The Commandments were originally written in order of importance.
The first six Commandments are -
i) Thou shalt not have false Gods before me.
ii) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.
iii) Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain.
iv) Keep the Sabbath Holy.
v) Honor your father and mother.
vi) Thou shalt not kill.
When the Commandments were written, killing was considered the sixth
worst offense!

257. In Christian beliefs, people have guardian angels.

There is no Biblical reference to guardian angels protecting people
individually, only collectively. During the Middle Ages, saints claimed to
have encounters with angels who said they were watching over humanity.
By the 18th century, stories of angels rescuing people from danger
became more and more common. Over time, the idea of each person having
his or her own angel became popular.

258. Delilah cut Samson’s hair in the Bible.

Delilah’s servant committed the deed.

259. There are female angels in the Bible.

Angels are only referred to as “he” in the Bible. However, many biblical
scholars see angels as genderless as they would have no need of male or
female organs.

260. An upside-down crucifix is a Satanist symbol.

If a cross is a symbol of Jesus, surely an inverted cross is a symbol of Satan,
right?
No. The first Pope, Saint Peter, was crucified upside down because he
didn’t feel worthy to be crucified the same way as Christ. This symbol is
used by the Catholic Church to commemorate their first Pope. You can see
this symbol on the current Pope’s throne.
So when heavy metal bands use the inverted cross to be cool, they are
actually saying that they respect St. Peter.

261. Jews do not believe in a Messiah.

Jews don’t believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah but they believe one is
coming, and that he will be from the ancestral line of King David; the
shepherd who killed Goliath.

262. Judaists call God, “Yahweh.”

The Hebrew language contained no vowels, so the name would be YHWH.

263. To Muslims, “jihad” means “holy war.”

“Jihad” translates into “struggle,” but Muslims perceive the word to mean
“duty.”

264. Muslims do not believe in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is mentioned several times in the Quran, as well as other Biblical
characters such as Noah, Abraham, Adam. Mary has an entire verse
dedicated to her.

265. Hindus call their religion Hinduism.

“Hindu” refers to the people of the Indus River region of India. Persians
were the first to use the word to reference the entire Indian population and
so, the name stuck.
The official name for Hinduism is “Sanatana Dharma,” which means
“eternal duty of God.” Followers of this religion are called Dharmis.

266. Only Indians can be Dharmis.

Although Sanatana Dharma is common in India, its caste system is based
on each follower’s personality; not their birth or heritage. Someone from
England, Mexico, or Botswana can become a Dharmi.

267. Dharmis worship millions of gods.

You may notice in the previous fact that I said God. Not gods. Although
there is a misconception that Sanatana Dharma has 330 million gods, this is
an oversimplification.
Dharmis believe in one single creator of the universe. However, since
God is beyond humanity’s understanding, many interpretations have been
created of God such as Shiva, Krishna, and Vishnu. However, these
depictions are merely symbolic of a single God. Each Dharmi can decide
which depiction of a supreme creator they wish to believe in.

268. Dharmis worship idols.

Dharmis do not directly worship idols. Instead, they believe that since God
created everything, his work can be seen in every living thing and object.
This concept is called arca (which means “living embodiment.”) Dharmis
see “idol worship” as directly worshipping God.

269. Dharmis worship cows.

The reason Dharmis respect the cow is because they see it as an animal that
gives more than it takes. Although it only takes grain, grass, and water, it
provides us with milk, cream, yoghurt, butter, cheese, and fertilizer.
Although Dharmis respect the cow, they do not worship it.

270. The Bhagavad Gita is the Dharmi version of the Bible.

Many Christians and Catholics see certain parts of the Bible as metaphors
while others take it literally. However, the Bhagavad Gita is not expected to
be taken literally. Dharmis see it as a collection of stories to educate and
inspire.

271. A married Dharmi woman has a red dot on her forehead.

The red dot (which is called a bindi) represents losing ahamkara (ego) and
has nothing to do with the wearer’s marital status. Some women have black
bindis to signify that they have lost their partner.

272. Sanatana Dharma has existed for millennia.

Modern Sanatana Dharma has only existed since the 1800s. Although
Ancient Hinduism has existed since 4000 BC, the two religions have as
much in common as Catholicism does with Ancient Egyptian mythology.

273. In Greek mythology, Pandora opened a box which unleashed

all of the evil upon the world.
This concept first appears in Hesiod’s poem, Works and Days, which was
written around 700 BC. In this poem, Pandora opens a jar, not a box.

274. The Greek god of death, Hades, was evil.

Thanatos was the Greek god of death. Hades was the Roman god of the
dead. Pluto was the Greek god of the dead. You see, Thanatos was the
Greek version of the angel of death and chose when it was a person’s time
to die. Pluto simply guarded dead souls. Although this makes him sound
similar to Satan, he governed all souls, not just the evil ones. He didn’t
enjoy it. It was his job. He was passive and stern but not evil.
Pluto was far more reasonable than his two brothers, Poseidon and
Zeus, who killed many people.

275. Buddhists worship their god, Buddha.

Many Buddhists don’t see Buddhism as a religion, but as a philosophy.
Being at peace with oneself and meditating doesn’t necessarily mean
Buddhists need to have a relationship with God.
Buddha was not a God. He was a man. And he looked nothing like that
fat, smiling statue you see everywhere.
Buddha (whose real name was Siddhartha Gautama) lived around 560
BC. Although some sources say he was a prince and a religious leader, there
is no evidence to back this up.
That fat statue that is mistaken as Buddha is a monk called Budai. It is
not known for certain how he got mixed up with Buddha. Some people
have suggested that Westerners see happiness as “being big and jolly” so
when they see this fat, smiling statue representing enlightenment and
happiness, they assume he’s Buddha.
 Technology

276. Airplanes are quick to start.

There are countless movies where a pilot has to start a plane immediately.
To do this, the pilot flips a few switches, push a few buttons, turn some
knobs, pull a lever, and the plane is in the air.
We really need to stop getting our facts from movies. Do you know
how many checks a pilot needs to perform before starting a plane? 79. And
I don’t mean the pilot has to do 79 steps before the plane starts. I mean the
pilot has to carry out 79 steps before they can turn on the engine! There are
another 44 steps before they take off. A plane won’t be taking off until at
least 123 checks are carried out.

277. Using hashtags on Twitter increases the likelihood that people

on the website will see your tweets.
For those of you who don’t understand hashtags, let me explain. If you
went on Twitter and did a hashtag search for the Olympics by typing
#Olympics into the search engine, all tweets that contain that hashtag will
pop up and you can read everyone who mentions it. Many new users of
Twitter try to manipulate this algorithm by putting in as many hashtags as
possible. If a Twitter profile like Starbucks wanted to use the Olympics as a
platform to make money on their product, they might put up a tweet that
includes hashtags like #Olympics #Rio #RioOlympics #Rio2016
#RioOlympics2016.
However, Twitter has an algorithm that prevents users from
manipulating hashtags like this. Using two hashtags per tweet will result in
a 21% higher engagement than tweets with more than that.

278. Turn the sound off on an iPhone to save battery.

An iPhone uses more battery without sound. When your phone rings when
it is on silent mode, it vibrates instead of making sound. The amount of
kinetic energy needed to make your phone move requires far more battery
power than is needed to produce sound energy.

279. Wikipedia isn’t a reliable source of information.

Over the years, Wikipedia has been drastically updated. The site is far
stricter with updated information. Wikipedia is now considered to be one of
the most reliable sources of information on the Internet, to the point where
it’s perfectly acceptable to quote Wikipedia in court.

280. It’s dangerous to use a cellphone near a gas station.

There has never been an example of cellphones causing any potential harm
at a gas station, nor is there any scientific basis for this claim.

281. A plane’s black box is black.

The black box used to be black but its color was changed to orange in 1965
so it would be easier to find after a plane crash.

282. The military use machines called drones.

The military do not call these machines “drones.” They are known as
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs.)

283. UAVs can be controlled by one person.

Some UAVs need more operators than manned aircraft. A UAV requires an
operator for every sensor and camera onboard. The Predator UAV requires
168 operators while a Reaper needs at least 180.

284. If you put sugar into a gas tank, it will destroy a car’s engine.
This idea became popular from the film, Kingpin. If this was true, people
would do this all of the time out of revenge. But sugar doesn’t caramelize
and so it doesn’t affect the fuel. Sadly, you have to find another way to get
back at your enemies (I recommend a stern telling-off.)

285. The Amish don’t use electricity.

The Amish community use solar power, artificial light, and batteries for
their washing machines, medicine, business, and for their kitchen
appliances.
 Unsolved Mysteries

286. The Loch Ness monster might exist.

This idea became popularized by a photograph taken in 1934 even though
the photographer, Robert Wilson, admitted he forged it.
I have one main argument with this supposed creature. It’s not the fact
that it’s supposed to be a prehistoric animal, its limited procreativity, or its
ability to survive for millions of years. It’s simply this – What would it eat?
An animal that size would have to eat a staggering amount of food every
single day. A whale couldn’t physically live in a lake because it would run
out of food very quickly. If a huge marine creature appeared in Loch Ness
tomorrow, it would run out of food in a few days.

287. No one knows how Stonehenge was built.

Building Stonehenge isn’t as difficult as you would imagine. A retired
construction worker from Michigan called Wally Wallington built his own
Stonehenge by himself in his garden.
You might think, “That doesn’t count. Even if he is one person, he still
did it with modern technology and cranes and bulldozers.”
No. He did this with what was available at the time of the Stone Age;
simplistic pulleys and levers and pivots made of rope and stone. If this guy
can do it alone, surely dozens of men can do it.

288. “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” is a riddle the Hatter says
in Alice in Wonderland that never seems to have an answer.
To quote the writer, Lewis Carroll, the answer to this riddle is, “Because it
can produce a few notes, tho’ they are very flat; and it is never put with the
wrong end in front.”
That answer…is terrible. Nobody understood this answer for over a
century because there was a spelling error that was corrected but was meant
to be left in. “Never” is meant to be spelt “nevar.” The end of the answer
says, “It is nevar put with the wrong end in front.”
End in front? Does it mean one should read “nevar” backwards? What
does it read?
Raven.
 289. No one knows how the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids were built.
The blocks were put on top of each other using wide ramps. This much has
been known for some time. But researchers couldn’t fathom how the
Egyptians moved countless blocks so quickly.
Unless the workers could somehow make the blocks slide.
But how? They simply used water. Wet sand creates a firmer surface
and reduces friction, which drastically reduced the workload. The blocks
slid through the sand, allowing construction to be far more efficient. This
process can be seen in a wall painting in the tomb of Djehutihotep.

290. The Mary Celeste was a ship that was found empty. No one
knows what happened to the crew.
In 1872, the Mary Celeste was spotted in the Atlantic. There wasn’t a single
person onboard but everything seemed to be intact. There was no sign of a
struggle or attack. Nothing seemed to be misplaced, not even valuables or
piano music. There were no storms in the area and no money was stolen.
Even the logbook was up to date. It was like the crew had vanished into
thin air.
But they didn’t because that would be silly. What actually happened
was way more stupid.
On further investigation, there was something missing – nine barrels of
alcohol. There was a leak in the barrels and once the vapor ignited
(probably from a wandering crew member’s pipe,) a pressure-wave
explosion was created. This type of explosion is so bizarre that it would
freak anyone out. The entire crew abandoned ship so suddenly, they took
no supplies with them on their lifeboats. They all died of thirst days later.
Wait…hold on! How does anyone know this? There were no witnesses
to confirm this so this is one heck of a far-fetched theory.
But it has been tested. Chemistry teacher, Dr. Andrea Sella, built a
replica of the Mary Celeste in 2006. (Scientists have way too much time on
their hands.) He ignited nine barrels of alcohol with a single spark creating
a pressure explosion. This type of explosion is devastating but it wouldn’t
have caused any damage to the ship or the crew. Sailors didn’t understand
the science of it and assumed that their ship was haunted. I mean…
wouldn’t you?
 291. Cow mutilations are a mystery.
Cows and sheep and other animals have been found with gaping holes in
their bodies. It seems impossible for predators to create wounds like this.
The holes are perfectly circular as if they were caused by a laser caused
them.
If your rational mind is trying to comprehend this, the animals are
always drained of their blood.
For a long time, no one could think of a rational explanation why this
happens. Then it was discovered that the explanation could be summarized
in one word.
Maggots. It turns out that predators did cause the wounds. After the
wounded animal died, maggots feasted on the dead flesh, draining it of
blood. Maggots start eating at one point and work their way around in a
circular manner. This eventually creates a perfect circle.
Conspiracy theorists blamed UFOs for these mutilations but it turns
out the culprit was a lot closer to home.

292. No one knows what ball lightning is.

Some speculation suggests that ball lightning is a UFO. People who make
these speculations are commonly known as Completely Wrong. Ball
lightning occurs when lightning strikes land that is full of quartz or silica,
e.g. sand. The silica and electricity from the lightning form a vapor which
condenses into a ball of light when it has cooled. Since it is light, it passes
through objects. Since it has an electrical charge, it has been known to burn
things and people.

293. The Nazca people of Ancient Peru mysteriously vanished.

When an entire group of people mysteriously vanishes, it’s tempting to
believe in some conspiracy theory. However, the fate of the Nazca people is
tragically simple. They destroyed all of their trees to make room for their
farming, having no idea that it would alter the climate. This prevented the
growth of food and thus, the entire Nazca population died out within a
generation.

294. There are stones in Death Valley that move by themselves.

Not only do the stones in Death Valley move, they also suddenly change
direction. And these are not little stones. One of the “stones” was 700lbs.
Conspiracy theorists insist that aliens are behind it. In their defense, Area
51 is nearby.
But these stones move for a number of reasons. Death Valley has
powerful winds, which are strong enough to move a big rock. Even a 700lb
rock you may ask? Yes, because the ground in Death Valley is slick and
muddy.
Muddy? Slick? Isn’t Death Valley a desert? Usually. But every few years, a
lake called Racetrack Playa floods, making all of the ground in the area
slippery, which shifts the rocks around. Some of the rocks are so heavy they
move in the water but they don’t leave the ground. This gives the
appearance that the rock dragged itself. So, some of the rocks move because
of winds and others move because of water. None of them move for
supernatural reasons.

295. Nothing can cure hiccups.

There are so many supposed ways to cure hiccups. Holding your breath.
Getting a fright. Drinking a lot of water in one gulp. But nothing seems to
work.
Except one thing. A spoonful of sugar. All this time, Mary Poppins
was right. This sounds like a primitive type of medicine that was used
centuries ago. Surely there’s a better cure nowadays.
But no. Dr. Edgar Engelman did a study in 1971, which can be viewed
in the New England Journal of Medicine, which validates this theory. In his
study, a spoonful of sugar worked 95% of the time. It even worked on
patients who had hiccups for weeks.
The reason it works is that the sudden sweetness overstimulates the
vagus nerve (which connects the brain to the abdomen) which takes
pressure off the diaphragm.
 Video Games

296. The most successful video game ever is Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. has sold 40 million units. Although that’s a lot, Tetris
has sold over 12 times that much with a whopping 495 million units.

297. Video games have no purpose in the real world.

People are nine times better at absorbing information if it is visually
simulated rather than by reading it.
Exercise-based games have been proven to help the elderly, especially
those with Parkinson’s.
Modern shoot-em-ups develop multi-tasking skills. Shooting and
evading enemies makes the player mind learn how to deal with several
tasks simultaneously.
Video games develop the “precision” part of the brain, which is used in
delicate jobs like surgery. Surgeons who played games were 37% less
prone to errors and 27% faster than those who didn’t.
Video games have millions of colors, which helps younger children
develop their cerebral cortex, enabling them to decipher color shades.

298. The Tetris song was created for the game.

This song is an Old Russian folk tune called Korobeiniki. It is over a
century old but it will forever be immortalized as “The Tetris Theme Song.”

299. When old video games didn’t work, you needed to blow into the
cartridge to make it work
Blowing into a video game cartridge does what is known in scientific terms
as Absolutely Nothing. Your childhood was a lie.

300. Space Invaders ships intentionally get faster as you progress

through the game.
If there is too much information on a screen at once in Space Invaders, the
computer will lag and slow down. How the ships move at the end of a level
is how they should’ve moved in the beginning. The ships get faster because
every time one of them is destroyed, there is less data on the screen. It was
never intentional.
The designers were frustrated by this design flaw but players assumed
the game was adapting to their skill and it helped make Space Invaders the
most successful video games of its time. Now every video game in the
world has the “difficulty learning curve” and Space Invaders invented it by
accident.

301. Nintendo is about 35 years old.

Nintendo is over a century old. The company started in 1889 by producing
handmade playing cards. In the 1960s, it veered into the toy industry and
the video game industry in the 1970s.

302. Micro transactions are a recent video game development.

What to unlock a secret character? Pay $5.
Want to skip to the next level of Candy Crush? Pay $1.99.
Can’t play the rest of the game unless you pay? Pay $9.99.
Micro transactions seem like an infuriating recent addition to computer
games but they have existed since 1990. In the arcade version of Double
Dragon 3, you could access better weapons and characters if you put in
more money.

303. Samus Aran from the Metroid series was the first female video
game character.
The intergalactic bounty hunter, Samus, debuted in Metroid on August 6th
1986.
The first female video game character was Ms. Pac-Man in her own
titled game, which was released on January 13th 1982.

304. 90% of video game players are male.

43% of video game players are female. 31% of video game players are
female adults.

305. The Super Mushroom in Super Mario Bros. is a reference to

drugs.
Gamers believe the Super Mushroom is based on the Siberian fungi called
Amanita Muscaria. Eating these mushrooms makes the consumer feel like
they are growing in size, just like how Mario grows when he touches a
Super Mushroom in the game.
However, Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, said the idea that a
mushroom makes the player more powerful is based on ancient folklore.

306. The Nintendo Wii invented motion-controlled computer

consoles in 2006.
The Atari and Commodore consoles had motion-controlled sensors in 1983.
They used a stick called… Le Stick. It didn’t use light or weight sensors
like the Wii or the Kinect. Instead, it used motion detectors. Le Stick didn’t
do well because the sensors were powered by mercury. In case you don’t
know, mercury kind of gives you lethal diseases like ataxia and Minimata if
it comes into contact with your skin. People preferred not to die so they
didn’t use Le Stick.

307. Video games are bad for your vision.

Video games are obviously bad for your vision if you play in a darkened
room for hours on end. However, playing video games moderately is good
for your vision because your eyes have to concentrate on multiple things
simultaneously, which allows video game players to track 30% more items
than a non-video game player.

308. Nintendo created Pokémon Go.

Pokémon Go became so successful, it made over a billion dollars per day.
Per day! That never happens. Nintendo made $10 billion in less than a
week. Several employees probably choked on how much money they had.
But Nintendo didn’t earn most of this money from the profits of the
game. The success of the game caused their stock price to rise by over 50%
because players assumed Nintendo made Pokémon Go, which they didn’t.
If you have this game, load it up on your phone right now. When the
game starts, what company’s name appears? The Pokémon Company and
Niantac. Apart from licensing the Pokémon characters, Nintendo had next
to nothing to do with programming the game itself.

309. Pong was the first video game.

The first video game, Tennis for Two, was created by Michael Higinbotham
in 1958. Although Pong was created in 1972, it became far more popular
because it was the first game that could be played at home when it was
imported to the Atari 2600 console in 1977.

310. The first home console that Nintendo made was the NES in
1983.
The first home console made by Nintendo was the Color TV in 1977. It
only had one game – Pong.

311. The first arcade game created by Nintendo was Donkey Kong.
The first arcade game created by Nintendo was Computer Othello. It is
based on the classic board game, Reversi.
 War

312. The Nazis hated all life that didn’t agree with their Master
Race vision.
Nazis loved animals. They were so pro-animal rights that they banned all
animal tests in Germany during WWII. They banned tests that are
acceptable now! Hunting animals was banned.
The Nazis were considered to have one of the strictest pro-animal
rights policies worldwide. They even jailed scientists for carrying out tests
on worms.

313. Friedrich Nietzsche was an anti-Semitic Nazi-lover.

Nietzsche famously said, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He
also talked about how not all people are born equal and some people are
superior to others. It is a well-known idea that Nietzsche’s books inspired
Hitler to commit atrocities during WWII. This concept has become
common knowledge after comedian, Ricky Gervais, discussed it in one of
his sketches.
But this is utter hogwash. Nietzsche wasn’t anti-Semitic. The only
people he hated were anti-Semites. Nietzsche despised them so much that
he refused to go to his sister, Elizabeth’s wedding when she married an
Aryan supporter called Bernhard Forster.
Nietzsche had a mental breakdown near the end of his life and so,
Elizabeth had to look after him. During this time, she and her husband had
his book drastically edited. This book poisoned the minds of countless
Nazis and made millions of people misinterpret Nietzsche’s beliefs
throughout history.

314. Americans had the most casualties during World War II

fighting the Nazis.
Fewer than 420,000 Americans died during WWII. Although some would
see Russia as an enemy during World War II, 20 million Russians died
trying to stop the Nazis.
 315. Old Americans were in favor of the Vietnam War and young
Americans were against it.
According to a poll conducted by Gallup in 1965, 76% of adults under 30
supported the war and 51% of adults over 49 supported it.
In 1970, 41% of adults under 30 still supported the war.

316. War deaths are rising.

Combat deaths are at their lowest in a hundred years. According to data
compiled by researchers at Peace Research Institute Oslo, the last decade
had fewer deaths than any other decade in the past century.
Unsurprisingly, World War II accounts for the most deaths in war. This
had far more deaths than the wars in Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam, or
Kuwait combined. Annually, the Iraq War had about a hundred thousand
deaths in the past decade.
That may sound horrific, but it can’t compare to nearly 20 million
people per year during WWII.

317. During the American Civil War, the North was anti-racist.
History has simplified the American Civil War so the South appears to be
composed of racist bigots and the North was composed of people who were
against slavery.
It is true that the North had many passionate abolitionists, but the
black community was barred from many basic rights even after the
abolition of slavery. Lynch mobs and riots were common in the North at the
time. Also, the North had the most violent race riot in the history of the
United States. The riots in the North got so dangerous that, two years after
slavery was abolished, the black community plunged to its lowest number
in 45 years.

318. There were no wars during the Cold War.

There was no war between Russia and America during the Cold War, which
lasted from 1945 to 1990, However, the Korean, Vietnamese, and Afghan
Wars were going on during that time.

319. France is terrible at war.

In all mediums, France is satirized for surrendering in every battle.
However, France is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to battle.
Out of the 168 major wars they have fought since 387 BC, France have
won 109, drew in 10, and lost 49.

320. The 100 Years War lasted 100 years.

The only thing worse than a boring historic title is a boring.

321. The Zulus used primitive weapons.

The movie, Zulu, shows the tribe fighting with spears and shields against
the English. In reality, the Zulus killed entire battalions in spite of their
inferior weaponry thanks to their great numbers. The Zulus were observant
and understood that the English possessed far superior weaponry. Zulus
stole most of the guns from those they kidnapped and used them in battle.
and inaccurate historic title. The 100 Years War lasted 116 years.

322. 300 Spartans fought a million Persians.

As hard as it is to believe, the movie, 300 is not historically accurate. 7,000
people from Greece (including 300 Spartans) fought against 180,000
Persians.

323. The Trojan War happened.

Troy was founded in 3000 BC in the area known as Tevfikiye, Canakkale
Province in Turkey. It was abandoned in 500 AD. There is no evidence that
there was a great war as is depicted in The Iliad or The Odyssey stories.

324. Samurais mainly used swords.

Samurais used swords as a last resort. They believed the sword required no
skill. A bow and arrow was the real weapon of a samurai. Drawing a sword
carried a stigma because it implied that the samurai was too lazy to use his
bow. In rare occasions, samurais used guns.

325. A samurai took his own life if he failed his emperor.

Despite what the movie, The Last Samurai depicts, samurais rarely took
their own lives by stabbing themselves with their own swords. Emperors
discouraged it because they relied on having as many men in their army as
possible.

326. Samurais were the most efficient killers in Ancient Japan.

Japanese infantry nearly always won wars. Samurais are better remembered
because they looked really cool.
People have this idea that samurais never ran from battle. They did. If
they knew they were going to lose, they had no choice.

327. Samurais were honorable.

Samurais weren’t as honorable as is often depicted. Samurais killed for
money. They killed their employers if they didn’t get paid enough. They
betrayed their emperor and switched sides if it worked to their advantage.
Samurais were portrayed as noble warriors as a marketing campaign to
make Japan look awesome. And it worked.
 Weapons

328. The katana is the greatest sword in the world.

This idea has been popularized thanks to many samurai movies (and Pulp
Fiction.) There is no “best” sword. It depends on the craftsmanship. If a
sword strikes a solid object a few dozen times, it will be rendered useless.

329. Movies depict sword-making accurately.

The most iconic sword-forging scene in movie history is from Conan the
Barbarian. Most films show the sword-forging process the same way – you
heat the metal, bash it into the shape of a sword, and then wait for it to
solidify.
Forging swords isn’t that easy. Making one sword takes at least 40
hours but it can take over three days.
And that’s just the blade. That’s not including the handle, the guard,
or the pommel. Forging a single dagger can take 50 hours.
Movies like Conan the Barbarian show swords starting off as a
boiling liquid. That technique hasn’t been used since the Bronze Age. (Who
would ever have thought a movie where the villain turns into a snake would
be inaccurate?)
Melting metal weakens its chemical bonds. You need to start with solid
metal to forge a sword nowadays.

330. Flamethrowers are illegal in America.

They’re not. Go nuts.

331. A car door will stop a bullet.

A car door is so ineffective at stopping a bullet, it might as well be made of
cardboard.

332. A gun can go off if it is dropped.

Gun regulations require extensive drop safety tests, to prevent this from
happening.
 333. You can aim two guns at once.
It looks really cool to aim two guns at once but your eyes aren’t designed to
aim and fire at two targets simultaneously. Also, how would you reload?

334. Soldiers often run out of bullets when using their guns.
In movies, people empty their clips at the most pivotal moment to build
tension in the scene.
In reality, soldiers are constantly reloading their guns every
opportunity they have. Why wouldn’t they? It’s a life or death situation!
That’s like not refueling your car until it runs out of gas!

335. Bulletproof vests are effective against guns.

A bulletproof vest will stop a handgun bullet but it will sting like hell.
Sadly, it’s useless against any machine gun.

336. Bullets can hit you through water.

Although this is a really cool effect in movies, a bullet’s acceleration is
drastically diminished once it comes into contact with water and will not be
able to kill a human being over any distance beyond a few feet.

337. Boomerangs are weapons that return after you throw them.
Boomerangs aren’t effective at hitting people or animals. Nor are they
reliable at returning to the thrower since the wind can make them
unpredictable.
Even if the boomerang returned, the catcher would need impossible
reflexes to grab it without losing a few fingers.
Boomerangs were used to lure hawks into nets. A boomerang moves
similarly to a hawk, so it would lure the bird out of curiosity. This would
allow the boomerang-thrower to catch the hawk in a net.

338. Sword fights are portrayed accurately in movies.

In the movie, Kill Bill, The Bride fights a group called the Crazy 88. This is
a battle no one could win and it has nothing to do with skill. A sword
becomes less sharp with every strike. After using it on ten people, the sword
would be coated in so much blood (and entrails) it would become as
effective as a wooden stick.
 Swords can easily break after only a few strikes. In real sword fights,
Vikings and pirates did everything in their power to ensure their swords
never collided to avoid breaking them.

339. If you shoot the tank of a car, it will explode.

You would need to shoot a car with exceptional precision at a spot which
will vary from car to car, tank to tank, and gun to gun. There is no magical
spot on all automobiles that makes them explode.

340. You can’t tell if a gun is empty.

How many movies have you seen where the bad guy is given an empty gun
and he believes it’s full? Bullets are metal. Metal is heavy. A gun with no
bullets is noticeably lighter than a gun with a full clip. It’s pretty easy to tell
the difference between a handgun with no bullets and one with bullets.

341. Death duels haven’t been performed in well over a century.

The last duel was as recent as 1967. It was between two politicians in
France called Gaston Deffere and Rene Ribiere. Deffere complained that
Ribiere was fidgeting too much in mid-debate and so Ribiere challenged
him to a duel. No one died but that doesn’t make it less ridiculous.

342. A nuclear bomb looks like a huge missile.

The nuke used in World War II was a 6ft tall sphere covered in hundreds of
cable wires. It looked like a random piece of machinery or an extremely old
computer. You would have no idea it was a weapon, not to mention one
capable of killing hundreds of thousands of people in seconds.

343. The most effective way to tell if someone’s fired a gun is to

check for fingerprints.
At least 90% of fingerprints are wiped off a gun as soon as it’s put in the
person’s pocket. The best way to tell if a person has fired a gun is to detect
if there’s any powder residue on their clothing.

344. Gangsters hold their guns sideways because it looks cool.

Originally, actors playing cowboys held their gun sideways so the camera
could see the person’s face and the gun in the same shot. Gangsters saw this
in movies like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and liked how it looked
and so, the style was popularized.

345. The whip was used as a weapon.

Although it looks awesome when Indiana Jones uses a bullwhip, there is no
evidence it was ever used as a weapon.
The only thing remotely close to a weapon like this is a Chinese
chain whip that was used as a ceremonial weapon for important officials.
However, this was used as a last resort and it was only effective because it
was made from a chain.
Words

346. The creator of The Cat in the Hat, Dr Seuss, pronounced his
name as “Soose.”
Dr Theodor Geisel’s pseudonym, Dr. Seuss, is pronounced “Soice.” He
wanted it to rhyme with “rejoice.”

347. “Enormity” means “a gigantic calamity.”

Despite the fact the word looks like “enormous,” it means “atrocity.”

348. “Cryogenics” means “to freeze people.”

“Cryogenics” is the study of what happens to things under extreme cold.
The study of freezing living things is called “cryonics.”

349. People use the word “literally” inaccurately.

When someone says, “I was so embarrassed, I literally died” it is clear the
person should’ve used the word “figuratively” instead of “literally.”
However, this is not a recent concept. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel,
The Great Gatsby, the title character is described at one point thus, “He
literally glowed.” Unless Gatsby is suffering from radium poisoning, I
believe Fitzgerald meant “figuratively.” Many renowned writers, like Mark
Twain, also used “literally” this way.
So, am I suggesting people nowadays are using it incorrectly? Not
exactly. The word “literally” is used in this way so often that it now has two
definitions, according to Webster’s dictionary -
1. “in a literal sense or manner.”
2. “For effect.”

350. “Peruse” means to “skim over or browse something.”

It has the opposite definition. It means “to read with thoroughness or care.”

351. “Pristine” means “spotless” or “as good as new.”

It means “in the same state as it was originally in.”
 352. Charles Dickens invented the word, “humbug” in his story, A
Christmas Carol.
This word had been in use for over a century before this book was written.

353. “Bemused” means “amused.”

No. We already have a word for that known as “amused.” Why would we
make up another word that is spelt and pronounced almost the same?
“Bemused” is defined as “a state of bewilderment and confusion.”

354. “Nonplussed” means “unperturbed” or “unworried.”

It means the opposite. You feel nonplussed when you are utterly perplexed
and confused.

355. “Ultimate” means “the best.”

“Ultimate” was a Latin word that meant “the last one.” However, I will use
it in the right context by saying this misconception is the ultimate fact in
this chapter.
 The 10 Most Bizarre Misconceptions

356. Amnesia is accurately portrayed in movies.

Nearly everything you know about amnesia is a lie thanks to movies.
Almost every amnesiac character in films suffers from retrograde amnesia,
which causes them to forget specific events. In reality, this sort of amnesiac
would have great difficulty creating new memories (like in the movie
Memento, and yes, that is a real disorder called anterograde amnesia.) You
can have one type or the other or both.
Amnesia in movies seems to always involve forgetting a specific
time. But amnesia can involve forgetting many things. An amnesiac could
look at a banana and know how to peel it and eat it but they may not
remember what it is called. On the other hand, they may remember the
banana’s name but not know that they are supposed to peel it or that it is a
food. You might forget names, days of the week, how to tell a story, etc. A
friend of mine suffers a type of amnesia where his brain can’t remember
how to perceive time. If he were to see me today, he wouldn’t be able to
remember if he saw me last week or last year.
In movies, amnesia can occur with a bump on the head, and
memories can be returned with another bump on the head. Sadly, an
amnesiac’s memory doesn’t return that conveniently. The memories may
never return. If they do, it can take years.

357. Rats caused the Black Death.

No, and it wasn’t fleas either. It was squirrels. Marmot squirrels from
Mongolia gradually spread the disease, as they are extremely prone to the
bubonic plague. They spread the parasite to fleas and rats and eventually
humans. Technically, they’ve killed more humans than any animal on Earth
apart from mosquitoes.

358. No one knows what makes people gay.

The template of a human fetus is female. Six to eight weeks after
conception, the fetus is blasted with male hormones called androgens which
will decide if the fetus will be male or female.
 A second dose of androgens occurs after another six to eight weeks.
This dosage will decide the fetus’ sexual orientation.
A fetus with a small amount of androgens will remain female, and
another small amount of androgens will give the fetus a female-structured
brain. A fetus with a large amount of androgens will become male, and
another large amount of androgens will give the fetus a male-structured
brain.
However, as a pregnancy advances, complications can happen. Stress,
anxiety, diet, physical health, exercise, and even the weather can alter a
pregnant woman’s hormones and her androgens. So, if a fetus receives a lot
of male hormones and becomes male, it may not receive enough androgens
later because of complications and thus, be left with a female structured
brain.
It’s rare for the first dose to be less than the second because
complications tend to happen as the pregnancy progresses, which is why
there are statistically fewer lesbians than gay men.

359. Evolution is too slow to observe accurately.

Elephants are not as commonly killed as before because they are evolving
without tusks. If an elephant is tuskless, it is useless to a poacher. The
absence of tusks guarantees its survival. Skinks used to lay eggs but now
they give birth. Pepper moths were white but now they are nearly all black.
Since Asian crabs have been introduced to Europe, mussels in the UK have
developed harder shells to survive.
Even human evolution can be observed. The Sherpa of Nepal (the
group who help people climb Mt. Everest) can survive living 13,000ft high.
2,000ft make people feel dizzy and ill. No one can survive 13,000ft for
very long except the Sherpa. This is the fastest human evolution on record.
They’ve only been living there for 3,000 years.

360. Halitosis exists.

Listerine is the company who invented the mouthwash you use for
halitosis. However, Listerine invented something else – halitosis. The
mouthwash was used as an antiseptic but it didn’t sell well. Then it was
used as a floor cleaner but it didn’t make a profit. Then it was used as
mouthwash for a disorder they made up. The mouthwash is identical now
to when it was used as an anti-septic. Some people have bad breath but it’s
not a condition or a disorder. It’s like saying having an itchy head is a
disorder. It’s not. You just have an itchy head.

361. Our ancestors, the Neanderthals, were stupid ape-like

creatures.
Neanderthals are cousins to our species. They lived alongside our ancestors
until the Neanderthals died out 30,000 years ago.
People tend to picture Neanderthals as giant apes. However,
Neanderthals didn’t hunch like an ape. Nor did they have an ape-like face or
excess body hair. Their facial structure was mildly different to our own.
Their body was similar to us but stockier. Neanderthals looked so human
that if one wore modern clothes, you probably couldn’t tell the difference.
Scientists have found hyoid bones in Neanderthal remains. The hyoid
bone is part of the vocal chords. After studying the hyoid, scientists said it
was identical to how the human bones are structured, meaning that
Neanderthals were capable of speech.
Neanderthals were at least as intelligent as us. It is debated that they
were probably smarter. They were physically superior as well. They were
stronger, taller, had better stamina, and handcrafted better tools.
So why did they die out? Ironically, Neanderthals died out because they
were more mature than us. They reached full maturity at 16. So when our
ancestors invaded their homes and attacked them, Neanderthals were too
civilized to fight back. They were focusing on running away or protecting
their families rather than killing. Sadly, this was their undoing.

362. The Ice Age ended 10,000 years ago.

The last Ice Age hasn’t ended yet. People worry that climate change may
cause another Ice Age, not realizing that we are in one. By definition, an Ice
Age ends when the polar ice caps melt. The next full-blown Ice Age isn’t
expected to happen for 12,000 years.

363. You are mostly made of human cells.

You are made up of one trillion human cells but you have ten times more
bacteria. You are basically a petri dish in shoes.

364. When you are in a coma, you are unconscious for weeks or
months.
In movies and television, comas are simplified like this – you are either
unconscious and unaware of your surroundings or you’re awake and you
are aware of your surroundings.
Real comas are not that simple. It is possible for a comatose person to
speak, interact, recognize their surroundings, and walk around.
But because the patient is still in a “coma,” they can get back into bed,
fall into a deep unconsciousness and have no memory of any of the events
they experienced.
Doctors use the Glasgow Coma Scale to gauge coma progress from a
score of three (which is the rating for deep unconsciousness) to 15 (full
consciousness) based on eye, verbal, and motor responses.

365. Eating lots of fruit is healthy.

Fruit has a lot of sugar called fructose. Although it is fruit sugar, it’s still
sugar and an excessive amount is bad, no matter what food it comes from.
It’s common for older people to have a health scare so they decide to
be super healthy and replace all of their old vices and addictions with fruit.
This sounds like a good idea. Instead of a beer, have a smoothie. But if you
introduce a huge quantity of sugar into your body suddenly, it can spike
your insulin levels.
People may have a health scare, start eating fruit, and ironically give
themselves pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is common in the elderly
but it’s not because they are getting old, it’s because they are eating too
much sugar.
That sounds a bit farfetched but Steve Jobs ate nothing but fruit at the
end of his life and he died of pancreatic cancer. Ashton Kutcher played
Steve Jobs in the movie, Jobs, and replicated his fruit diet for the role. A
few weeks later, Kutcher was hospitalized after nearly giving himself
pancreatic cancer (which the doctors found baffling considering how young
the actor was.)
Many people believe famed comedian, Bill Hicks, died from lung
cancer or liver cancer because he smoked, drank, and did drugs excessively.
But Hicks quit these vices near the end of his life, started eating healthily,
then died a year later from pancreatic cancer.
Nowadays, fruit smoothies have become a popular trend. However,
liquidating fruit causes your body to process it differently, which spikes
your blood sugar.
 Dried fruit isn’t much better since it has high levels of sulfur dioxide,
sugar, and salt. On top of that, they can cause respiratory problems if the
consumer has asthma or sulfite sensitivity. Fruit should be in your daily diet
but don’t overload your body with it.