Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong (Common Misconceptions We All Believe for Some Reason)

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John Summers • Contributor
Sep 11, 2024 10:00 PM EDT

We all know the story of how Newton discovered gravity, right? He was sitting under a tree when an apple fell on his head. The only thing is—that's not what happened at all! Yes, he was sitting under a tree and thinking about apples falling, but that was while he was developing the theory of gravity. For some reason, probably to make it more appealing to the masses, the story was 'embellished' with nicer details to create a better narrative.

And what about the Vikings and their famously horned helmets? Also, never happened. According to history, Vikings never wore horned helmets. The image comes from an old movie that depicted them with the iconic headgear. Why? Again, because horned helmets look more exciting and make a better story than plain, boring helmets. Here are 20 more common misconceptions we all believe to be true but actually aren't.

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  • 01
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS The familiar story that Isaac Newton was inspired to research the nature of gravity by an apple hitting his head is almost certainly apocryphal. All Newton himself ever said was that the idea came to him as he sat "in a contemplative mood" and "was occasioned by the fall of an apple". "Newton's apple: The real story". New Scientist. January 18, 2010. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010. N3885
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  • 02
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS There is no evidence that Vikings wore horns on their helmets; this would have been highly impractical in battle.[164] In fact, the image of Vikings wearing horned helmets stems from the scenography of an 1876 production of the Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle by Richard Wagner. N3885
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  • 03
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS There is no evidence that iron maidens were used for torture, or even yet invented, in the Middle Ages. Instead they were pieced together in the 18th century from several artifacts found in museums to create spectacular objects intended for (commercial) exhibition. Schild, Wolfgang (2000). Die eiserne Jungfrau. Dichtung und Wahrheit (Schriftenreihe des Mittelalterlichen Kriminalmuseums Rothenburg o. d. Tauber Nr. 3). Rothenburg ob der Tauber. N3885
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  • 04
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Bats are not blind. While about 70 percent of bat species, mainly in the microbat family, use echolocation to navigate, all bat species have eyes and are capable of sight. In addition, almost all bats in the megabat or fruit bat family cannot echolocate and have excellent night vision. a. Di Silvestro, Roger (February 1, 2003). "The Truth About Animal Clichés". National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved October 31, 2011. N3885
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  • 05
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Sugar does not cause hyperactivity in children. Double-blind trials have shown no difference in behavior between children given sugar-full or sugar-free diets, even in studies specifically looking at children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or those considered sensitive to sugar. A 2019 meta- analysis found no positive effect of sugar consumption on mood but did find an association with lower alertness and increased fatigue within an hour of consumption, kno
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  • 06
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Seeds are not the spicy part of chili peppers. In fact, seeds contain a low amount of capsaicin, the component which induces the hot sensation in mammals. The highest concentration of capsaicin is located in the placental tissue (the pith) to which the seeds are attached. "New Mexico State University - College of Agriculture and Home Economics (2005)". Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. N3885
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  • 07
    N3885 W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS The total number of people living in extreme absolute poverty globally, by the widely used metric of $1.00/day (in 1990 U.S. dollars) has decreased over the last several decades, but most people surveyed in several countries incorrectly think it has increased or stayed the same. Additionally, the portion of people living in extreme poverty has declined as well, no matter which income threshold is used. "Global Poverty Decline Denialism". January 31, 2019. EA $
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  • 08
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS There is no such thing as an "alpha" in a wolf pack. An early study that coined the term "alpha wolf" had only observed unrelated adult wolves living in captivity. In the wild, wolf packs operate more like human families: there is no defined sense of rank, parents are in charge until the young grow up and start their own families, younger wolves do not overthrow an "alpha" to become the new leader, and social dominance fights are situational. Davis, Lauren. "Why everythin
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  • 09
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS The historical Buddha is not known to have been fat. The chubby monk known as the "fat Buddha" or "laughing Buddha" in the West is a 10th-century Chinese Buddhist folk hero by the name of Budai. Peterson, Christopher. "When Did the Buddha Become Fat?". Psychology Today. Retrieved November 1, 2018. N3885
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  • 10
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Waking sleepwalkers does not harm them. While it is true that a person may be confused or disoriented for a short time after awakening, this does not cause them further harm. In contrast, sleepwalkers may injure themselves if they trip over objects or lose their balance while sleepwalking. a. Mersch, John. "Sleepwalking: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments". MedicineNet, Inc. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2009. N3885
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  • 11
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Eating less than an hour before swimming does not increase the risk of experiencing muscle cramps or drowning. One study shows a correlation between alcohol consumption and drowning, but there is no evidence cited regarding the consumption of food or stomach cramps. O'Connor, Anahad (June 28, 2005). "The Claim: Never Swim After Eating". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2011.; "Hour Missed Brooks". Snopes. January 3, 2005. Retrieved January 16, 2011. N3885
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  • 12
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Piranhas do not only eat meat but are omnivorous, and they only swim in schools to defend themselves from predators and not to attack. They very rarely attack humans, only when under stress and feeling threatened, and even then bites typically only occur on hands and feet. "Killer Piranhas: Myth or Fact?". Explorersweb. April 7, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2021. N3885
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  • 13
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Vomiting was not a regular part of Roman dining customs. [153] In ancient Rome, the architectural feature called a vomitorium was the entranceway through which crowds entered and exited a stadium, not a special room used for purging food during meals. McKeown, J.C. (2010). A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities: Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from the World's Greatest Empire. Oxford University Press. pp. 153-54. ISBN 978-0-19- 539375-0. N3885
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  • 14
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Stretching before or after exercise does not reduce muscle soreness. Henschke, Nicholas; Lin, C. Christine (December 1, 2011). "Stretching before or after exercise does not reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness". Br J Sports Med. 45 (15): 1249- 1250. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2011-090599. ISSN 0306-3674. PMID 22006932. S2CID 32498886. Retrieved September 11, 2018. N3885
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  • 15
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Diet has little influence on the body's detoxification, and detoxification diets "have no scientific basis". Some scientists called those diets a "waste of time and money". Despite this, there is a common misconception that specific diets aid this process or could remove substances that the body is unable to remove by itself. Toxins are removed from the body by the liver and kidneys. Zeratsky, Katherine (April 21, 2012). "Do detox diets offer any health benefits?" N3885
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  • 16
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Most cases of obesity are not related to slower resting metabolism. Resting metabolic rate does not vary much between people. Overweight people tend to underestimate the amount of food they eat, and underweight people tend to overestimate. In fact, overweight people tend to have faster metabolic rates due to the increased energy required by the larger body. a. "Does metabolism vary between two people?". Examine.com. January 28, 2013. N3885
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  • 17
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Marie Antoinette did not say "let them eat cake (brioche)" when she heard that the French peasantry were starving due to a shortage of bread. The phrase was first published in Rousseau's Confessions when Marie was only nine years old and not attributed to her, just to "a great princess". The phrase was used as anti-monarchist propaganda. Keener, Candace (September 2, 2008). "HowStuffWorks "Let Them Eat Cake"". History.howstuffworks.com. Archived from the original on Septe
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  • 18
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Female praying mantises rarely eat the males during coitus, especially in their natural environment. In a study in a laboratory at the University of Central Arkansas, it was observed that 1 out of 45 times the female ate the male before mating and the male ate the female with that same frequency. "Do Female Praying Mantises Always Eat the Males?". Entomology Today. December 22, 2013. N3885
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  • 19
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Sign languages are not the same worldwide. Aside from the pidgin International Sign, each country generally has its own native sign language, and some have more than one (although there are also substantial similarities among all sign languages). a. Lewis, M. Paul; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2013). "Deaf sign language". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (17th ed.). SIL International. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2
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  • 20
    W COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS The order in which different types of alcoholic beverages are consumed ("Grape or grain but never the twain" and "Beer before liquor never sicker; liquor before beer in the clear") does not affect intoxication or create adverse side effects. Köchling, Jöran; Geis, Berit; Wirth, Stefan; Hensel, Kai O. (February 1, 2019). "Grape or grain but never the twain? A randomized controlled multiarm matched-triplet crossover trial of beer and wine". The American Journal of Clinical
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