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40 Random Bits of Trivia You’ve Had Completely Backwards in Your Mind

Your brain zigged while reality zagged

40 Random Bits of Trivia You’ve Had Completely Backwards in Your Mind

November 06, 2024

Get ready, all you fact-checkers out there, because it’s time to fact-check our fact-checks!

You could save a ton of time by just believing us, but we know you won’t. And that’s okay, because we’re confident in our findings. You know what? If any of you find a legitimate fault in our myth-to-fact transformations, we’ll give you our jobs. Once the higher-ups see your skills, they’ll be totally cool with the swap. The same goes for your boss, too!

40

Serial Killers

THE STEREOTYPE ... SERIAL KILLERS ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT. BUT In REALITY... NOPE. THEY'RE BELOW AVERAGE. A study of over 2, 600 serial killers found t — For details, read 6 Myths About Crime You Believe Thanks To Hollywood

39

Vikings

THE STEREOTYPE... VIKINGS PLUNDERED IN HORNED HELMETS. BUT In REALITY ... NOPE. JUST REGULAR HATS. If you want a career in hand-to-hand combat, don't — For details, read 6 Things From History Everyone Pictures Incorrectly

38

Kenya

Everyone pictures Kenya as a wild or impoverished land But in reality Kenya is a modern state with bustling cities and a capital home to over three million people. CRACKED.COM — 15 Countries We Picture Wrong Side By Side With Reality

37

Erin Brockovich

THE OSCAR WINNER In Erin Brockovich, everyone is delighted at the end of the trial. REALITY THE But the actual plaintiffs were far from satisfied. Rea

36

Sexual Activity by Gender

THE STEREOTYPE ... MEN ARE PLAYERS, WOMEN ARE PRUDES. BUT in REALITY ... SOME PEOPLE JUST LIE. Research says women underreport their sexual activity. — For details, read 6 Things Everyone Knows About Women (That Aren't True)

35

Body Dysmorphia

THE STEREOTYPE ... BODY DISORDERS? THAT'S A WOMAN THING. BUT in REALITY ... THEY'RE JUST AS COMMON IN MEN. The difference is that in men, it usually m — For details, read 6 Things You Learn As A Guy With An Eating Disorder

34

The Dumb Blonde Stereotype

THE STEREOTYPE ... BLONDES ARE DUMB. BUT In REALITY ... THAT'S A MYTH ... INVENTED BY SUFFRAGETTES. A specific troupe of blonde burlesque performers m — For details, read 6 Terrible Stereotypes (That Came From Positive Things)

33

Austin Powers

THE STEREOTYPE ... BRITISH TEETH ARE TERRIBLE. BUT in REALITY ... BRITS HAVE THE BEST TEETH IN THE WORLD. The British aren't that into bbraces, so you — For details, read The 5 Most Statistically Full of Sh!t National Stereotypes

32

Gamers

Most gamers are men ...but in reality, men are the minority in gaming! ONY According to studies. 52% of gamers are women. Even in 2011 about 49% of

31

Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners help keep me healthy by lowering my sugar intake. But those are linked to cancer! In reality... Consumption of some sweetene

30

Albert Einstein

MYTH: ALBERT EINSTEIN FAILED BE x MATH. CRACKED.COM Einstein did drop out of school at age 15, but not because he couldn't hack it; although he consistently aced his classes, he was frustrated by the mechanical discipline implemented by his teachers. Presented with the myth of his mathematical shortcomings, Einstein remarked that he had mastered differential and integral calculus by age 15. — Source

29

Benito Mussolini

CRACKED BENITO MUSSOLINI Mussolini was known for making the trains run on time, but this was more of a myth than reality. People who lived in Italy during his rule said that the railway system had already been improved before he and the fascists came to power. — Snopes

28

Sharks

MYTH Sharks can smell blood from miles away. TRUTH Sharks can smell blood from a quarter of a mile away. CRACKED.COM — Source

27

Nail Growth

Nails Grow After Death CRACKED.COM A common myth says nails (and hair) keep growing after death. Retracting skin may make nails and hair appear longer, but they cannot continue to grow without glucose. Ancient cultures may have come up with this myth to explain why corpses look so fabulous. — Source

26

Sugar

MYTH: TOO MUCH SUGAR WILL MAKE YOU HYPER. CRACKED This myth stems from a single study in the '70s that proved one child's behavior improved when sugar was removed from their diet - go figure. Don't worry about polishing off your leftover Halloween candy before bed, although maybe consider a change in diet yourself. — Source: Association for Psychological Science

25

Cooking Myths

MYTH: ALWAYS COOK PORK UnTL I'S SWELL-DONE. FACT8 PORK IS MUCH SAFER THAN you THINK. The myth that undercooked pork is swimming with worms is left ove

24

Milk Myth

MYTH: MILK BUILDS STRONG BE BONES. CRACKED.COM This myth started when schools were provided nutritional material that boasted the importance of dairy in your diet, when studies cannot link milk consumption with healthy living and especially stronger bones. Who gave them this material? The National Dairy Council. — Source

23

The Human Tongue

MYTH: YOUR TONGUE IS zoneD BY FLAVOR TYPE. BITTER SALTY SALTY SOUR SOUR SWEET FACT: YOUR WHOLE TONGUE TASTES THINGS. The myth about your tongue being able to taste different flavors with different areas started with a mistranslation of an old German study. Turns out all areas in the tongue are about equally good at detecting different flavors. It's not an evenly distributed democracy of taste buds, but every tongue has different patterns of strength and weakness. CRACKED.COM http://www. livescience.com/7113-tongue-map-tasteless-myth-debunked.html — Source

22

Shaving

MYTH: SHAVING MAKES HAIR GROW BE BACK THICKER. CRACKED.COM If shaving made your hair grow back faster and thicker, every teenage boy would look like Paul Bunyan. The reason this myth persists is because hair tapers as it grows, and when you cut it back you see the wider bottom portion. — Business Insider

21

Vaccines

CRACKED MYTH: VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM. DO ore RE Group FACT: There is no scientific evidence to support this claim, and numerous studies have shown that vaccines are safe and effective. The myth began when a 1998 study used fabricated results to prove a link between the two. Also, signs of autism become more apparent around the time in a child's development when they are also receiving vaccines- leading people to believe the two are linked. — CDC / WHYY

20

Brain Drain

GRACKED MYTH: MOST PEOPLE OF AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE ONLY USE 10 PERCENT OF THEIR BRAINS (AS SEEN IN: LUCY) FACT: Everyone, of varying levels of intelligence, uses 100 percent of their brain. There is no basis for this myth at all. — OECD / Wired

19

The Flat Earth

- t BELIEF: Medieval Europeans believed the Earth was flat. TRUTH: People knew the Earth was round by sixth century BC. The myth was started by people in the 1800s. CRACKED.COM

18

Siberia

MYTH Siberia is a frozen wasteland. REALITY Parts of Siberia have beautiful summers. Novosibirsk reached 87.8°F (31°C) last June. CRACKED.COM — 15 Countries We Picture Wrong Side By Side With Reality

17

Bulls

MYTH Bulls will charge anything that's the color red. TRUTH Bulls are colorblind to the color red. CRACKED.COM — Source

16

Wonder Woman

AMAZONS In Wonder Woman: Amazons are enemies of Ares. In Greek myth: Amazons are the daughters of Ares. — Sources: World History Encyclopedia, Jean-Pol Grandmont

15

Urine

Despite the popular myth, urine has bacteria and isn't actually sterile. CRACKED.COM The myth spread when epidemiologist Edward Kass set a cutoff in the 1950s for the number of bacteria in normal urine, and any number under that resulting in a negative test. — Science News

14

Wolves

MYTH Wolves howl at the moon. TRUTH Wolves howl to communicate, day or night. CRACKED.COM — Source

13

Ostriches

40 Random Bits of Trivia You’ve Had Completely Backwards in Your Mind — Read More: The 6 Most Frequently Quoted Bullshit Animal Facts

12

Elephants

40 Random Bits of Trivia You’ve Had Completely Backwards in Your Mind — Source: Disney Parks

11

Mortality Rates

MYTH x Before modern medicine, people used to die at 40. FACT If people survived into young adulthood they were likely to reach their 70s and 80s just as we do today. This myth stems from people calculating the average age of death without taking high child mortality into account. CRACKED — Abraham Bloemaert/National Gallery of Art
SAPIENS Anthropology Magazine

10

Neanderthals

NEANDERTHALS ACTUALLY HAD GREAT POSTURE. Neanderthals stood upright. The myth of the hunched knuckle- draggers came from one Neanderthal skeleton that — Source: NHM

9

Lobster Monogamy

MYTH Lobsters are monogamous. TRUTH Female lobsters spend up to two weeks with a mate. CRACKED.COM — Source

8

The Color of Blood

MYTH: THE BLOOD LEAVING YOUR HEART IS BLUE. FAGT8 IT'S ACTUALLY DARKER RED. The myth that deoxygenated blood is blue comes from the fact that through

7

Owls

MYTH Owls can spin their heads around completely. TRUTH Owls can turn their heads 270 degrees in both directions. CRACKED.COM — Source

6

The Peak Age

MYTH: men PEAK AT 20. women PEAKAT 35. FACT: MALE OR Female, you GAIN FRoM experlence. True, men have the most testosterone at 20, while women hit the — Source

5

The Wizard of Oz

MYTH: A munchkin killed himself on The Wizard of Oz People often say that a munchkin killed themselves while they were making The Wizard of Oz, but that's not true -- it's just an urban myth. CRACKED — Source

4

Vermont

MYTH: Roswell, NMis the epicenter OfUFOactivityinthe U.S.. UFO CRASH SITE UFO Museum 114 N. Main Roswell FACT: Vermont sees the most UFO sightings per

3

Searing Meat

MYTH: TO KEEP YOUR MeAT MOIST, you need TO SEAR it. FAGT8 Searing DOESN'T LOCK in JUIceS Searing meat doesn't do a thing to keep juices inside. When

2

Chocolate as Aphrodisiac

MYTH8 chocolate gets you in the rorood for love. FAGT8 But only if you eat an insane arount. Despite its association with love and romance, chocolate

1

Somali Pirates

Myth: Somalia has the highest rate of piracy in the world. Reality: The piracy rate in Somalia has dropped significantly since 2013. Now most pirate a

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