Conan O’Brien’s Parents Were the True Geniuses of the Family

‘Abbott Elementary’s Chris Perfetti Hints at ‘PG’ and ‘R-Rated’ Elements of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Crossover

‘Nosferatu’ Director Robert Eggers Thanks ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ for Teaching Kids About Classic Horror

Chris Rock and ‘SNL’ Were Never Really a Fit

30 of the Funniest Tweets from Friday, December 13, 2024

26 Misconceptions You Need to Exorcize From Your Brain

You might not know it, but you’ve been possessed by lies!

26 Misconceptions You Need to Exorcize From Your Brain

July 12, 2024

We’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, the foreign entity inhabiting your body isn’t a demon. The bad news is, this possession is a whole batch of lies, and they will need to be exorcized immediately. They’re a sneaky little bunch, too; they’ve gone undetected for years. But no worries, we’re here now.

Clear your schedule, though, because replacing the lies with these cold hard facts could take a while.

Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox.

26

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

25

Slaves in ancient Rome weren't necessarily physical labourers or gladiators. There also were teachers, doctors and accountants. CRACKED COM — Source

24

Bulls

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

23

If you're storing your vegetables in air-tight plastic bags in an attempt to increase their shelf life, you are actually accomplishing the opposite. DE and Vegetables need space for air circulation in order to avoid spoilage and should therefore be stored in reusable mesh bags or unsealed plastic bags. CRACKED.COM — Source

22

Mrs. O'Leary is remembered for causing the Great Chicago Fire. But she was innocent. And so was her cow. Despite all the campfire songs to the contrary, the 1871 Chicago fire wasn't caused by Catherine O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern she'd left burning. The official report actually cleared Mrs. O'Leary (and her cow). But that didn't stop The Chicago Tribune from publishing Michael Ahern's unproven story blaming O'Leary. Because of anti-Irish prejudice, she was reviled and literally spit on her entire life. CRACKED.COM https://www.thoughtco.com/mrs-olearys-cow-great-chicago-fire-1774059 — Source

21

MYTH: TO keep YOUR meAT MOIST, YOU neeD TO SEAR IT. FACT: SEARING Doesn'T LOCK in JUICES. Searing meat doesn't do a thing to keep juices inside. When you sear your steak, you're actually creating a tougher crust on the outside of the cut, which makes the inside seem juicier by comparison. Alton Brown did an experiment and found that seared meat is actually less moist than meat that's been cooked to the same temperature but not seared. CRACKED.COM http://www. cookthink.com/reference/7/Does_searing_meat_really_seal_in_moisture — Source

20

MYTH: MICROWAVE COOKING DESTROYS THE nuTRIenTS in FOOD. : 8:8 0 - - Start Unit FACT: ACTUALLY, IT PRESERVES THem. Because microwave cooking often consists of less heat and shorter cooking times than more conventional cooking methods, it actually does the least amount of damage to the nutrients in your foods. CRACKED.COM http //www health harvard edu/staying-healthy/microwave-cooking-and-nutrition — Source

19

MYTH: CSI teams sweep through the scene of a crime and solve it, fast. FACT: That's only on TV. Crime scene investigators don't solve cases. Their role is to collect enough evidence to support a case against the suspect who has been identified by old-fashioned police work. And the process isn't quick. Some laboratory tests, such as DNA samples, toxicology, and blood reports, can take weeks or even months to process. Also, while DNA criminal databases do exist, less than 1/10th of all criminals are a part of it. CRACKED.COM http://news bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4284335.stm — Source

18

GRACKED.COM It's a common belief that a woman can't get pregnant when she's having her period. then Wilson However, due to unpredictable timing of ovulation, and the fact that sperm can live in the body for several days, it's entirely possible. — Source

17

Menstruating Women do NOT Provoke Bear Attacks On August 13, 1967 two women were killed in grizzly bear attacks. With zero evidence, some speculated that it was because they were menstruating, and the myth stuck. A National Park Service study, however, states that there is no evidence that grizzly and black bears are overly attracted to menstrual odors. GRACKED.COM — Source

16

Baby-carrots are carrots that were harvested before they were full grown, right? NOPE! They're what happens to carrots not pretty enough to sell in stores; peeled and whittled into shape by machines. CRACKED.COM — Source

15

MYTH: TWINKIES WILL LAST FOREVER, GUYS! EXPIRATION DATE: NEVER FACT: THEY ACTUALLY LAST ABOUT the A monTH. The urban legend goes that Twinkies aren't made of real ingredients, and because of that they will last for over 20 years. The truth is that they contain flour, sugar, corn syrup, water, shortening, and eggs. Just like a regular cake. On top of that, they contain additives to make them moister and extend their shelf life-to about 25 days. CRACKED.COM http://www.snopes. com/food/ingredient/twinkies.asp — Source

14

Mice and Cheese

MYTH A mouse's favorite food is cheese. TRUTH Mice will eat pretty much anything, but mice don't care for rich cheeses and will always go for sugary food first. CRACKED.COM — Source

13

- : -5 Raw Shr Large - 40 country NET EZ PE SHELLE 40ml -40 THE AMAR Raw Shri Raw Shrimp S EZ PEEL SHELL & EZ PEEL SHELL &TANON E Large Large 31-40 COUNT PER LE 31-40 COUNT PER LB Buying unfrozen shrimp isn't necessarily better than buying frozen. Almost all fresh shrimp is frozen on the boat CRACKED.COM after they're caught and defrosted before being sold. — Source

12

Movie Myths

YOU CAN'T TRICK A SCANNER WITH A SEVERED HAND ID POSITIVE Biometric scanners check the capillary flow through your hand, not just the palm print. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

Alpha Wolves a podcast told me to be loud at bars CRACKED.COM The idea of alphas was based on a flawed study of a pack of captive wolves that didn't know each other. The scientist responsible has even spent years trying to kill this false narrative. But of course, the male body wash industry doesn't want you to know that. — Source

10

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

9

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Human traffickers are almost always men. REALITY: Female traffickers make up a large part of all human traffickers. 37% of traffickers are female, which is a pretty large share when compared to other crimes. Female traffickers mostly target women and children, because there's more trust there. Females are also often used to recruit other female traffickers. — Source

8

John Wayne is Hollywood's most famous cowboy. But he absolutely hated riding horseback. Wayne had learned to ride when he was young, so by the time he started making cowboy pictures, he was already fed up with it. In the book John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Wayne is quoted as saying, I still hate riding horses. I go by truck everywhere I can. Another thing Wayne hated was hippies, for ducking the Vietnam draft... even though he himself got out of going to World War Il so he could make more cowboy movies. CRACKED.COM Michael Munn, 2005 John — Source

7

MYTH A whale could swallow an entire boat whole. TRUTH Despite its giant exterior, a blue whale's throat is only one foot wide. A sperm whale is the only whale that could physically swallow a CRACKED.COM person whole. — Source

6

The best beverage for adding antioxidants to your diet is tea, right? Not really. Studies have shown that instant coffee can be comparable with tea or wine. Even drip and espresso coffee contains antioxidants, as long as you drink it black. CRACKED.COM — Source

5

Bats Are Blind CRACKED.COM The beloved rat of the sky is not as sightless as popular sayings would have you believe. Yes, they do use echolocation to get around, but their eyes are still functional. Studies have shown that the blindest living organisms, in fact, are NFL referees. — Source

4

MYTH: A LITTLe OIL in YOUR BOILING WATER WILL keep PASTA FROM STICKING. FACT: IT won'T. IT WILL JUST BLOCK THE SAUCE. When you add oil to pasta water, it just floats on the top, which does nothing to keep your noodles from sticking together. Then when you drain them, the oil will transfer to your pasta and make it too slippery to absorb your sauce. CRACKED.COM http:/www.chow.com/food-news/54661/should-you-put-oil-in-pasta-water/ — Source

3

MYTH: It takes time to trace a call, so keep that kidnapper talking! FACT: Calls are automatically, instantly traced. Thanks to enhanced 9-1-1, land line calls are instantly paired to an address. That's so emergency responders will immediately know where an urgent call is coming from, in case the caller is unable to speak. And cell phones aren't any more secure, because today the FBI can track down and remotely turn on any cell phone, and even use it as a microphone to spy on people. CRACKED.COM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_9-1-1 — Source

2

To the left is what most of us recognize as a portrait of Napoleon, leading his troops across the Alps on horseback. This was painted by Jacques-Louis David in the early 1800s. BONAPARTE RAI In reality, Napoleon crossed the Alps on a mule with the help of a guide. This was depicted on a painting to the right by Hippolyte (Paul) Delaroche in 1848. GRACKED.COM — Source

1

Leo Fender is a legend who perfected the electric guitar. But he couldn't play, and didn't like rock'n'roll. Despite the fact that his entire business revolved around manufacturing and constantly improving guitars and amps, Fender never actually got around to learning how to play them and didn't have any interest in doing so. When Fender was testing an amp with a guitar, other people in the shop had to go in and tune the instrument when they couldn't take the noise anymore. Yet his creations are the guitar of choice for legends such as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. CRACKED.COM — Source

Tags:

Visual

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

Movies & TV

Did David Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery Just Kill Off ‘Sesame Street’?

Trivia & Jokes

30 Funny Times Someone Had No Clue How the World Works

Movies & TV

Jay Leno Continues to Maintain That His Fall Outside of a Pennsylvania Hampton Inn Was No Conspiracy

Movies & TV

Joe Mande Is A Bit of An Anthony Edwards Hipster

Trivia & Jokes

39 Random Bits of Trivia to Sing Out Loud in the Middle of Your Screening of ‘Wicked’

Science & History

The Real War on Christmas: When Merriment Was Illegal in America

VIRAL ON CRACKED

1

The Opening Trope: 20 Sequels That Begin Just Where the Previous Movie Left Off

2

36 Plot Holes In Famous Movie Scenes

3

26 Everyday 'Solutions' That Make Everything Worse

4

33 Pop Culture Ridiculous Controversies

5

The 29 Funniest Community Notes of 2024