45 Strange Bits of Science That’ll Make You Wonder If Mother Nature Is Just Screwing With Us

‘Simpsons’ Fans Wonder If Disney Will Pull Neil Gaiman’s Episode

40 Random Bits of Trivia We Rescued From the Trivia Shelter

Seth Meyers Took World's Longest Elevator Ride With Robert De Niro

Original ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ Comedian Passes Away

30 Trivia Tidbits That Bust Common Myths

Beneath a myth’s gruff exterior is a sweet, sweet fact

30 Trivia Tidbits That Bust Common Myths

September 15, 2024

You know the old saying, “You can’t make a fact omelet without cracking a few myth eggs?” Well, today we’re making a massive omelet — and in one of those comically large pans that you may have seen a talented cook swish a ridiculous amount of saucy penne around in. He doesn’t spill a drop!

It’s the second most interesting thing on the internet right now. This list of busted myths being the first, of course.

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

30

Busted Myths!

MYTH: PASSED-OUT BUDDY? LeT THeM SLEEP. FAGT8 KeeP An eye on A SLeEPING DRunK. Shitfaced drunk people have a habit of vomiting, and if they're lying o — Source

29

MYTH: BROWN EGGS ARe BeTTeR FOR YOU. FACT: ALL SHeLL COLORS ARe eQUALLY HEALTHY. There's no difference in the nutritional value of eggs based on whether their shells are white or brown. The color is based on the breed of the chicken that laid it. Not only are they equally nutritious, they taste the same. CRACKED.COM http://content time com/time/health/article/0, 8599, ,2002334, 00.html — Source

28

MYTH: IF YOU CRAVE A FOOD, YOUR BODY PROBABLY neeDS IT. UPER FACT: CRAVINGS HAVE moRe TO DO WITH STRESS. If you're craving a specific food, it probably has more to do with your culture and upbringing than anything else. In times of stress, you tend to crave food that you think of as a comforting treat or reward. There is no sign that hormones have a direct impact of making us crave certain foods-the cravings just get released in times of stress. CRACKED.COM http://www.wsj. sj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443995604578002253859884598 — Source

27

Our Senses

MYTH: HUMAN BEINGS HAVE FIVE senses. TOUCH TASTE SIGHT HEARING SMELL FACT: You've ACTUALLY GOT SOMETHING LIKE 15. Scientists still aren't quite sure exactly how many senses you have, or what even constitutes a sense, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one who believes you have just five. Depending on how they count senses, experts usually wind up with somewhere between 14 and 20. There's your sense of time, your sense of where your body is, and so on. CRACKED.COM http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/question242.htm — Source

26

Gravity

CRACKED x MYTH There is no gravity in space. FACT Gravity is found everywhere in the universe (for example, it keeps the Moon and the Earth in their orbit around the Sun). There is a lot less gravity, but this is technically referred to as microgravity. — Source

25

One head is better than two

MYTH: TWO HEADS ARe BeTTeR THAN one! FACT: THAT MIGHT ве TRUE IF we weRe ROBOTS. In humans, the social element of multiple minds working together leads to conformity, which incidentally is kryptonite for creativity. We are social animals first and foremost-our ability to fit in with a group has been our main survival trait for a few hundred thousand years now. So our fear of not fitting in overrides our logical thinking. CRACKED.COM http://www. businessinsider.com/brainstorming-team-building-effectiveness-2012-1 — Source

24

THOR'S HAMMER In Marvel's comics and movies: Mjolnir is a big hammer with a long handle. OUT In Norse myths: Mjolnir's handle is a bit too short, as a result of Loki's sabotage of the dwarves' work. — Source

23

You might have heard that Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment is a myth... but do you know who started it? BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIMSELF. He made the whole deal up for dramatic effect) GRACKED.COM — Source

22

Goldfinger

MYTH: The girl painted with gold in Goldfinger died In the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger, people thought actress Shirley Eaton had died from being covered in gold paint, but she was actually okay and went on to make more movies before she quit acting. CRACKED — Source

21

Fingerprint Science

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Found fingerprints at the crime scene? Bingo! REALITY: There are no true consensus as to how and if fingerprint forensics really work. The precision and methodologies of fingerprint forensics have been questioned and opposed by a lot of experts (even entire countries). The claim that no two fingerprints are identical has still not been proven, but the error rate has. Point is that it's not an exact science, and shouldn't be believed to be. — Source

20

MYTH8 Worried about the police? You might be tempted to film them. uct FAGT8 In more and more states, that's illegal. In the past, lower federal court — Source

19

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

18

The Polish are a bunch of dummies

THE STEREOTYPE... THE POLISH ARE DUMB. BUT in REALITY... THAT'S A MYTH... INVENTED TO SMEAR POLISH IMMIGRANTS. As far as IQ goes, Poles score almost the best across all of Europe, and well above Americans. And if it's individual genius you're looking for, Nicolaus Copernicus, Frederic Chopin, and Marie Curie were all Polish. CRACKED.COM — Source

17

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 attacks take place near Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. CRACKED COM — Source

16

MYTH: COOKING? WATCH OUT FOR THAT SHARP KNIFE! PH 100ml GIRON -SPITZENKLASSE- Ma GERMANY POSTERE NO FACT: IT'S THE DULL knives THAT ARe DANGEROUS. A sharp knife will stay focused on its job of cleanly cutting your food. A dull one will hit the food and bounce off, and can wind up hitting one of your fingers instead. And if you do happen to cut yourself, a wound caused by a sharp knife will heal faster than one from a dull knife. CRACKED.COM https://sohoknives wordpress.com/2014 014/08/20/sharp-knife-safe-knife/ — Source

15

Mice don't really love cheese at all-it's just - a pop culture myth, basically. And it's much older than, say, Tom & Jerry, for that matter - scholars actually think it probably dates all the way back to medieval times. CRACKED.COM — Source

14

Knuckles

CRACKED MYTH: CRACKING YOUR KNUCKLES WILL CAUSE ARTHRITIS. FACT: Studies have shown no evidence to support this common belief. The cracking sound that you hear when you crack your knuckles is caused by the release of gas bubbles in the synovial fluid that lubricates the joints. Arthritis is caused by inflammation of the joints- and the release of gas bubbles is not thought to cause it.

13

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 — Source

12

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

11

The Myth: Blowing up a spacecraft (or anything) in space will result in a massive fireball explosion! The Reality: Space is a vacuum meaning there is no oxygen or fuel for the fireball. An explosion would only be a brief, bright flash in the region of the explosive material. Which would still look pretty cool--http://bit.ly/1a11za — Source

10

Fresh Produce

MYTH: FRESH PRODUCE IS HEALTHIER THAN CANNED OR FROZEN. FACT: PRESERVED FOODS HAVE moRe NUTRIENTS. Unless you're harvesting your fruit and vegetables from your own garden, that fresh produce has likely traveled over a distance before landing on your table. During that time, it has lost vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Freezing and canning stops that loss, because it locks the nutrients in. CRACKED.COM http://abcnews.go.com/Health/reasons-buy-frozen-fruits-veggies/story?id=20683879#1 — Source

9

The Sides of the Brain

MYTH: A PeRSon IS eITHeR LeFT- OR RIGHT-BRAINED. FACT: YOUR BRAIN ISN'T DIVIDED UP THAT WAY. The myth that right-brained people are creative and artistic and left-brained people are logical and mathematical is so pervasive that teachers are instructed to balance the brained-ness of their teachings. The brain does indeed have some specialized structures, but the idea that they cluster on opposite sides of the brain like rival gangs is ridiculous. CRACKED.COM http://www.livescience.com/655-lefty-myths-mysteries-persist.html — Source

8

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

7

MYTH8 once you get rarried, the sex stops. FAGT8 Married people are having weay rore sex than singles. According to the Kinsey Institute, almost 50 pe — Source

6

Shaq: "Let’s stir the pot."

Beef myths SHAQ Shaquille O'Neal said that his disagreements with Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson were just a way to get people talking. Basically, it was just a show for the media, and there was no actual bad blood. KOBE and PHIL JACKSON CRACKED — 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

MYTH: CARBOHYDRATES SHOULD MAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF YOUR DIET. Fats One & Sweets KEY O occuring and added USE SPARINGLY Sugers sadded - - - - adidas sugar - MIX Yogurt & Meat Pouby Fish Dy Beans Cheese Group Eggs & Nuts Group 2-3 SERVINGS 23 SERVINGS Vagatable Group Fruit Group 3-5 SERVINGS 2-4 SERVINGS Bread Cereal Rice & Pasio Group 611 SERVINGS CRACKED.COM We have lobbyists to blame for the 1992 USDA food pyramid we all remember from health class, which put carbs as the building blocks of a well balanced diet. USDA nutritionists called for 3-4 daily servings of whole-grain — Source

3

MYTH: Someone was killed on Ben-Hur There's a rumor that a stuntman died while they were filming the chariot race scene in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur, and that it was left in the movie. That's not true at all, actually. CRACKED — Source

2

CRACKED MYTH: IF ARRESTED, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO ONE PHONE CALL (AS SEEN IN: EVERY COP MOVIE EVER) FACT: There is no federal law or constitutional precedence that entitles you to a phone call- though some states have made specific laws enshrining the right to a phone call. — Source

1

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

Tags:

Visual

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

Movies & TV

Here Are All the Fan-Spotted Easter Eggs and Callbacks From the ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’/‘Abbott Elementary’ Crossover

Movies & TV

Eddie Murphy Says This Is His Worst Movie

Movies & TV

Here’s Why Ben Stiller Quit ‘SNL’ After Four Episodes

Movies & TV

‘The New York Times’ Gets Ben Stiller to Confess That He Borrowed His ‘Dodgeball’ Villain From a Disney Movie

Trivia & Jokes

35 of the Funniest Tweets from Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Trivia & Jokes

12 Farm-Fresh Trivia Tidbits for Tuesday, January 14, 2025

VIRAL ON CRACKED

1

30 Double Standards That Nobody Wants To Admit To

2

13 Well Drawn Pieces Of Trivia About Tattoos

3

40 Random Bits of Trivia to Shampoo Into Your Brain Folds

4

35 Random Bits of Historical Trivia That Make Us Think Its Probably Best for A.I. to Take It From Here

5

22 Foods That Have Changed And Morphed Over Time