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36 Trivia Tidbits That Bust Common Myths

We’re like the SWAT team kicking down every myth’s door today!

36 Trivia Tidbits That Bust Common Myths

September 28, 2024

You better not get caught hanging out in some myth’s hideout today. The higher-ups told us to bust everybody involved in the myth ring plaguing good wholesome facts everywhere. We gathered enough evidence, and we’re coming for every myth out there.

So if you’re caught associating with a known myth, you're going down, too. Because in this game, helping perpetuate a myth is just as bad as starting a fresh one.

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

36

MYTH Opossums sleep upside down and hanging by their tails. TRUTH Only baby opossums can support their weight with their tail...and only for a few seconds. CRACKED.COM — Source

35

Pyramid Scheme

MYTH FACT Egypt has the Sudan has the most most pyramids pyramids in the world, in the world. with a total of 255- 117 more than Egypt. x CRACKED — Pete Linforth/Pixabay
JSTOR Daily

34

Harrison Ford didn't get a job on 'Star Wars' thanks to doing carpentry on set.

Hollywood Rumors and Myths Did Harrison Ford land Star Wars because he was a handsome carpenter? Ford was offered Han Solo after helping George Lucas audition other actors for the principal parts. Не accepted because it would allow him to pick and choose from the acting jobs that were being offered at the time, as well as giving him money to invest in tools for carpentry. CRACKED — Lucasfilm
Harrison Ford/Reddit

33

MYTH8 You LOSE MOST OF YOUR BODY HEAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD! FAGT8 YoU LOSE HEAT THE SAme ALL OvER. Turns out covering one part of the body has as much ef

32

Ice Ice Baby

GRACKED MYTH: SEVERED BODY PARTS SHOULD BE PUT ON ICE (AS SEEN IN: ANY MOVIE WHERE SOMEONE COMICALLY LOSES A FINGER). FACT: The ice could damage the body part, making it harder to reattach. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons instead recommends you cover the amputated part in moistened gauze wrap, place it in a watertight bag, and place that bag on ice in a sealed container or in another watertight bag. — OrthoInfo / Science ABC

31

36 Trivia Tidbits That Bust Common Myths — Source: National Geographic

30

MYTH: WHen YOU eAT RICE, ве SURE TO eAT BEANS, TO BALANCE THE PROTEIN. FACT: YOU'RE Fine WITH one OR THE OTHER. Experts used to preach protein complementarity-the notion that your body can't metabolize plant-based proteins unless they're paired in specific ways. The fact is, any plant-based food, even if eaten as your sole source of calories for the day, provides far more than the recommended requirements of essential amino acids. CRACKED.COM http://www.forksoverknives.com/the-myth-of-complementary-protein/ — 24 Food And Cooking Myths

29

MYTH: PLUTO IS NO LONGER CONSIDERED A PLANET. CRACKED.COM It's true that in 2006 the International Astronomical Union downgraded Pluto's classification from a full-size planet based on it missing one qualification: it did not clear its neighboring region of other objects. It's still a planet, though, just a dwarf planet. — Library of Congress

28

CRACKED.COM MYTH: If you get arrested, you can just remain silent and the cops must stop questioning you. REALITY: You have the right to remain silent, but you need to state it out loud. Rulings by the Supreme Court have stated that you must vocally assert this right. You can also state that you will remain silent until you have a lawyer present. — 14 Myths About Crime We Believe (Thanks To Pop Culture)

27

Misconceptions abound.

Fortune cookies aren't Chinese Fortune cookies actually come from Japan, not China, and they' re not common in China at all. atient, if you niverse will S. CRACKED — 279photo Studio/Shutterstock
Today

26

Harmful bacteria can survive being frozen. CRACKED COM Common misconceptions are that ice is too cold to harbor bacteria, but bac- teria that can cause seri- ous harm to humans are able to survive the freez- ing process. — Source

25

... TELL US NOW. MENTAL HEALTH NURSES CHALLENGE YOUR MISCONCEPTIONS. People with mental health issues aren't what's portrayed in movies,' says Debra M. People diagnosed with schizophrenia are funny, sweet human beings that are held hostage by this disease. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

Adam’s Missouri Vacation

RELIGIOUS MYTHS THE GARDEN OF EDEN IS IN MISSOURI THE MORMON CHURCH The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that the Garden of Eden was located in Jackson County, Missouri, and that Adam traveled east of Eden to what is now Daviess County, Missouri, to the spot Mormons call Adam-ondi-Ahman. CRACKED — Sean Pavone/Shutterstock,
Lucas Cranach/Wiki Commons
KBIA

23

MYTH: BREAD GeTS STALE BECAUSE IT DRIES OUT. FACT: STALeness comes FROM TOO MUCH MOISTURE. When bread gets too much moisture, the starches in the bread start to crystallize, making the bread tough and stale. And refrigerating bread won't keep it fresher. Low temperatures actually speed up the crystallization process. CRACKED.COM https://kitchen-myths. com/2011/11/19/myth-bread-becomes-stale-by-drying-out/ — 24 Food And Cooking Myths

22

Elvis Presley may have had a disease that caused paralysis of nerves in the colon.

Hollywood Rumors and Myths Did Elvis die from drugs and heart trouble? Dr. George Nichopoulos said he believes that chronic constipation is the main culprit. Specifically, he may have suffered from a condition called Hershberger's disease, or paralysis of nerves in the colon, caused by viruses. CRACKED — Wiki Commons
Fox News

21

MYTHS Sex Sells. FACTS Sex makes people forget what you're selling. Studies show that people are half as likely to remember what was advertised in a sexy commercial than they are to remember what's being sold in a regular one. For women, that means that around 22% of them can remember. For men, that number is less than 10% And women actively turn their attention away from sexy ads. CRACKED.COM ttp://www.emergencemarketing.com/2005/10/25/sex-in-ads-does-not-sell/ — Source: 24 Ways You've Misunderstood Sex Your Whole Life

20

Fingerprinting Myths

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: 14 Myths About Crime We Believe (Thanks To Pop Culture)

19

Beef myths NIKOLA TESLA Tesla's accomplishments were quickly acknowledged, and he was even given the Edison Medal in 1917. This was a big deal, since Edison was on the committee that gave out the award and could have stopped it from happening. THOMAS ALVA EDISON CRACKED — Source

18

MYTH: Men hit their Sexual peak much younger than women. FACT: Hormones don't dictate when you hit your peak. While it's true that testosterone reaches its apex when a man is in his late teens, and estrogen maxes out when a woman is in her 20s, sexual maturity has more to do with attitude and comfort. Middle-aged women are viewed as being at their sexual peaks because they've had time to experiment and become comfortable with their sexuality. CRACKED.COM https ddanielle.com/2011/04/24/the-myths-and-facts-behind-womens-sexual-peak/ — Source: 24 Ways You've Misunderstood Sex Your Whole Life

17

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

16

No one died during the filming of ‘Ben-Hur’ (except for several horses).

Hollywood Rumors and Myths Did a stuntman die filming Ben-Hur? The rumors were perpetuated by the director of the chariot scene, Andrew Marton, telling reporters that 20 men and 100 horses died. In reality, one horse died filming the 1925 version, five horses died filming the 1959 version, and exactly zero humans died filming either one. CRACKED — MGM
Snopes

15

The actress who played Jill Masterson in ‘Goldfinger’ died of skin asphyxiation (but not really).

Hollywood Rumors and Myths Did an actress die for real in Goldfinger? When Jill Masterson tries to double cross Goldfinger, he paints her gold, killing her via skin asphyxiation. Many people somehow believed that actress Shirley Eaton actually died in real life, because of how realistic the scene looks. CRACKED — Eon Productions, United Artists
BBC

14

'Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat' was the first documentary film, but reports of people panicking when watching it are likely fabricated.

Hollywood Rumors and Myths Did an 1896 Lumière film cause a stampede? The 50-second documentary Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat is said to have caused audiences to panic at the sight of the oncoming train. It's likely that these stories were invented as a way to describe the emotional power of cinema (or as class commentary on how trashy films affected uncultured people). CRACKED — Société Lumière
Atlas Obscura

13

MYTHS Women prefer jocks to brainy guys. FACT8 Women want their men to be smart. Scientists showed college-aged women videos of men performing various tasks, and had them evaluate each man's potential as a long-term mate. What the studies showed was that the creativity and overall braininess of these potential suitors won out over good looks or athleticism. CRACKED.COM http://abcnews. go.com/Technology/story?id=5951979&page=1 — Source: 24 Ways You've Misunderstood Sex Your Whole Life

12

Alligators weren't the first mythical sewer dwellers. Urban legends about sewer gators have their roots in Victorian London. Underground workers known as toshers had tales of wild pigs and supernatural rats. Similar myths go back even to ancient Rome. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

Beef myths MARILYN MONROE The press tried to make it seem like Monroe and Taylor were rivals, but they actually had no bad feelings towards each other. Taylor even offered to leave one movie so Monroe could get her job back. ELIZABETH TAYLOR CRACKED — Source

10

In a 2008 survey, 58% of British teenagers thought Sherlock Holmes was real. CRACKED.COM 23% thought Winston Churchill was a myth, as was Florence Nightingale. Gandhi and the Duke of Wellington were also in the top 10 of people thought to be myths. — Source

9

Myths with real-life consequences Aliens (romantic ones) Fran Drescher and her husband Peter Marc Jacobson both say aliens abducted them and put a chip in their hands. They think it made them meet, and Drescher insists the chip caused the scar on her hand (although Jacobson doesn't believe that part). CRACKED — Source

8

MYTHS When cousins marry, it's a genetic disaster. FACTS They're more likely to successfully reproduce. A recent study found that marriages between cousins in Iceland tended to produce more children and grandchildren than those between completely unrelated individuals. And the odds of a birth defect are 2-3% about the same as those of a woman who becomes pregnant in her 40s. CRACKED.COM http p://abcnews. go ws.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/story?id=4258128&page=1# UckcePm1eAi — Source: 24 Ways You've Misunderstood Sex Your Whole Life

7

Beef myths TY COBB Despite their different ways of playing, Cobb and Ruth eventually put aside their differences and became friends. This was demonstrated by their handshake at the 1924 World Series and their golf tournament in 1941. BABE RUTH CRACKED — Source

6

Signs saying Ye aren't supposed to be pronounced with a why sound. No 42 YE OLDE LONDON No 42 The letter Ye is supposed to be pronounced th, so the proper pronunciation of Ye in, say, Ye Olde is just the. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

5

Y2K WAS A VERY REAL THREAT. WELCOME TO THE WILLOWE une MOUNTAIN COMMAND CENTER GRACKED Luckily, a bunch of tech nerds saw it coming and fixed the issue before anything bad happened - except for the nerds at a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, which did experience a computer crash on January 1st 2000 at 12:00 am. — Source

4

THE REASON BRITISH PEOPLE SOUND SMARTER TO AMERICANS ISN'T BECAUSE OF THEIR ACCENT-IT'S BECAUSE OF ONE WORD. CRACKED British people use the word right when being told new information, which, according to some studies, makes them seem like they already knew the information. — Source

3

You shouldn't worry about a baby deer that is without its mother. Fawns are often left alone for hours while their mothers forage for food. Sometimes well-meaning people 'kidnap' the fawn think- ing it's abandoned. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

2

Mice don't like cheese. Mice prefer sweets and foods with more calories. They will eat cheese only as a last resort. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

1

The rain in Singin' in the Rain wasn't milk. It was just really good lighting and filming -- they lit it from behind, making sure you couldn't see all the lighting equipment in the shopfronts' windows. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

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