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40 Times Conventional Wisdom Was Wrong

Oh, everyone told you it was true? Well, everyone was wrong!

40 Times Conventional Wisdom Was Wrong

January 22, 2025

You did it again, didn’t you? You believed what you heard simply because some overconfident dude barged into the room spouting it loudly and proudly. In the immortal words of every mother of the past hundred years, “If your friend told you to jump off a bridge, would you?”

The same can be said for believing random facts. Well, the saying would be more like, “If your friend told you a fact about the construction of a bridge, you wouldn’t blindly believe it, would you?”

No, you wouldn’t! Because we have the internet now, and you don’t want to bounce around town spreading falsities now do you?

40

The Founding Fathers

CRACKED.COM MYTH: The Founding Fathers were Christians. No matter who you include as a Founding Father, not all of them were Christian. Deism (which prioritizes human experience and rationality over religious dogma and texts) had a huge influence during their time. — Source

39

Eggs

MYTH: EGGS ARE BAD FOR YOUR HEART. FACT: EAT YOUR eGGS. YOU'LL ве FIne. B Studies show that most people can eat an egg a day without it affecting their blood cholesterol in the least. The main culprits in heart disease are saturated and trans fats, and eggs are light in saturated fat and contain no trans fat. Further, studies show that when you eat high-cholesterol foods, your body compensates by making less cholesterol. CRACKED.COM http://www.dallasnews.com/life/healthy-living/2015/03/09/the-sunny-side-of-cholesterol — Source

38

Togas

People have an image of Romans always walking around wearing togas. In reality they were cumbersome, and heavy and not very popular. The average Roman wore lightweight tunics better suited to a Mediterranean climate. Togas were reserved for special occasions, such as weddings or for the Senate, much like a suit. GRACKED.COM — Source

37

Opossums

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

36

Bonnie and Clyde

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Bonnie and Clyde: The Legendary Bank Robbers. REALITY: They mostly robbed small grocery stores and gas stations. In the four years the Barrow gang targeted banks, they hit less than 15, didn't get away with much money, and a lot of times Bonnie stayed home and wasn't even involved. It was also easier to rob places with lower risk and quicker getaways. — Source

35

Happy Days

Conventional wisdom says Happy Days croaked when Fonzie literally jumped the shark in season five. But a more accurate low water mark might be The Nu

34

Cowboys

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Cowboys are uniquely American The original cowboys were Mexican cattlemen, known as vaqueros, who predate America cowboys. They taught future American cowboys how to do everything that's now considered classic cowboy, and eventually one in three cowboys were Mexican vaqueros. — Source

33

Monkeys

MYTH Monkeys eat bananas, obviously. TRUTH Monkeys don't eat bananas like the ones in the grocery in the wild. If you feed a monkey a banana, it's nutritionally like giving them chocolate cake. CRACKED.COM — Source

32

Shaving

Shaving Thickens Beards CRACKED.COM Unfortunately, no amount of Bic'ing will get you closer to viking glory. Shaving is purely a surface of the skin activity, and doesn't affect hair growth. If you want a thick beard immediately, you're gonna have to knock Santa off your roof, just like Tim Allen did. — Source

31

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

30

The Pilgrims

CRACKED.COM MYTH: The Pilgrims definitely landed on Plymouth Rock It wasn't until 121 years after William Bradford & Co. set foot on land that there's any mention of the granite. A son of a Pilgrim told of its signification, but the only surviving firsthand accounts make no mention of it. — Source

29

The Supreme Court

CRACKED.COM MYTH: The Supreme Court has always had nine justices The number of justices is set by Congress. At its founding, the Supreme Court only had six members. To help cement anti-slavery, Abraham Lincoln helped to add a tenth seat. In the 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt even proposed raising the number to 15. — Source

28

Fingerprints

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

27

Alaska

CRACKED.COM MYTH: State with the most serial killers? Must be Florida, or California. REALITY: It's Alaska. Proportional to its population, Alaska wins this one with around 15.65 serial killings per one million inhabitants. It's followed by Nevada, then Florida. Criminologists speculate that it might be due to the cover of darkness during those long Alaskan winter nights. The isolation of the state's remote locations might also play a part. — Source

26

Roman Orgies

CRACKED ROMAN ORGIES It's a common misconception that the Ancient Romans were into orgies, but there's no proof of any kind of organized group sex in Roman literature.

25

Police Brutality

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Cops manhandling a suspect in a movie or TV show? It's okay if it's the good guys doing it. REALITY: No, it really isn't. A study of 26 crime series (from How To Get Away With Murder to Mindhunter) showed that abuse of power is often portrayed as acceptable, forgivable, and even virtuous, as long as it's the heroes doing it. In reality, this type of conduct is an example of injustice itself. It's also a dangerous belief, as most people think they're the good guys.

24

Hysterical Fiction

CRACKED VIBRATORS AS TREATMENT FOR HYSTERIA It's a common misconception that Victorian doctors used vibrators to treat female hysteria, but there's no proof that this was ever a regular medical practice at all. — The Atlantic / Get Maude

23

Mental Illness

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Mental illness and gun violence go hand in hand. REALITY: Incorrect. It's estimated that only 4% of all violent gun crimes involve mental illness. Yet the majority of Americans believe otherwise. Alcohol abuse and stress from getting a divorce or losing a job are way more likely to induce gun violence. Mental illness, however, is a great risk factor for gun suicides, and makes up the majority of gun-related deaths in the US. — 14 Myths About Crime We Believe (Thanks To Pop Culture)

22

Julius Caesar

I'm the heir to my great Gaius Julius, as you and powerful uncle, .I will are now the Emperor use his name on my title! you shall be called Julius Caesar MYTH REALITY Augustus, the First Roman Gaius Julius Caesar Emperor Myth: The name Caesar is Latin for Emperor. Reality: The first five emperors of Rome (Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero) were all related to or heirs of the dictator Gaius Julius Caesar by birth or adoption, and as was customary they took his name for their own. By the time Nero died, a Caesar had been on the — 26 Side By Side Comparisons That Fix Your Image Of History

21

Knights

CRACKED You-had- -to-be- borna knight. It's a common misconception that knights were born into their title. In reality, knighthood was a privilege that was earned through brave acts or service, and could even be bought or granted as a reward. — Source

20

The Stock Market

BELIEF: Many stock brokers jumped out of windows when the market collapsed. There were two jumping TRUTH: suicides between the crash and 1929. The myth of the common Wall Street suicide originated with a comedian's quip. CRACKED.COM — Source

19

Microwaves

MYTH: MICROWAVE COOKING DESTROYS THE nuTRIenTS in FOOD. 8 8:8 8 - - Start UNA 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

18

The Polish Cavalry

CRACKED POLISH CAVALRY CHARGING NAZI TANKS A common misconception is that Polish lancers regularly charged at German tanks during WWII. This was actually just propaganda from Nazi and Soviet sources, and probably comes from a battle on the first day of the German invasion.

17

Urine

Urine is sterile. It's a myth that pee is totally clean. In reality, even healthy people have some bacteria in their urine. CRACKED — Tupungato/Shutterstock
Science News

16

The Wizard of Oz

Hollywood Rumors and Myths Did an actor hang himself on the set of The Wizard of Oz? There's an urban legend that if you look closely, you can see a Munchkin hanging themself during one scene. However, this myth is most likely just a combination of poor resolution and people seeing what they want to see. CRACKED — MGM
Little White Lines

15

Bats

2 MYTH: BATS ARE BLIND. B CRACKED.co The misconception is that bats use echolocation to locate food to make up for their poor eyesight, when in reality they have excellent vision attuned for low light. A bat is no more blind than a dolphin, another creature that uses echolocation. — Source: Britannica

14

Loch Ness Monster

The legend of the Loch Ness Monster goes back nearly 1,500 years. GRACKED.COM Written in the year 565 A.D., the tale speaks of a water beast that at- tacked and killed the local people when they went in the river- now known in Scotland as the River Ness. — History

13

Chloroform

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Chloroform can knock you out in seconds. REALITY: Nope, try five minutes. While chloroform has been used in murder cases, it doesn't have an immediate effect on a damp cloth over one's face. It will take around five minutes to kick in, and there will be a lot of kicking from the victim. In real murder cases, victims were usually tricked into taking the anaesthetic, or giving drugs prior to getting chloroformed. — Source

12

Yams

Have you tasted yam? Chances are, you probably haven't. Yams in America aren't actually yams. They're sweet potatoes. The confusion dates back to the time when the government tried to differentiate orange-fleshed sweet potatoes from the other kinds of sweet potato by calling it yam. To this day, Americans call orange-fleshed sweet potatoes yams. CRACKED.COM — 21 Debunked Food Myths

11

Madagascar

Myth: Madagascar is all jungle and primitive tribes. Reality: It has a thriving economy with its own airlines, 5 star hotels, - MAGAGASCAR and shopping malls. The capital city of Antananarivo has a population of 1.4 million. FIC GRACKED.COM — Source

10

Ostriches

MYTH Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when they're scared. TRUTH Ostriches run (at high speeds) when they're scared. They never bury their heads. CRACKED.COM — The 6 Most Frequently Quoted Bullshit Animal Facts

9

Condoms

MYTH: CONDOMS ARe 98% eFFeCTIve. FACT: THeY'Re JUST 82% eFFeCTIve OVERALL. They're 98% effective at preventing pregnancy when used perfectly. That means examining condoms for faults, squeezing the tip, using the right lube, and removing it while still erect. Factor in errors, and the failure rate jumps from 2% to 18%. CRACKED.COM — Sex Myths You've Probably Believed Your Entire Life

8

Hormones

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

7

The Handmaid’s Tale

BEHIND-THE-SCENESP FACTS THE BOOK NEVER REVEALED OFFRED'S REAL NAME. THE HANDMAND'S TALE In the book, Offred is never actually named - it's only vaguely hinted that her name could be June. The show went in another direction and revealed that her name is June in the very first episode. CRACKED.COM — Vulture

6

Brain Usage

You use 10% of your brain. It's a common misconception that we only use 10% of our brains. In reality, research has shown that we use almost all of our brain, and that most of it is active most of the time. CRACKED — sutadimages/Shutterstock
Scientific American

5

Palm Trees

CRACKED PALM TREES ARE NATIVE TO L.A. It's a common misconception that palm trees are from Los Angeles. In reality, most of the palm trees in L.A. were brought in from other places and planted to make the city more beautiful and attract more people. с DESER SP KEE adidas HOLTYWO VEN Sterlins 2

4

The Matrix

CRACKED.COM MATRIX The sunglasses characters wear in The Matrix aren't just for style. They hide the eyes of the peop le who can see the reality of th

3

Serial Killers

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Most serial killers had an abusive childhood. REALITY: A whopping 70% of serial killers reported no child abuse. These numbers might include individuals who don't want to admit experiencing a traumatic childhood, but that's still a pretty high number debunking the popular belief. Many of them did however report bed wetting, abusing animals, and setting things on fire. — Source

2

Betsy Ross

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Betsy Ross created the first American flag There's no evidence to suggest this, aside from her grandson's account. Historians have confirmed that she made flags for the Pennsylvania State Navy Board. — Source

1

Vomitoriums

Myth 'Vomitorium' is a designated place for ancient Romans to vomit everything they'd feasted on to stay in shape or to make room to eat more. Reality

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