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40 Myths We Completely Busted Like Old Desktop Computers in A Rage Room

Challenging everything about, well, everything

40 Myths We Completely Busted Like Old Desktop Computers in A Rage Room

February 19, 2025

Tell the interns to fetch our baseball bats, because we’ve got some beastly myths to bust. We should probably just keep them in our cubicles, since we need them more often than you’d think. We brought whole coconuts for breakfast, Ron asked for a piñata for his office birthday party today, and we’ve got the company softball game tonight.

We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, though. Let’s focus on busting these common myths and misconceptions before we get to all that fun stuff!

40

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

39

Undercover Cops

MYTH: Undercover officers have to tell the truth when asked if they're cops. FACT: That'd be incredibly unsafe if it were true. This is one of those tension-building devices in undercover cop movies (like in Deep Cover, where the hero is forced to answer yes when asked the are you a cop question, then plays it off as sarcasm). But even if asked directly, police officers have no obligation to blow their cover. Otherwise sting operations couldn't exist, because even the dumbest criminal could blow it with one question. CRACKED.COM http://www.snopes. com/risque/hookers/cop.asp — Source

38

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

37

Lobsters

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

36

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

35

Lighters

Contrary to popular belief, lighters have been around longer than matchsticks. Chemist Johann Wolfgang Dobereiner invented the first lighter in 1823,

34

Coffee

Contrary to popular belief, lighter coffee has higher caffeine content. When coffee is roasted, it loses caffeine, meaning that a dark and robust cup of coffee has less caffeine than a lighter roast. CRACKED — Source

33

Cowboys

BELIEF: Cowboy hats were worn in beginning of the Western American frontier. TRUTH: The cowboy hat didn't become popular until after the American Civi

32

Springtime

Research on seasonal effects on suicide rates suggests that suicide attempts OCCUr more frequently in the springtime, contrary to the popular belief t

31

Diamonds

CRACKED DIAMONDS = COMMITMENT The diamond engagement ring seems like it's been around forever - but actually, it was created in the late 1800s by diamond mining company De Beers as part of a clever advertising strategy. — Source

30

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

29

Sugar

Sugar is not the only thing that causes cavities. You may think that avoiding candy is enough to protect yourself against cavities. However, carbohydrates like pasta and rice also produce bacteria responsible for cavities. CRACKED.COM — Source

28

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

27

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

26

Goldfish

THINK YOUR FORGETFUL PAL HAS GOLDFISH MEMORY? 5 6 10 50 in 15 45 20 40 35 30 25 THINK AGAIN. Contrary to popular belief, that goldfish have a three second memory span, studies have shown that they can remember and recollect information for periods as long as five months, better than most other fish. GRACKED.COM — Source

25

Napoleon

CRACKED NAPOLEON Contrary to popular belief, Napoleon wasn't particularly short. Не was probably around the same height as the average Frenchman in the 19th century --he was estimated to be 5'6 or 5'7. — Source

24

Bathing in Medieval Times

Everyone in HISTORY THE medieval times smelled awful. Actually, they were way into bathing. Contrary to popular belief, medieval people actually lik

23

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.

22

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

21

Working Out

No more post-workout agony: Strength training can help reduce soreness. CRACKED.COM Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common experience for many who exercise, but contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to feel sore after a workout to know it has been effective. Research has shown that regular weight training and progressive overload can help reduce muscle soreness and improve fitness and strength. — The Conversation

20

Flat Earthers

- 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

19

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.

18

Sociopaths

SOCIOPATHS IN FICTION Myth SOCIOPATHS ARE THE ULTIMATE EVIL. Truth In reality, a lot of sociopaths just want to make some eggs in the morning, read a newspaper, walk their dog, and watch Judge Judy. Because they're, like, you know, people. CRACKED.COM — Source: NPR

17

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 — 18 Animal Misconceptions We Learned From Movies & TV

16

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

15

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)

14

Birds

Contrary to popular belief, handling a baby bird won't make its parents reject it due to the smell of human. Most birds can barely smell. ... but it's still a bad idea to handle any baby birds you find. Their parents are rarely far off, and even if you don't see them, they see you. CRACKED.COM — 40 Myths (That've Been Around Forever) We All Believe

13

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

12

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

11

The Middle Ages

Contrary to popular wisdom, witch burning wasn't really a thing in the Middle Ages. It only got going after the Middle Ages ended, and really kicked off around 1500. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

10

Vitamin C

Contrary to popular belief, Vitamin C doesn't prevent you from catching a cold. But it can have some benefits for colds, like reducing their severity or duration - that's the finding of a meta-analysis of 29 scientific studies. CRACKED.COM — Source: Healthline

9

Potted Plants

40 Myths We Completely Busted Like Old Desktop Computers in A Rage Room

8

Coca-Cola

atLe BELIEF: Coca-Cola invented Santa Claus as we know him. TRUTH: In 1836, illustrator Thomas Nast originated the classic imagery of Santa Claus in a — Source: Coca-Cola

7

The Great Wall

BELIEF: The Great Wall of China is visible from space. TRUTH: The Wall isn't visible with the naked eye while an astronaut is in low orbit, but you ca — Source: NASA

6

Ancient Rome

BELIEF: Classical statues were white. TRUTH: Ancient Roman and Greek statues used to painted bright colors but have faded over time. CRACKED.COM — Source: New Yorker

5

George Washington

BELIEF: George Washington had wooden teeth. TRUTH: Washington had bad teeth and wore dentures made of human and animal teeth and alloys. His dentures

4

Vikings

BELIEF: Vikings wore horned hats. TRUTH: They either wore no hats or simple hats of iron or leather. The horned hat imagery was invented in the 1800s. — Source: History Channel

3

Fingerprints

TH: CRACKED Found fingerprints at the crime scene? Bingo! REALITY: There are no true consensus as to how and if fingerprint forensics really work. The

2

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

1

Leopards

A leopard never changes its spots This belief is SO popular that it became an idiom, but leopards do change their spots as they reach adulthood. The

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