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27 Common Misconceptions About Everyday Life

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27 Common Misconceptions About Everyday Life

July 23, 2023

Beans are used to make coffee, chameleons vary in color to blend in with their environment and Mount Everest is the world’s “tallest” mountain.

Those are some current “facts” that we think are real, yet professionals have (annoyingly) pointed out are misconceptions. While Everest is considered the world’s highest peak, others argue that it should not have the title considering Mauna Kea is the highest peak when assessed from bottom to top. Others are outright lies, such as the myth that the Great Wall of China is visible from space and the idea that caffeine dehydrates the body.

Here are a bunch of other common misunderstandings we have about the world…

27

Nutrition Facts Sodium (Na) is not just Table Salt (NaCl). This is why Frosted Flakes Sodium 140mg Taste nothing like Pringles Sodium 150mg These common ingredients are contributing to your Sodium intake: Baking Soda. MSG. Sodium Nitrite, and many preservatives. Not a significant source of concern since, contrary to popular belief, it turns out that consuming reasonable amounts of Sodium does not actually cause heart failure. These, however, do: Age Obesity Alcohol Consumption Family History Sedentary Lifestyle Stress Inadequate Levels of Sodium Intake GRACKED.COM — 40 Myths (That've Been Around Forever) We All Believe

26

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 — 21 Historical Figures Everybody Gets Wrong

25

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 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 — 26 Side By Side Comparisons That Fix Your Image Of History

24

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Gunshots can easily knock you off your feet (and big guns will send you flying across the room). REALITY: If they did, the shooter would be flying, too. It's Newton's third law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In fact, the recoil of the gun will exert greater force, because while the bullet loses energy thanks to aerodynamic drag, the gun does not. Bullets are also pretty small in mass compared to our bodies, and they don't carry enough momentum to just throw us off our feet. — 14 Myths About Crime We Believe (Thanks To Pop Culture)

23

After the Greek bailouts, an impression was born in Europe that Greece was the least hardworking country. However, their workweek is much longer than some other EU countries. Greece 41.9 Spain 37.9 France 37.3 Italy 36.9 36.7 U.K. Sweden 36.3 Germany 35.3 Denmark 33.5 Netherlands 30.1 GRACKED.COM — 15 Countries We Picture Wrong Side By Side With Reality

22

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 — 23 Widely-Circulated 'Facts' About The Law That Are Myths

21

MYTH: SCIENTISTS CANNOT EXPLAIN BE HOW BEES FLY. CRACKED COM French scientists in the 1930's theorized that the wings of a bee were too small to grant it flight, but only because they presumed the wings were fixed like that of an airplane. We now know that insects, like birds and bats, can rotate their wings and create a vortex to lift them into the air. — Scientific American

20

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/ — 24 Food And Cooking Myths

19

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. — BusinessInsider

18

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 — 21 Debunked Food Myths

17

YOU CAN'T BRUSH OFF A SHOULDER WOUND The shoulder contains a major artery and a large nerve bundle. There's lots of factors, but it's not likely you're just shrugging that one off. CRACKED.COM — 14 Myths Perpetuated By Movies

16

When searing meat, avoid overcrowding the pan. That will trap the steam and prevent browning. Leave some space so that the steam can circulate properly. GRACKED.COM — 26 Food And Cooking Common Misconceptions

15

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. — Smithsonian Magazine

14

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 II so he could make more cowboy movies. CRACKED.COM Michael Munn, 2005 John — 21 Historical Figures Everybody Gets Wrong

13

Reality Myth The Polish were trying to The Polish tried to charge disperse German infantries at German tanks during between those German tanks. the battle of Krojanty German soldiers thought the with sabers and horses, Polish were attacking their which led to misconception tanks. that the Polish were In fact, the Polish Cavalry extremely primitive. were equipped with 7TP tanks outfitted with a 37 mm antitank gun which can tear up German tanks pretty well. CRACKED.COM — 26 Side By Side Comparisons That Fix Your Image Of History

12

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

11

England is such a rainy place. In actuality, Average millimeters per year Zurich 1,048 English cities Leeds 1,024 don't see more Naples 1,008 rainfall than Brussels 852 Amsterdam 838 others around Manchester 829 Europe. Rome 799 Nice 733 Birmingham 681 Paris 637 Even beautiful London 557 Paris gets more Copenhagen 523 rainy days than Marseille 515 grim London. Madrid 436 CRACKED.COM — 15 Countries We Picture Wrong Side By Side With Reality

10

MYTH: Being a hitman requires a special skill set. FACT: Fancy hitmen don't exist in the real world. A U.K. study of hitmen showed that the stereotype of the suit-wearing, surgical, master assassin is far from the truth. Most hitmen are average Joes (aside from the killing people thing). They're usually first-time, local individuals who are so hard up for money they can't even leave the area after the kill. Incidentally, they also get caught a lot. CRACKED.COM http://manbcmedia.msn.com//MSNBC/Sections/NEWS/HOJOTheBritishHitmanIR2.pdf — 23 Widely-Circulated 'Facts' About The Law That Are Myths

9

MYTH: ALBERT EINSTEIN FAILED BE + 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. — Washington Post

8

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

7

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. — Cracked

6

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 — 21 Debunked Food Myths

5

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 — FBI

4

- S Raw Shr Large - 40 your EZ PHR CHELLE 40 -40 и watertrontAISTA waterteud - Raw Shr Raw Shrimp S EZ PEEL SHELL & KZ PEEL SHELL &TAILON E Large Large 31-40 COUNT PIRLE 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. — 26 Food And Cooking Common Misconceptions

3

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 — BBC

2

GRACKED.COM For three days after death hair and fingernails continue to grow, but phone calls taper off. 10 -Johnny Carson - 2 ACME-CANADA 5 31 It Well, actually no. 51 61 Production of new hair and nail cells 7 C requires a supply of glucose, which cuts off shortly after death. The او 10l myth was perpetrated by the natural 2 dehydration of the body after death, causing a retraction of skin around the hair or nails that gave the appearance of hair/nail growth. — 40 Myths (That've Been Around Forever) We All Believe

1

Remember the heroic story of Pocahontas? That never happened, and that wasn't her name. Her true name was Matoaka, although she commonly went by Amonute. Pocahontas was a nickname meaning naughty child. The Powhatan Nation denies the story of Pocahontas rescuing John Smith as garbage made up by Smith, and their romance as Disney nonsense. When the tribe complained, Roy Disney called the movie responsible, accurate, and respectful. CRACKED.COM http://www.powhatan.org/pocc.html — 21 Historical Figures Everybody Gets Wrong

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