100 Common Misconceptions You Would Never Believe

21. Mars Bars

• Misconception: They contain marshmallow.
• Reality: Mars Bars are made with nougat, caramel, and chocolate, with no marshmallow.

22. Twinkies

• Misconception: They have an indefinite shelf life.
• Reality: Twinkies have a shelf life of about 45 days.

23. The Spanish Inquisition

• Misconception: It was predominantly about torturing non-believers.
• Reality: Most trials did not involve torture, and it was more about consolidating state power than religious fervor.

24. Glass

• Misconception: Glass is a slow-moving liquid.
• Reality: Glass is an amorphous solid—its molecules are frozen, making it rigid.

25. Venus Flytrap

• Misconception: It is a tropical plant.
• Reality: Venus flytraps are native to subtropical wetlands in the United States.

26. Cleopatra

• Misconception: She was Egyptian.
• Reality: Cleopatra was of Macedonian descent, although she was the last queen of Ptolemaic Egypt.

27. Ostriches

• Misconception: They bury their heads in the sand when threatened.
• Reality: Ostriches lie low and press their heads to the ground to blend in, not to “bury” them.

28. The Bermuda Triangle

• Misconception: It is the site of an unusually large number of shipwrecks due to paranormal phenomena.
• Reality: The Bermuda Triangle does not have statistically significant more disappearances than any other similarly trafficked area.

29. Cracking Knuckles

• Misconception: It causes arthritis.
• Reality: Research shows no direct correlation between knuckle cracking and arthritis.

30. Plymouth Rock

• Misconception: The Pilgrims landed directly at Plymouth Rock.
• Reality: There’s no historical evidence to suggest that Plymouth Rock was the Pilgrims’ first landing spot.

31. King Arthur

• Misconception: He was a real historical figure.
• Reality: King Arthur is a legendary figure, and there’s no definitive evidence that he was real.

32. Lady Godiva

• Misconception: She rode naked through the streets.
• Reality: This story is likely a romanticized legend; historical records of Lady Godiva mention her piety and generosity but not this act.

33. Witch Hunts

• Misconception: Medieval Europe burned thousands of witches at the stake.
• Reality: The peak of the witch hunts was not in the Middle Ages but during the Renaissance, and many were hanged, not burned.

34. Thomas Edison

• Misconception: He invented the light bulb.
• Reality: Edison improved upon previous designs and made the first commercially practical light bulb.

35. Salem Witch Trials

• Misconception: The accused witches were burned at the stake.
• Reality: Most of the convicted “witches” during the Salem Witch Trials were hanged or died in prison.

36. Julius Caesar

• Misconception: He was Emperor of Rome.
• Reality: Caesar was a dictator but never an emperor; the first official Roman Emperor was Augustus.

37. Albert Einstein

• Misconception: He failed mathematics in school.
• Reality: Einstein was excellent in mathematics from a young age.

38. The French Revolution

• Misconception: “Let them eat cake” was said by Marie Antoinette.
• Reality: There’s no record of Marie Antoinette saying this; it was likely political propaganda.

39. Walt Disney

• Misconception: He was cryogenically frozen.
• Reality: Disney was cremated after his death.

40. The Forbidden City

• Misconception: It has 9,999 rooms.
• Reality: The Forbidden City in Beijing actually has around 8,700 rooms.

41. Bill Gates

• Misconception: He dropped out of college because he was failing.
• Reality: Gates left Harvard to pursue his business with Microsoft, not because of academic issues.

42. Titanic

• Misconception: It was claimed to be “unsinkable.”
• Reality: The Titanic was advertised as being exceptionally strong, but it was never described as unsinkable by its builders.

43. Penguins

• Misconception: They only live in Antarctica.
• Reality: Penguins are also found in South Africa, Australia, and South America.

44. The Colosseum

• Misconception: It was primarily a site for gladiator battles.
• Reality: It was also used for mock sea battles, dramas based on Classical mythology, and public spectacles such as animal hunts.

45. The Pyramids

• Misconception: They were built by slaves.
• Reality: The builders of the Pyramids were likely skilled workers who lived in a nearby temporary city.

46. Sunsets on Mars

• Misconception: They are the same as on Earth.
• Reality: Sunsets on Mars appear blue due to the way the Martian atmosphere scatters light.

47. Dinosaurs

• Misconception: They were all giant reptiles.
• Reality: Many dinosaurs were no bigger than a turkey and some had feathers.

48. The Capitol of Brazil

• Misconception: It’s Rio de Janeiro.
• Reality: Brazil’s capital is Brasília, designed specifically for this role in the 1950s.

49. Vomitoriums

• Misconception: They were rooms in Roman villas for purging food during meals.
• Reality: Vomitoriums were actually the entranceways in amphitheaters through which crowds would “spew out” at the end of a show.

50. Salad Days

• Misconception: Refers to a time when one is young and inexperienced.
• Reality: Originally from Shakespeare, where it meant a time of youthful inexperience, often with a negative connotation of immaturity.

51. Oranges in California

• Misconception: Native to the state.
• Reality: Oranges were introduced to California by Spanish missionaries in the 18th century.

52. Cinco de Mayo

• Misconception: Mexican Independence Day.
• Reality: It commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, not Mexican Independence, which is celebrated on September 16.

53. Sherlock Holmes

• Misconception: Famous for saying, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”
• Reality: This phrase never appears in the original writings of Arthur Conan Doyle.

54. Mongol Invasions

• Misconception: Primarily barbaric and destructive.
• Reality: The Mongols also facilitated trade and cultural exchange across their vast empire.

55. Chili Peppers

• Misconception: They are vegetables.
• Reality: Botanically, chili peppers are considered fruit.

56. The Color Orange

• Misconception: Named after the fruit.
• Reality: The color was named after the fruit, not the other way around.

57. Woolly Mammoths

• Misconception: Coexisted with early humans only in prehistoric times.
• Reality: Woolly mammoths were still around while the pyramids were being built in Egypt.

58. The Dark Ages

• Misconception: A period of unmitigated backwardness and barbarism.
• Reality: The so-called “Dark Ages” were a time of significant scientific, cultural, and technological advancements in many parts of the world, especially the Islamic world.

59. The Canals of Mars

• Misconception: Evidence of alien life.
• Reality: The canals were a misinterpretation of visual observations; modern missions have shown natural geological features.

60. Albert Einstein’s Brain

• Misconception: Stolen and kept in a jar.
• Reality: His brain was indeed removed without permission by the pathologist who conducted his autopsy; parts of it are now in a museum.

61. “Survival of the Fittest”

• Misconception: Implies the strongest physically survive.
• Reality: It actually refers to the fit between organisms and their environment, including many factors like adaptability.

62. Lemming Suicides

• Misconception: Lemmings commit mass suicide by jumping off cliffs.
• Reality: This is a myth popularized by staged documentaries; lemmings do migrate, and accidental falls may occur.

63. Hedgehogs

• Misconception: Can shoot their quills.
• Reality: Unlike porcupines, hedgehogs cannot project their quills; they can only curl into a ball.

64. Marie Curie

• Misconception: Died of radiation poisoning.
• Reality: She died of aplastic anemia, likely caused by prolonged exposure to radiation, but not acute radiation poisoning.

65. The Loch Ness Monster

• Misconception: Evidence of a prehistoric creature.
• Reality: Most sightings and photographs of “Nessie” have been debunked or attributed to other phenomena.

66. Spartans

• Misconception: Primarily warriors.
• Reality: While militaristic, Spartan society was also deeply involved in arts, music, and dance.

67. The Library of Alexandria

• Misconception: Destroyed in a single catastrophic event.
• Reality: The decline of the library was gradual, involving several incidents and a long period of decline.

68. The Gulf Stream

• Misconception: It’s the primary reason for Europe’s warm climate.
• Reality: Europe’s climate is warm more due to the prevailing westerly winds which carry warm air from the subtropically heated Atlantic Ocean.

69. Static Electricity in Hair

• Misconception: Caused by electricity in the hair.
• Reality: It’s caused by the movement of electrons from one material to another, leaving an electrical imbalance.

70. Antibiotics

• Misconception: They are effective against all infections.
• Reality: Antibiotics only work against bacteria, not viruses.

71. Moonlight

• Misconception: Has unique properties.
• Reality: Moonlight is simply reflected sunlight and carries no distinct properties other than those imparted by its reflection.

72. The Capitol Building

• Misconception: The U.S. Capitol Building was designed by George Washington.
• Reality: It was designed by William Thornton and later modified by other architects.

73. George Washington’s Teeth

• Misconception: They were made of wood.
• Reality: His dentures were made from a combination of gold, ivory, lead, and animal teeth.

74. Gravity in Space

• Misconception: There is no gravity in space.
• Reality: Gravity exists everywhere in space, though it is weaker far from large objects like Earth.

75. Water Conducts Electricity

• Misconception: Pure water conducts electricity.
• Reality: It’s the minerals and impurities in water that conduct electricity, not the water itself.

76. The Signing of the Declaration of Independence

• Misconception: It was signed on July 4, 1776.
• Reality: It was officially adopted on that date, but the actual signing took place over several months.

77. The Ring Around the Rosie

• Misconception: The nursery rhyme is about the Black Plague.
• Reality: This interpretation is a modern invention; the origins of the rhyme are not definitively known.

78. Iron Maidens

• Misconception: Were widely used for medieval torture.
• Reality: There is no reliable historical evidence that iron maidens were used before the late 18th century.

79. The Color Pink

• Misconception: Naturally occurring.
• Reality: Pink is not a color found in the light spectrum; it’s a mix of red and violet, two colors, which in a rainbow, don’t touch.

80. Bananas

• Misconception: Grow on trees.
• Reality: The banana “tree” is actually a large herbaceous plant.

81. Columbus Discovering America

• Misconception: Columbus discovered America.
• Reality: Indigenous peoples inhabited the Americas long before Columbus arrived. Additionally, Norse explorers reached North America around the year 1000.

82. Hummingbirds

• Misconception: They are the only birds that can fly backwards.
• Reality: Hummingbirds are the only birds capable of sustained backward flight, but other birds can move backward briefly, especially during hovering.

83. The Sahara Desert

• Misconception: It has been a desert for millions of years.
• Reality: The Sahara was green and lush during several periods in history, most recently about 5,000 to 10,000 years ago.

84. Diamonds Made from Coal

• Misconception: Diamonds are formed from coal.
• Reality: Most diamonds are formed in the Earth’s mantle from carbon, far below the areas coal is found, and are much older than the plant material that forms coal.

85. The Brontosaurus

• Misconception: It was a real dinosaur.
• Reality: The Brontosaurus was a mistake arising from mislabeled bones; the dinosaur in question was actually an Apatosaurus.

86. Witches in Salem

• Misconception: The Salem witch trials were about actual witchcraft.
• Reality: The trials were more about paranoia, social scapegoating, and property disputes than actual beliefs in witches.

87. The Full Moon Effect

• Misconception: The full moon causes bizarre behavior.
• Reality: Numerous studies have shown no significant link between the full moon and increases in bizarre or emergency room behavior.

88. Cats and Dogs

• Misconception: Cats always land on their feet, and dogs are colorblind.
• Reality: While cats often land on their feet due to their righting reflex, they can still sustain injuries. Dogs are not completely colorblind but see a more limited range of colors.

89. Blood in Your Veins

• Misconception: Deoxygenated blood in veins is blue.
• Reality: All human blood is red, though it can appear darker when it is low in oxygen.

90. The Five Senses

• Misconception: Humans only have five senses.
• Reality: Humans have at least nine senses, including balance, temperature, and pain, among others.

91. The QWERTY Keyboard

• Misconception: Designed for speed.
• Reality: The QWERTY layout was designed to prevent typewriter jams, not for typing speed.

92. The Forbidden Fruit

• Misconception: It was an apple.
• Reality: The Bible never specifies the type of fruit; “apple” is a later Western interpretation.

93. Mount Everest

• Misconception: It’s the tallest mountain.
• Reality: Everest is the highest mountain above sea level, but Mauna Kea is the tallest when measured from base to summit.

94. The Leaning Tower of Pisa

• Misconception: Always leaned.
• Reality: The tower began to lean during construction because of inadequate foundation on soft ground.

95. Thomas Crapper

• Misconception: He invented the toilet.
• Reality: Crapper popularized the siphon system for emptying the tank, but he did not invent the toilet.

96. The Expression “Rule of Thumb”

• Misconception: It comes from an old law allowing men to beat their wives with sticks no thicker than their thumb.
• Reality: This origin is apocryphal; the phrase likely refers to using the thumb as a makeshift measuring stick.

97. The Size of the Universe

• Misconception: It’s known and measurable.
• Reality: The observable universe can be measured, but the total size of the universe remains unknown and potentially infinite.

98. Nero and Rome

• Misconception: Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
• Reality: The fiddle did not exist at the time; Nero was actually known to have taken measures to help the city during the fire.

99. The Pied Piper

• Misconception: It’s just a fairy tale.
• Reality: The story is likely based on real events, possibly a mass emigration or a tragic accident that befell the children of Hamelin.

100. The Color Blue

• Misconception: Ancient people could see and described blue.
• Reality: Historical texts rarely mentioned blue. The color blue is rarely mentioned in ancient texts, suggesting it may not have been distinguished from other colors until later.

This comprehensive list not only illuminates many common misconceptions but also invites us to question and learn more about the seemingly familiar aspects of our world. By continuously seeking accurate information, we can better understand the complexity and beauty of the environment around us.