There are quite a few common misconceptions in the world. Which ones do you know that may blow our minds? :D (Please keep out of provocative subjects such as religion)
Bulls aren't angered by the color red - they're color blind. It's the movement of the cape that provokes them.
The Great Wall of China is actually not visible from space.
Betsy Ross probably didn't make the first American flag. There is no historical evidence, and the story first surfaced in 1870-- decades after her death.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/We_Can_Do_It!.jpg)
This is not Rosie the Riveter, it is a completely unrelated design that was used because there was no copyright on it.
This is Rosie the Riveter:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/RosieTheRiveter.jpg)
Napoleon wasn't abnormally short; he was calculated in French inches, which are different. Also, he liked to be surrounded by EXTREMELY tall soldiers.
Many people think flying is hard and dangerous. In reality it is incredibly safe and is even easier then driving a car.
Ghosts aren't real ;D
Abraham Lincoln had a thin, reedy voice and didn't like publicity. (I think)
Quote from: Sagetip, the hare on February 09, 2015, 09:11:23 PM
Ghosts aren't real ;D
Abraham Lincoln had a thin, reedy voice and didn't like publicity. (I think)
The first one is debatable.
Cool thread idea! :) I find a lot of these kinds of 'mythbusters' about, so hopefully I will actually remember some and add them in in time.
Joan of Arc actually irritated the French king of the time, after her initial popularity and visions. It got to the stage of the French actually initiating the death of Joan, rather than it being solely what the English did.
Quote from: The Mask on February 10, 2015, 05:51:33 AM
Quote from: Sagetip, the hare on February 09, 2015, 09:11:23 PM
Ghosts aren't real ;D
Abraham Lincoln had a thin, reedy voice and didn't like publicity. (I think)
The first one is debatable.
Most definitely - Who's up for a debate by PM? *Glares at everyone*
Bananas DON'T grow on trees. Although we all call it a "banana tree" the stem doesn't contain true woody tissue. In reality it is a herbaceous plant, or "herb."
Ostriches don't bury their heads in the ground. Birds are smarter than most people give them credit for. :P
We don't ride kangaroos in Australia. To be fair, we do have a few wallabies(Smaller type of kangaroo) who come itno the school but that's only because we have a bushy hill inside the school property.
Crows are actual very intelligent (don't know if you knew that). They're smarter than most people think, so are ferrets.
Why don't we make this the crazy fact and myth debunking thread?
I have some good civil war things that will interest thy sammich.
Quote from: Sagetip, the hare on February 09, 2015, 09:11:23 PM
Ghosts aren't real ;D
I think a PM debate will help us. >:(
Ninja were often more honourable than samurai, contrary to popular belief.
There isn't actually a language called 'Arabic.' We just simplify the Arabic languages by calling them by the same name. There are many dialects of Arabic (Maghrebi Arabic of North Africa; Fus'ha Arabic of Egypt; Shaami Arabic of the Levant; and Peninsular Arabic, made up of regional dialects like Omani, Yemeni, Saudi, etc.). Each dialect is as different as the Romance languages. The roots are in Classical Arabic, but the dialects of Arabic are as different as different languages. There is also Modern Standard Arabic, or Formal Arabic, which is most commonly written but only spoken in an academic setting. Street signs are in Formal; local conversation is in Dialect. So if you learn 'Arabic,' you will learn both Formal and Dialect. Two languages and a new alphabet in one class; it's not easy. (But the alphabet it awesome; it's like a code no one else can read). I speak conversational Fus'ha, or Egyptian Dialect, as well as conversational Formal.
Quote from: Izeroth on February 11, 2015, 12:30:04 AM
Ostriches don't bury their heads in the ground. Birds are smarter than most people give them credit for. :P
Crows are known to place nuts on a busy street so the car tires crack the wheel open.
Quote from: Blaggut on February 13, 2015, 07:58:43 AM
Why don't we make this the crazy fact and myth debunking thread?
I have some good civil war things that will interest thy sammich.
Sure ;D
Humans don't have specific parts on their tongues for sensing distinct tastes (bitter, sweet, etc.)
The fastest recorded running speed for a human is 27.78 mph.
Harvestmen are not poisonous.
Some would say rattlers will rattle every time something approach's. This isn't true, I have come across two unexpectedly at two different times and neither began rattling until I started beating their heads in, Then it was rattling.
Quote from: Izeroth on February 11, 2015, 12:30:04 AM
Birds are smarter than most people give them credit for. :P
Yes, they are.
Commercial meat chickens are bred so that they grow so fast, they don't live long. At all. Their hearts simply can't keep up. So it's really doing them a kindness to kill and eat them, but WHY WERE THEY BRED LIKE THAT IN FIRST PLACE?!?!?!?!?! *Cries*
I've heard they grow so fast they can't stand. Their legs are still small and they can't move...
Natural selection at work. The "best" chickens were the ones people bred and raised.
Myth debunked: the first American settlers didn't build log cabins. Being mostly English, they built brick houses and wooden frame houses. The log cabins came with the arrival of Scandinavian settlers.
Quote from: LT Sandpaw on February 22, 2015, 02:16:13 PM
Some would say rattlers will rattle every time something approach's. This isn't true, I have come across two unexpectedly at two different times and neither began rattling until I started beating their heads in, Then it was rattling.
Why were you beating their heads in?
Quote from: Mhera on February 22, 2015, 02:38:41 AM
The fastest recorded running speed for a human is 27.78 mph.
Humans can run the loop-de-loop at a speed of 8 miles per hour.
Quote from: The Mask on February 23, 2015, 05:53:42 AM
Quote from: LT Sandpaw on February 22, 2015, 02:16:13 PM
Some would say rattlers will rattle every time something approach's. This isn't true, I have come across two unexpectedly at two different times and neither began rattling until I started beating their heads in, Then it was rattling.
Why were you beating their heads in?
Because they kill cows sheep and horses and dogs, need I go on. Their a really dangerous pest that must be eliminated.
That's a little brutal. Humanity ruins animals lives, it's only fair that they get to try and ruin ours, no?
Quote from: Jetthebinturong on February 23, 2015, 07:49:23 PM
That's a little brutal. Humanity ruins animals lives, it's only fair that they get to try and ruin ours, no?
LT forgot the part where a rattlesnake bite can very easily kill a human. Realize that if he was close enough to bop their heads then he was probably close enough to get bitten, in which case the bashing was warranted.
He didn't mention being in danger of being bitten. Rattlesnakes don't rattle every time something approaches, they rattle when they feel threatened and are about to attack. Since they weren't rattling, they didn't see Sandpaw as a threat and he was in no danger OR he ambushed them
They were sunning themselves on a rock, :P That being said they weren't rattling until after I started smacking them so technically Jetts right however I doubt you've had the chance to see what these things can do to animals and people so I'd say I it was in my right to kill them.
I usually let snakes live not being particularly afraid of them however Rattlesnakes and Copperheads are the exception and will be killed on sight.
Placing your car keys on your head actually helps and increases the range of the signal, :P don't ask me how it just does.
Well I personally don't care what they do to other animals (unless it's pets), that's their natural right as predators but I would attempt to defend myself if I was attacked. I consider it animal rights to attack humans as they see fit, we do them more harm than good and in return we should not expect love and affection. (I plan to never have a dog or a caged animal because they are dependent on humans and that makes me sad)
Was it bothering you? No? Why kill it then, because what it MIGHT do? Seems a bit unfair. That's like killing anyone with mental problems because they might be psychopaths. I've had snakes more poisonous a metre away from me and I didn't bother it therefore, it didn't bother me. In Australia, you attempt to harm a snake, and it's a couple of hundred bucks! And these snakes are almost all MORE dangerous than a rattlesnake.
Narwhal horns aren't actually growing from the middle of their mouth, it's actually one of their side teeth!
One question, why did you kill them? Snakes are harmless if you leave them alone, and as for they "may" cause injury I'm pretty sure anyone who lives in that area knows how to deal witha snake. Also, killing sunbathing snakes s like this situation = killing dogs on the beach because of the harm they "may" cause.
While I don't really agree with killing snakes if they're not in danger of harming anything, can we please stop comparing it murdering people?
Changed it to dogs.
Okay if you want to argue my case for killing the snake I would be more then happy too on a different topic, right now the mods might close this one because its getting off topic about killing snakes. The snakes have been killing our animals and cattle is expensive, I reserve the right to kill and eat the snakes I came across that may be harmful. Do you get mad like this every time you kill a spider or insect, or murder a cockroach in your pantry? Maybe when you murder millions of Bactria by washing your hands. Or when you munch on that burger from McDonalds. Not too burst any bubbles here but your being a bit ridiculous. >:(
Myth: The All spiders are dangerous.
Whoever believes this is off their rocker or never handled large arthropods. Tarantulas and most large spider are nearly harmless to humans and can even be held and kept as pets.
Edit: I apologies if I annoyed anyone but my argument still stands.
Woah, woah :o Let's calm down before this turns into the debate thread, y'all.
I found these in some National Geographic Kids fact books:
• Bolts of lightning can shoot out of an erupting volcano
• Red rain has fallen in parts of Asia
• A peanut is not a nut (I don't know why)
• A cheetah can turn in midair while it's running
• Wearing a hat on your head can warm your feet
• Some sand dunes bark
• If grasshoppers were the size of humans, they could leap across a basketball court
Quote from: Skyblade on February 25, 2015, 11:18:14 AM
• Red rain has fallen in parts of Asia
Me grand dad lives there. Also, let's stop argument.
Quote from: Skyblade on February 25, 2015, 11:18:14 AM
• Bolts of lightning can shoot out of an erupting volcano
This is true, most people wouldn't know it but lighting bolts come from the ground to the sky not the other way around. ITS A ILLUSION. They could strike from a volcano.
@Lord A: I am from Asia, but have never see red rain. That's so strange.
@Sandpaw: Wait, really? :o
No, lightning is attracted to the ground, it comes from the sky. That's why we have earth wires in the UK, when lightning strikes your house, it passes through the earth wire as that is the easiest route for it to follow, the rest of your electrics (and your life) are saved
Lightning goes from the ground up not the other way around. Why do you think you have to ground electricity. Its just the way it looks, it appears to be coming from the sky because of how fast it is.
Ok right, looked it up, here is the real answer
Does lightning strike from the sky down, or the ground up?
The answer is both. Cloud-to-ground lightning comes from the sky down, but the part you see comes from the ground up. A typical cloud-to-ground flash lowers a path of negative electricity (that we cannot see) towards the ground in a series of spurts. Objects on the ground generally have a positive charge. Since opposites attract, an upward streamer is sent out from the object about to be struck. When these two paths meet, a return stroke zips back up to the sky. It is the return stroke that produces the visible flash, but it all happens so fast - in about one-millionth of a second - so the human eye doesn't see the actual formation of the stroke.
Even if this were not the case, it wouldn't make sense for you to have to ground electricity that came from the ground
There is also cloud-to-cloud lightening. Also, the lightening from volcanic eruptions is just the same as that in a a thunder storm: static electricity either way.
Vaccines do not cause autism.
Actually, there's a lot of evidence to the contrary.
Fact: there is nothing in this thread we can't debate.
Quote from: Jukka the Sling on February 26, 2015, 12:12:17 AM
Actually, there's a lot of evidence to the contrary.
What evidence? There's basically a scientific consensus on this...
Quote from: Jukka & Izerothvax/anti-vax debate
Don't even go there.
Sorry but you literally cannot contract autism, it is something you are born with that develops as time goes on
Moving on... If anyone wants to debate me on that, please send me a PM.
Guys, please try not to get into heated debates here :-\ This is just a thread to share things you believe are true. If someone else thinks otherwise, he can go look it up or whatever else he pleases.
Space is big.
^Inarguable. :P
Imagine the Milky Way, something comprised of millions of stars, each so incredibly far apart that we may never reach them. That being said, what about the distance from one galaxy to another? What if all those galaxies are like the stars in our own galaxy, galaxies inside galaxies unto infinity?
Quote from: Jetthebinturong on February 26, 2015, 12:21:13 AM
Sorry but you literally cannot contract autism, it is something you are born with that develops as time goes on
Not meaning to cause debate, but I would like to mention that if the pregnant mother comes into contact with someone infected with German measles, or rubella, the infant can contract congenital rubella syndrome, sometimes causing severe autism.
As I said, it's something you're born with, I don't count contraction before birth as contraction
I see.
The dark side of the moon has never seen the light of the sun.
If the Sun suddenly disappeared, it would take us a little more than 8 minutes to realize it. This is because it takes the Sun's light that much time to reach Earth.
Quote from: Mhera on February 26, 2015, 12:13:32 AM
Fact: there is nothing in this thread we can't debate.
This was refuted by this:
Quote from: The Skarzs on February 26, 2015, 01:59:21 AM
^Inarguable. :P
Imagine the Milky Way, something comprised of millions of stars, each so incredibly far apart that we may never reach them. That being said, what about the distance from one galaxy to another? What if all those galaxies are like the stars in our own galaxy, galaxies inside galaxies unto infinity?
Quote from: Jetthebinturong on February 26, 2015, 12:21:13 AM
Sorry but you literally cannot contract autism, it is something you are born with that develops as time goes on
Not meaning to cause debate, but I would like to mention that if the pregnant mother comes into contact with someone infected with German measles, or rubella, the infant can contract congenital rubella syndrome, sometimes causing severe autism.
;D ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Izeroth on February 11, 2015, 12:30:04 AM
Ostriches don't bury their heads in the ground.
You can't debate that. That's a fact.
Well, actually, you could debate space being big, just not with an argument that made any sense from a human perspective.
'Big' is a relative term. It means physically large in size, relative to your perspective. Ants see us as big, we see elephants as big, elephants see whales as big. We see space as big, but if you are measuring with 'bigger than space' as your standard for 'normal,' space is small.
I almost made that post, but decide not to because I would just be being contrary...
It would have been, because you're a person that isn't me. Strange how that works.
Quote from: Izeroth on February 11, 2015, 12:30:04 AM
Ostriches don't bury their heads in the ground.
Hold on a moment there.
The great Roman naturalist Pliny apparently observed this phenomenon and commented on it. Who are you to question him? Have you ever even seen an ostrich in person? Countless people throughout history, who, unlike you, have been near Africa, have attested that the birds do, in fact, do this. What's more likely -- that millions of people are lying, or that your
opinion is flawed?
;-)
I'm not saying they do or do not stick their heads in the ground, but I'm sure it would not be for the reasons many might think.
When you smell bread baking, that smell is actually the aroma of alcohol evaporating.
Space is nothing, Also if you were to go into space without the proper equipment it would rip you apart and literally turn you inside out.
Also there is no sound in space you can't hear.
Quote from: James Gryphon on February 26, 2015, 01:58:43 PM
Quote from: Izeroth on February 11, 2015, 12:30:04 AM
Ostriches don't bury their heads in the ground.
Hold on a moment there.
The great Roman naturalist Pliny apparently observed this phenomenon and commented on it. Who are you to question him? Have you ever even seen an ostrich in person? Countless people throughout history, who, unlike you, have been near Africa, have attested that the birds do, in fact, do this. What's more likely -- that millions of people are lying, or that your opinion is flawed? ;-)
They do, in fact, bury their eggs in the ground and will stick their head in the hole to turn their eggs.
Quote from: James Gryphon on February 26, 2015, 01:58:43 PM
Quote from: Izeroth on February 11, 2015, 12:30:04 AM
Ostriches don't bury their heads in the ground.
Hold on a moment there.
The great Roman naturalist Pliny apparently observed this phenomenon and commented on it. Who are you to question him? Have you ever even seen an ostrich in person? Countless people throughout history, who, unlike you, have been near Africa, have attested that the birds do, in fact, do this. What's more likely -- that millions of people are lying, or that your opinion is flawed? ;-)
Actually, that's a myth: ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand! When an ostrich senses danger and cannot run away, it flops to the ground and remains still, with its head and neck flat on the ground in front of it. Because the head and neck are lightly colored, they blend in with the color of the soil. From a distance, it just looks like the ostrich has buried its head in the sand, because only the body is visible. Some ostrich eggs are lost to hyenas, jackals, and even Egyptian vultures, which break open eggs by dropping stones on them. But when an adult ostrich is threatened, it attacks with a ?clawed foot that delivers a kick powerful enough to kill a lion.
Source:
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/ostrich (http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/ostrich)
So you already claimed. Yet I notice that you did nothing to address the sources that I provided. Repeating yourself isn't enough to win a
debate; you have to back it up with facts.
Here is the exact quote from the great Pliny:
Quote from: Pliny...but their stupidity is no less remarkable; for although the rest of their body is so large, they imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of the body is concealed.
By disputing this you are calling Pliny and billions of others, including distinguished writers and nature experts, all liars. Surely you don't think your opinion outweighs the experience of men who have so accurately described the ostrich for the benefit of the Western world?
Answer this: do you think Pliny and billions of other people were lying? Yes or no?
I do not believe they were lying, but merely misinterpreting what they saw. Perhaps Pliny, observing an ostrich, thought that it was burying its head in the ground when in fact the head and neck blended with the surrounding terrain.
Is there any modern source you could cite? (No offense intended-- I'm actually interested to know.)
I have little context, and little knowledge, but I don't think the implication was that Pliny was lying, but rather that he was mistaken. And while I dont know whether or not ostriches. Hey their heads, it seems unlikely that they would do so due to stupidity. I doubt such a trait would become prevalent if it was completely inane.
Quote from: IzerothIs there any modern source you could cite?
Quote from: The James Animal EncyclopediaContrary to 20th-century opinion, the ostrich has been scientifically determined to be the world's dumbest bird. A zookeeper taking care of ostriches held in captivity found large concentrations of dirt on the birds' head. Curious, researchers put up video cameras to study their behavior. They were seen ducking their heads in the earth when frightened by loud noise from the lions.
A modern source. I know it's reliable; I just made it up. So, we good? :)
Quote from: Izeroth on February 26, 2015, 03:42:47 AMYou can't debate that.
Oh no?
;)
---
I don't know if this one's already been done, but if so I'll say it again anyway, since it's such a common belief -- chewing gum doesn't get stuck in your digestive system for seven years.
Eating doesn't cause the infamous 'cramps' when swimming.
Quote from: James Gryphon on February 26, 2015, 10:29:35 PM
Eating doesn't cause the infamous 'cramps' when swimming.
Nope it doesn't however it increases the chance of you vomiting up said food and us Life Guards HATE cleaning vomit out of the pool, Not the way we want to spend our afternoon, sooo wait for some time before going swimming after eating pls.
I remember these are in a Magic Tree House research guide
- A million marbles would fill the inside of a small car
- A billion marbles would fill the inside of a two-story house
- A trillion marbles would fill the biggest domed stadium up to the roof