Everything You Know Is Wrong (Well, Some of It)

Misinformation spreads fast — especially when it sounds plausible. Some "facts" get repeated so often in school, in movies, and online that they become accepted wisdom without anyone stopping to verify them. Here are 10 of the most commonly believed pieces of trivia that are completely, provably false — along with the real story.

The Top 10 Myths Disguised as Facts

1. MYTH: "We Only Use 10% of Our Brains"

Truth: Brain imaging technology shows that virtually all areas of the brain are active at some point, and most of the brain is active almost all the time. Even during sleep, large portions of the brain remain busy. This myth likely originated from misquoted psychology research about unused potential — not neuroscience.

2. MYTH: "The Great Wall of China Is Visible From Space"

Truth: The Great Wall is long but only about 9 metres wide — far too narrow to see from orbit with the naked eye. Multiple astronauts, including Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei, have confirmed they could not see it. You'd need a telescope. The myth has been repeated for so long it even appeared in Chinese school textbooks.

3. MYTH: "Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice"

Truth: Lightning absolutely strikes the same place multiple times. The Empire State Building is struck by lightning dozens of times per year. Tall, conductive objects are preferred strike points precisely because of their height and conductivity.

4. MYTH: "Napoleon Bonaparte Was Very Short"

Truth: Napoleon was approximately 5 feet 6 or 7 inches tall — average or slightly above average for a French man of his era. The "short Napoleon" myth likely arose from a misunderstanding of French and English measurement units, combined with British wartime propaganda designed to mock him.

5. MYTH: "Goldfish Have a 3-Second Memory"

Truth: Goldfish can actually remember things for months. Studies have shown they can be trained to navigate mazes, press levers for food, and recognise their owners. The 3-second myth has no scientific basis — it may have started as a joke that was taken literally.

6. MYTH: "Humans Have Only Five Senses"

Truth: Beyond sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, humans also possess senses for balance (vestibular sense), body position (proprioception), temperature (thermoception), and pain (nociception), among others. Scientists generally recognise more than a dozen distinct human senses.

7. MYTH: "The Tongue Has Dedicated "Taste Zones""

Truth: The classic diagram showing sweet at the tip, bitter at the back, and salty/sour on the sides is a misinterpretation of a 19th-century German study. In reality, taste receptors for all flavours are found across the entire surface of the tongue.

8. MYTH: "Bulls Are Enraged by the Colour Red"

Truth: Cattle are dichromats — they see a limited colour spectrum and cannot clearly distinguish red from green. What provokes a bull in bullfighting is the movement of the cape, not its colour. The cape is red primarily to mask bloodstains during the fight.

9. MYTH: "Humans Swallow Eight Spiders a Year While Sleeping"

Truth: This is almost certainly zero. Spiders have no reason to approach a sleeping human (a large, vibrating, breathing creature is terrifying to a spider). A sleeping person's breathing, heartbeat, and body vibrations are strong deterrents. The "eight spiders" claim is internet folklore with no scientific support.

10. MYTH: "Chameleons Change Colour to Camouflage Themselves"

Truth: Chameleons primarily change colour to communicate — expressing mood, temperature regulation needs, or readiness to mate — not to blend into their background. Their resting colours often already provide decent camouflage; the dramatic changes are mostly social signals.

Score Yourself!

Myths You Believed Result
8–10 🎓 Welcome to your myth-busting awakening!
4–7 🤔 Not bad — you're half myth-proof!
1–3 🏆 Impressive — you're a natural sceptic!
0 🦸 Are you secretly a scientist?

The best part of busting myths? Once you know the real story, it's almost always more interesting than the fiction. Share this with someone who still thinks Napoleon was short!