Grayson West
Remember that “fact” you’ve believed since kindergarten? It might just be a tall tale dressed up as truth. Childhood is full of charming misconceptions that stick around longer than we expect. Let’s unravel 20 of these sneaky myths and see how much of your old wisdom deserves a second look. Buckle up and prepare to unlearn!
Goldfish Only Have A Three-Second Memory
Your little goldfish friend is much smarter than you think. It can remember things for months and can even recognize faces. Quietly encouraging these fish, you can even train them with rewards, and some also respond uniquely to different music genres.
Swallowed Gum Can Remain In Your Stomach For Years
If you’ve ever swallowed gum, you can finally relax. Your stomach acid can’t break down the gum, but it just passes through your digestive system within 24–48 hours. The myth is a throwback to ancient Mayans, who chewed a natural gum called chicle.
Carrots Give You Night Vision
While carrots contain Vitamin A—certainly good for your eyes—they don’t grant night vision. British propaganda quietly encouraged this myth during WWII to hide their radar technology. You still need equipment like night-vision goggles to see in the dark because you’re not an owl.
Cracking Knuckles Causes Arthritis
That satisfying pop you hear from your joints is just gas bubbles releasing. There is no direct link between joint disease and knuckle cracking. Dr Donald Unger cracked his knuckles for 50 years on one hand and had no arthritis, which then should alter your understanding of the habit.
Lightning Never Strikes The Same Place Twice
Tall objects are usually struck repeatedly by lightning. For example, the Empire State Building gets hit about 25 times per year, and this rewires how you think of lightning. NASA launchpads are even built with lightning protection towers to prevent repeated strikes.
People Use Only 10% Of Their Brain
That thought is a popular one, often seen in movies, but it’s completely false. Brain scans show all regions of your brain have functions, even when you’re at rest. Additionally, some brain cells fire when you’re just imagining things, not only when you’re physically doing them.
Bats Are Blind
The old saying “as blind as a bat” is far from the truth. Bats have good vision and rely on both their eyes and echolocation to traverse. While weakening the old myth, fruit bats see especially well, and some species can even see ultraviolet light.
Dropping A Penny From Tall Buildings Could Kill Someone
Dropping a penny from a skyscraper would result in little more than a thud. The penny’s terminal velocity isn’t high enough to penetrate skin. The impact, at the most, would feel like a light flick. Most of the time, the wind just blows the penny away before it even hits the ground.
Hair And Nails Keep Growing After Death
The movie monster in you is probably disappointed to learn that hair and nails do not grow after death. Dehydration makes the skin shrink back, creating the illusion of longer nails and hair. In fact, no biological process continues without energy after death.
Bulls Hate The Color Red
While matadors’ capes are red, bulls don’t actually care. Bulls are colorblind, so they react to the movement of the cape, which could be any color. This practice is simply a tradition that can ultimately reshape your perspective. In fact, Cows also charge at fluttering flags, regardless of their color.
Mother Bird Will Reject Its Baby If You Touch It
If you’ve ever worried about leaving a fallen chick alone, you can let go of the fear. Birds rely on sight, not smell, to recognize their young. Parent birds won’t abandon their babies because a human has touched them, and many rehabilitation centers safely hand-feed young birds.
The Great Wall of China Is Visible from Space
This grand myth isn’t true. Astronauts confirm the Great Wall cannot be seen without aid, as it blends into the natural surroundings. In fact, city lights at night are far more visible from orbit, proving you can’t see the wall.
Humans Evolved From Modern Apes
You didn’t directly evolve from apes; instead, you share a common ancestor. Evolution branched into multiple species over millions of years. For instance, you share about 98.8% of your DNA with chimpanzees; it’s indeed a surprisingly high number.
Chameleons Change Color To Match Any Background
They can’t mimic everything, and sometimes their rapid color changes are used as social signals, which in turn affects how you view them. Therefore, Chameleons don’t actually change colors to match their backgrounds. Instead, they shift colors for communication, mood, or temperature.
Diamonds Come From Coal
While coal is just carbon, it doesn’t form into diamonds. In fact, the majority of diamonds formed billions of years ago deep within the Earth’s mantle under extreme heat and pressure. Sometimes, though, meteorite impacts can also create diamonds. Coal, which forms from decomposed plants near the surface, isn’t suitable for forming diamonds.
Everlasting Twinkies Never Expire
A real Twinkie’s shelf life is only about 45 days. Preservatives simply extend their life, and they will eventually mold. A famously “decade-old Twinkie” was shriveled but not edible, and proves that even a fun snack can’t last forever.
Sugar Causes Hyperactivity In Kids
Your child might be excited after a cupcake, but sugar isn’t to blame. There is no direct link between sugar and hyperactivity. The excitement often comes from the events where sweets are eaten. The caffeine in chocolate may also cause a perceived energy boost, sometimes triggering a reaction.
Shaving Hair Makes It Grow Back Thicker
After shaving, hair can feel coarser, but this is an illusion. The blunt tip of regrowing hair gives a thicker sensation, yet true hair thickness and color are controlled entirely by your genetics, not the razor you use.
Touching Frogs Gives You Warts
Human warts are caused by viruses, not by touching amphibians. The bumps on a frog’s skin are natural glands, not something that can be spread to a person. Some frogs even produce skin compounds with healing properties.
Humans Have Only Five Senses
Your science teacher probably told you that humans have only five senses, but it’s an oversimplification. We have identified more, like your sense of temperature and balance. Even hunger and thirst are classified as senses, and some animals have even richer sensory ranges.