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10 Popular Myths Which You Think Are True But Are Actually False

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1. Napoleon Bonaparte was not short!

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Napoleon Bonaparte was actually not short! Common belief is that Napoleon’s height was around 5’2. However, he was really around 5’7 which was pretty decent for a French male at that time. *sigh* One handy reference I had whenever someone dissed me with my height turns out to be false! Well, Hitler was 5’5. Trolling my height? Straight to the concentration camp you go!  

 

2. Great Wall of China is not visible from space

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One popular myth about space exploration is that the Great Wall of China is the only human built structure that can be seen from space. But this is not true. The reality is that you cannot see the Great Wall with an unaided eye, even from the low Earth orbits. And certainly, the Apollo astronauts couldn’t see it from the Moon, even though that urban legend has been widely circulated. I suspect a shitty tour guide behind the origin of this myth.

 

 3. Nails and hair do not continue to grow even after you are dead

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When you’re dead, your hair and fingernails decay with the rest of you. This myth comes from the fact that skin recedes from a dead body, making nails and hair appear longer. Ever seen an excavated skeleton with a hippie? No? Neither have I.

 

4. Carrots do not improve your vision

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Carrots are a good source of Vitamin A but they do not increase the efficacy of your eyesight. During World War II the British Ministry spread this false news to hide their new radar system which they used against the Germans for their successful night attacks. Their attempt to fool the Germans actually landed up fooling the whole world. “It’s just a prank bro!”

 

5. Swimming right after eating does not result in cramps and drowning

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Common belief is that you have to wait for 30minutes after eating before taking a swim or you’re at the risk of drowning. This is scientifically proved to be false. However, heavy exercise with a fully tummy can cause discomfort. So it’s okay to wait for some time before a dip.

 

6. Brown eggs are not better than white ones

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The differences between the brown ones and the white ones are – Color and Cost. The brown ones are costlier than the white ones and the nutritional content does not vary much between the two.

 

7.Mastrubation does not make you blind! *rejoice*

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 Rejoice! crazy-dance

It’s scientifically proved a myth. It was just a myth started to stop addicts from over doing it. We wouldn’t stop if they tried asking us gently, so just like any other myth, they used something terrifying to scare us. However, it still didn’t stop us, did it? If this was true, I wouldn’t be typing down this article right now!

 

 8. There are no different regions in the tongue for specific tastes

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The fact that the tongue is mapped into four areas – sweet, sour, salty and bitter is wrong and proved to be a myth. There are five basic tastes identified so far and the entire tongue can sense all of these tastes more or less equally. So next time, don’t stick to your science book and lick the chocolate with the tip of the tongue thinking it might taste sweeter. Munch it in!

 

9. Bats are not blind

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Another major myth busted, thank me later. Scientists actually claim that bats can see three times better than humans in the dark. Just because they use echolocation to navigate does not necessarily mean that they are blind!

 

10. Fingers don’t wrinkle because they absorb water

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This is commonly believed to be due the absorption of water by the outermost skin but the real reason behind it is as follows. It is actually due to an autonomous nervous reaction. These wrinkly fingers and toes give you a firmer grip to handle wet objects. Fascinating what your body can do, right?!

 

Let us know about more false myths in the comments below and comment the myth which you believed in till now!

Image Sources: WikiHow & Google Images

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Vijay Alagar
the authorVijay Alagar
Young and Ambitious; Better at Videogames than at life. Works as a creative writer by day, Batman at night.

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