More Popular Mythconceptions

Written by Rolf

You see what I did there? I made up a new word. I wanted to write myths, but realized they are more misconceptions. In part one, I posted the most common misconceptions, but since then, gathered a few more.

Hitler was a vegetarian
No matter how enjoyable it may seem to mock vegetarians with this, Hitler's favourite (meat) dishes have been documented.

Vikings had horns on their helmets
No evidence was found to support this claim.

In Christophe's Columbus's days, people thought the earth was flat
Sailors and navigators knew the earth was round, they just disagreed with the distance to India.

The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4
It was signed on August 2. It was printed and distributed on July 4.

'Rule of thumb' refers to a stick, no wider than your thumb, being allowed to beat your wife with
The origin of this phrase is uncertain. In Holland we have the same sort of expression, 'vuistregel', where 'vuist' means fist :)

Searing meat entraps the moisture within
Searing is done to create a rich-tasting brown crust. It may actually cause loss of moisture.

Cooking and baking causes any alcohol to evaporate
Only part of the alcohol. Studies have shown that 25% still remains after an hour of simmering.

Sushi means 'raw fish'
It doesn't. The term refers to the rice used.

In a microwave, food is heated from the inside out
The waves penetrate the food to a certain depth, based on the composition, but it does not start in the food's center. Anyone who has reheated a meal and was too impatient to wait for longer than 2 minutes, knows this.

Lemmings participate in mass-suicide
Being clumsy is not the same as depressive.

Bats are blind
They use echo to locate themselves in the dark, but they are perfectly able to see (in the light)

If you touch a baby bird, its mother will reject it

Bulls hate the color red
Whether or not they can distinguish the color as being red, it's the movement of the cloth and matador that enrages them.

Humans and dinosaurs coexisted
Jurassic Park is just a movie. In reality, there were millions of years between the extinction of dinosaurs and the rise of men.

The tongue has different areas which correspond to specific tastes like bitter, sweet and salt
Incredible that this myth has become so widespread. Even I was made to believe this when I was a child.

Humans have five senses
I'm not a believer in paranormal activity, but people have more than five senses. Feeling pain, temperature, balance, acceleration and even the urge to piss and poo are senses. Depending on definitions, the amount varies from 9 to 20.

Expensive hair products repairs hair and split ends
If your definition of repairing is 'fixing with spit and duct tape', then yes.

Eight glasses of water are necessary to be healthy
Any combination of drinks and food products that contains roughly that amount of water will do.

Alcohol makes you warmer
Alcohol widens blood vessels, which makes you feel warmer, and as a result can actually make your temperature drop.

Alcohol kills your brain cells
Party on, it doesn't! Brain cells die and get replaced every day. Alcohol even has positive effects on your health (when used moderately).

Engaging in sexual activity 24 hours before a physical contest is bad
On the contrary, it heightens your testosterone level, potentially increasing your performance. Maybe 5 minutes before the competition is not too smart, though.

Fondling toads gives you warts

Waking a sleepwalker is bad
Waking them is harmless. Letting them continue their nocturnal travels potentially leads to injuries and damaged goods.

Swimming within an hour after eating, results in cramps

0.9999... (infinite sequence of 9's) is less than 1
They are equal.

Drowning is recognized by yelling for help and flailing in panic
Such a person might be in trouble, but is not drowning yet. Drowning is a seemingly calm event, due to one's instinctive drowning response. Please take the time to read this page.