KIB Common Myth Conceptions

NO! NO! NO!
Common
misconceptions
remaining text
The Vomitorium
Not a room Romans used during

Bacchanalian binges but the name
for the entrance to a stadium.
Vomiting was not a regular part of
Roman dining customs.
The period between the decline of
the Roman Empire and the
Renaissance was not that dark or
backward. An historical cliche.
Created by a costume designer for a
19th century Wagner opera.
Never were medieval torture
devices. But 18th century fakes
created for sensational circuses.
Not used to prevent a wife's adultery
in medieval times. Instead invented
by 19th century prudes to prevent
'dangerous' masturbation.
Nope. They sported late Elizabethan
in-colours: reds, yellows, purples
and greens. And no buckle hats!
Celebrations were recorded 50 years
before the 'first' Thanksgiving at
Plymouth Colony.
A much more hygenic mix of gold,
ivory, lead and horse and donkey
teeth. No wood.
Written on parchment, despite the
best efforts of stoner revisionists to
convince you otherwise.
They were friends with a little rivalry.
Nothing more.
A tall tale. At 5'7", he was actually
above average height for a
Frenchman of the time.
He instigated the process but full
abolition didn't occur until three
years later after the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Fascist propaganda. They did run on
time but only because of work done
before his reign.
Nope. He failed an entrance exam
for a school, two years early, and still
excelled in maths.
Police do not demand a 24 hour
period before they accept a missing
persons report, especially if violence
is involved.
US Police working entrapment law
do not have to identify themselves. A
hollywood-induced myth.
Nope. It's for flavour.
Does not prevent sticking. But it can
stop the water foaming or boiling
over.
Partly true. But studies show not all
burns off.
Anecdotal evidence. But no scientific
proof.
Lost in translation. Sushi means
'sour rice' and does not always
feature fish. Sashimi means 'raw' but isn't just fish.
Actually it's Latin for chaff.
Not from a law allowing a man to hit
his wife with a stick no thicker than
his thumb.
Myth.
The 'Dark Ages'
Viking's Horned Helmets

Iron Maidens
Chastity Belts
Pilgrims wore all black
The First Thanksgiving
Washington's wooden teeth
US Constitution written on hemp
Salieri vs Mozart
Napoleon was short
Lincoln freed all slaves
Mussolini's trains ran on time
Einstein failed maths
Missing Persons Reports
You have to say if you're a cop
Searing meat seals in moisture.

Oil stops pasta sticking
Cooking removes alcohol

MSG causes headaches
Sushi is raw fish
Thomas Crapper invented "crap"

Rule of thumb
Great Wall of China visible from

Space
Black holes absorb everything
word count
Google hits
lot of noise (i.e. Google search

myth busting) in
search result
max 20, min 5

27
14,800
https://www.google.com/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22the+vomitorium%22+vomiting&oq=%22the+vomitorium%22+vomiting&gs_l=hp.3...623.1558.1.2099.8.8.0.0.0.0.110.680.7j1.8.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.wP
McKeown, J.C. (2010). A Cabinet of
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YGYwlMZ3ursC&pg=PA153&dq=vomitorium+misconception&hl=en#v=onepage&q=vomito
history
Roman Curiosities: Strange Tales and
Surprising Facts from the Worlds
Greatest Empire
21
5,940,000
https://www.google.com/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22the+dark+ages%22+barbaric&oq=%22the+dark+ages%22+barbaric&gs_l=hp.3...15240.19880.3.20004.15.15.0.0.0.5.215.1892.1j13j1.15.0.les%3B..0
National Review
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/227744/not-so-dark-ages-ryan-sayre-patrico
history
11
36,800
https://www.google.com/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=vikings+%22horned+helmets%22&oq=vikings+%22horned+helmets%22&gs_l=hp.3..0i10i30j0i30j0i5i30j0i8i30.2223.2223.5.2413.1.1.0.0.0.0.82.82.1.1.0.le
Frank, Roberta. The Invention of the
http://www.scribd.com/doc/51267328/Frank-Invention-of-Horned-Helmet
history
Viking Horned Helmet
Graff, Klaus.
http://web.archive.org/web/20040828060227/http://www.mondzauberin.de/einstieg/informativ/essays/essays3/BerlinOnline+Die
history
21
414,000
35,100
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?hl=en&tab=ww#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22Iron+Maidens%22+torture&oq=%22Iron+Maidens%22+torture&gs_l=hp.3..0j0i30.5041.12263.0.12714.11.11.0.0.0.0.86.883.1
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?hl=en&tab=ww#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22chastity+belts%22+adultery&oq=%22chastity+belts%22+adultery&gs_l=hp.3...37251.48753.1.49260.28.25.3.0.0.3.290.2576.1
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lancashire/plain/A2430118
history
15
1,490,000
12
1,160,000
17
41,400
15
417,000
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22pilgrims%22+wore+all+black&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=283zUMiULcel0AXMg4DYCw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1375&bih=700#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_
Library of Congress (Quoted)
http://philosophy.thecastsite.com/writings/davis3.html#7
history
5,230
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/28/arts/music/28sali.html?ei=5088&en=7d60688cd81285e2&ex=1261976400&adxnnl=1&par
history
17
33,400,000
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22pilgrims%22+wore+all+black&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=283zUMiULcel0AXMg4DYCw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1375&bih=700#hl=en&tbo=d&spell=1&q=%2
Napoleon Foundation
http://www.napoleon.org/fr/salle_lecture/articles/files/Taillenapo_RIN_89_oct1963_2006.asp
history
17
4,080,000
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22pilgrims%22+wore+all+black&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=283zUMiULcel0AXMg4DYCw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1375&bih=700#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab
Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html
history
16
141,000
The Independant
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/rear-window-making-italy-work-did-mussolini-really-get-the-trains-running-on-time-13676
history
17
2,130,000
About.com
http://physics.about.com/b/2007/09/19/physics-myth-month-einstein-failed-mathematics.htm
history
20
634,000
Augusta Chronicle
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2008/11/17/met_483813.shtml
Law
15
436,000
4
14
19,100
5,200,000
16,300
1,850,000
22
63,100
difficult accurate
search
6
20
40,400
1,040,000
y
y, "Rule of thumb"
beating women
Online Etymology Dictionary
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=crap
Etymology
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1375&bih=700&q=%22Rule+of+thumb%22+beating+women&oq=%22Rule+of+thumb%22+beating+women&gs_l=serp.3..0.10461.13180.0.14223.7.7.
Jennifer Freyd and JQ Johnson,
http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/essays/ruleofthumb.html
Etymology
University of Oregon
1,110,000
NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html
Science
14
Not really 'holes' but hugely dense

12
objects with massive gravitational
pull.
Correction: a black hole *is* a hole in
the metric of space time from which
light cannot escape. But it is not a
portal to another dimension. Thanks
to Martin Vermeer.
12
Seasons are caused by the Earth's They're actually related to the 23
degree tilt of the Earth's axis.
distance from the Sun.
Source Name
source
source source
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22pilgrims%22+wore+all+black&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=283zUMiULcel0AXMg4DYCw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1375&bih=700
Plimoth Plantation Museum
http://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/what-wear
history
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/opinion/26davis.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/page3
history
MSNBC/Smithsonian
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6875436/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/george-washingtons-false-teeth-not-wooden/
history
National Criminal Justice Review, Law https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=141835
http://www.snopes.com/risque/hookers/cop.asp
http://lawblog.legalmatch.com/2010/06/03/areLaw
Blog, Snopes,
y
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jan/26/should-you-sear-steak
Cooking
Fine Cooking
http://www.finecooking.com/articles/cooking-pasta-properly.aspx
Cooking
NY Times
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/six-kitchen-myths-that-deserve-debunking/
Cooking
303,000
5,070
category
Tarasoff L, Monosodium L-glutamate: A http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/027869159390012N
Science
double-blind study and review
Baltimore Sun, Japan Guide
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-06-18/entertainment/bal-international-sushi-day_1_ra-sushi-bar-restaurant-vinegared-rice
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2038.html
Cooking
NASA
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/black_holes.html
Science
NASA
http://istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/outreach/sunearthmiscons.html
Science
NO! NO! NO! Common

misconceptions
remaining text
Bulls hate red.
Bulls are colour-blind. They actually

react to motion as a perceived
threat.
They regulate temperature through
panting but sweat through footpads.
No. They can see AND use
echolocation. Awesome!
Birds have a limited sense of smell.
Probably more harmful to leave them
to the cats but it's all relative.
While not the smartest in the animal
kingdom, Goldfish do boast a better
memory than most politicans.
Oh yes they do. Particularly skin
cancer.
Average lifespan is actually about a
month. Maggots hatch within 24
hours.
Nope. Bananas actually grow on
massive herbs which resemble
trees.
In science, the word theory means
something more than a conjecture
word count
Google hits

myth busting) in
search result
max 20, min 5

12
7,120
y, "bulls hate the

color red"
1,280,000
81,000
20
154,000
17
38,700
y, "goldfish" "short
memory"
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1375&bih=700&q=%22goldfish%22+%22short+memory%22&oq=%22goldfish%22+%22short+memory%22&gs_l=serp.3..0i30j0i8i30l7.6815.9246.0.10
ABC, The Times
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-02-19/goldfish-three-second-memory-myth-busted/1046710
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article1912026.ec
nature
121,000
Cancer Research
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/64/23/8485
nature
12
55,600
10
55,600
12
899,000
No - they are our closest living

genetic relatives, along with
bonobos. A shared ancestor last
lived 5-8 million years ago.
Evolution is always creating more Not always a simple to complex
progression: sometimes a smaller
complex organisms
genome will be evolved, but
'devolution' is a misnomer.
Humans and dinosaurs co-existed Despite 59% of US adults thinking
they did, we actually missed each
other by ~63 million years.
Has both solid and liquid properties.
Glass is a liquid
"This is why stained glass windows
are thicker at the bottom" Not true
though. Bad manufacturing process
is the cause.
Waking sleepwalkers is dangerous No, but they'll be really confused.
Sleepwalkers are more likely to hurt
themselves if they're not awoken.
Big myth in Korea. Very unlikely.
Sleeping with an electric fan on
can be deadly
21
300,000
19
10,200
evolution "towards
complexity"
17
259,000
Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312115133.htm
science/nature
26
1,060,000
y, "glass is a
liquid"
NY Times, American Journal of Physics http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/science/29glass.html?_r=1
http://www.df.unipi.it/~leporini/DFWebSite/ReviewsTg/Ca
science
18
941,000
MedicineNet, National Sleep
http://www.medicinenet.com/sleepwalking/article.htm
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-related-prob
health
Foundation
159,000
Only in infants. Or if the head is the

only uncovered part of the body.
15
434,000
12
7,460,000
20
84,800
17
268,000
13
507,000
16
43,500
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22shaving+hair%22+grows+back+thicker&oq=%22shaving+hair%22+grows+back+thicker&gs_l=hp.3..0j0i5i30j0i8i30l2.850
Snopes, Mayoclinic
http://snopes.com/oldwives/hairgrow.asp
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hair-removal/an00638
beauty
11
9,850
1,800,000
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22hair+and+fingernails+grow+after+death%22&oq=%22hair+and+fingernails+grow+after+death%22&gs_l=hp.3..0i30j0i5i3
Graham-Brown, Robin; Tony Burns
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HW9HmKhslfYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Graham-Brown,+Robin;+Tony+Burns+(2007).+L
health
(2007). Lecture Notes on Dermatology.
Blackwell. p.6
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=hair+products+%22repair+damaged+hair%22&oq=hair+products+%22repair+damaged+hair%22&gs_l=hp.3..0i30j0i7i30l2j0i8
CBC, Glamour
http://www.cbc.ca/streetcents/features/front_question_of_the_week.html
http://www.glamour.com/beauty/2008/09/hair-myths
health
2,420,00
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=drink+%228+glasses+of+water+a+day%22&oq=drink+%228+glasses+of+water+a+day%22&gs_l=hp.12..0l2j0i30l2.10170005
NPR, Die Zeit
http://www.npr.org/2008/04/03/89323934/five-myths-about-drinking-water
http://www.zeit.de/2009/04/Stimmts
health
29,400
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22caffeine+dehydrates%22+body&oq=%22caffeine+dehydrates%22+body&gs_l=hp.12..0i30j0i8i30.3250.4225.33.5373.5.5
Journal of Human Nutrition and
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-277X.2003.00477.x/abstract;jsessionid=FEF7ACBFCA00771BBF41FD39B24D
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17620932
health
Dietetics, Exercise and Sports Science
Review
Dogs sweat by salivating

Bats are blind.
Don't touch baby birds!
Goldfish memory span
Sharks don't get cancer.

Houseflies live for 24 hours
Bananas grow on trees.
Evolution is just a "theory"
Humans evolved from

chimpanzees
Most body heat is lost through the

head
Doesn't increase risk of cramps;

alcohol is the biggest increase in
risk.
Blood is always red, misconception
Blood is blue under the skin
is based on diagrams showing the
difference between veins and
arteries and human colour
perception.
Different parts of the tongue taste There is no 'map', and there are 5
primary tastes: bitter, sour, salty,
different tastes
sweet and umami (savoury/meaty).
We actually have close to 20
We have 5 senses
including balance, pain, movement,
hunger, thirst, etc.
Shaving your hair makes it thicker Regrown hair isn't thicker, coarser,
or darker, it just appears so because
it's no longer tapered.
Hair & fingernails grow after death The skin dries and shrinks away,
giving the appearance of growth
Eating before swimming is
dangerous
18
Hair products can "repair" your hair Nothing can fix split ends or
damaged hair. They can prevent
damage and make hair look better
though.
Not necessary for everyone;
16
Drink 8 glasses of water a day!
subjective and dependant on
individual weight, environment, what
you're wearing and more.
Not really. The diuretic effect of
18
Caffeine dehydrates you
caffeine is offset by the amount of
water in the caffeinated drinks.
category
Source Name
source
source source
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1375&bih=700&q=%22bulls+hate+the+color+red%22&oq=%22bulls+hate+the+color+red%22&gs_l=serp.12..0i7l3j0i7i30l2j0i8i30.16052.24035.0.2559
University of Tennessee
http://wayback.archive.org/web/jsp/Interstitial.jsp?seconds=5&date=1214357302000&url=http%3A%2F%2Fiacuc.tennessee.ed
Nature
BMJ (Disproved in 1899!)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2462491/?page=6
Nature
y
US Fish and Wildlife
http://web.archive.org/web/20080519095139/http://www.fws.gov/endangered/bats/miscon.htm
Nature
Knox News, Snopes
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jun/16/fine-feathered-infirmary-for-sick-songbirds/
http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/babybird.asp
nature
Forest Preserve District of Cook
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/400-499/nb453.htm
http://ipm.ncsu.edu/ag369/notes/house_fly.html
nature
County, North Carolina Pest
Management Program
Oxford Dictionaries, Morton, J. 1987.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/is-a-banana-a-fruit-or-a-herb
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/banana.htm
nature
Banana. p. 2946. In: Fruits of warm
climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.
University of Montana, American
http://evoled.dbs.umt.edu/lessons/miscon.htm#3
https://www.msu.edu/~pennock5/research/papers/Penno
http:
science/nature
Institute of Biological Sciences,
//evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/misconcept
University of California - Berkeley
PBS, National Geographic, Wilson &
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/cat02.html#Q01
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/07/0712
http:
http://news.sciencemag.org/plants-an
science/nature
Reeder's Mammal Species of the World
//www.
(3rd ed.)
bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=12100001
science/nature
Scientific American, Cell
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-the-human-race-evolvin
http://www.cell.com/retrieve/pii/S0092867402006657#
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22fan+death%22+korea&oq=%22fan+death%22+korea&gs_l=hp.3..0l2.41494.53356.1.53639.24.24.0.0.0.0.223.2446.16j5
Korea Consumer Protection Board,
http://web.archive.org/web/20070927051420/http://english.cpb.or.kr/user/bbs/code02_detail.php?av_jbno=2006071800002
http://web.archive.org/web/20070110052746/http://joong
http:
science
JoongAng Daily, Esquire
//www.
esquire.com/style/answer-fella/korean-fan-dea
What % is normally https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22body+heat+lost%22+through+head&oq=%22body+heat+lost%22+through+head&gs_l=hp.3..0j0i30l2j0i5i30.8030.8030.0
Anesthesiology, The Guardian, BMJ
http://journals.lww.com/anesthesiology/Abstract/1990/10000/Thermoregulatory_Vasoconstriction_Decreases.11.aspx
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/17/medicalr
http:
health
lost through the
//adc.
head under normal
bmj.
conditions?
com/content/56/7/530
y,,, "eating before
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22eating+before+swimming%22+cramps+or+dangerous&oq=%22eating+before+swimming%22+cramps+or+dangerous&g
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/health/28real.html
health
swimming" cramps
or dangerous
y
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22blood+is+blue%22+inside+the+body&oq=%22blood+is+blue%22+inside+the+body&gs_l=hp.3..0i7j0i5i30j0i8i30l2.4134.4
Applied Optics, Michigan State
https://www.imt.liu.se/edu/courses/TBMT36/pdf/blue.pdf
https://www.msu.edu/~kalinkat/professionalpages/TechM
science
University
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=tongue%20taste%20buds%20map&oq=&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1357700187,d.d2k&fp=5d
Nature, Geoffrey Campbell-Platt "Food http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1571047/?tool=pmcentrez
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=E7GXHploJasC&lpg
science
Science and Technology"
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%225+senses%22+of+the+body&oq=%225+senses%22+of+the+body&gs_l=hp.3..0l2j0i30l2.760.4568.17.4994.12.12.0.0.0.1
Discovery Health, Harvard
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/question242.htm
http://hms.harvard.edu/content/extra-sensory-perception
science
NO! NO! NO! Common

misconceptions
remaining text
Sugar makes children hyperactive
Studies have disproved this. ADHD

still occurs in children with sugar-free
diets.
Alcohol dilates warm blood vessels
near the skin creating the impression
of warmth but it can actually drop
core body temperature.
Only in heavy users and alcoholics
who rely on alcohol to get most of
their calories.
Protein in eggs, beans, vegetables is
easily enough. Vegans need B-12
supplements though.
It is indigestible, but passes straight
through.
It's not been measured. But is
greatly exaggerated.
Alcohol keeps you warm
Alcohol kills brain cells
Vegetarians can't get enough

protein
Chewing gum takes 7 years to
digest
Men think about sex every 7
seconds
No physiological basis to this, could

even help male athletes because of
increased testosterone.
No solid functional division; some
The Left and right brains have
functions activate some areas more
different capabilities
than others. Left brain can learn
'right brain' functions and vice-versa.
Fraudulent research that's been
Vaccines causes autism
shown as manipulated.
Metaphor that's been
We only use 10% of our brains
misunderstood; not all neurons are
always firing, but inactive cells are
still important.
In most people, just a placebo effect.
Milk increases mucous
There's no need to avoid dairy if you
have a cold.
Warts are unique to humans. Toads
Catching warts from toads
don't have them.
The Coriolis effect, induced by the
Flushed water rotates the
Earth's rotation, does not affect the
otherway in the Southern
small amounts of water in toilets,
Hemisphere
bathtubs.
No reason why it wouldn't; the
Lightning never strikes twice
Empire State building gets struck
about 100 times per year.
Terminal velocity is 30-50mph which
Dropping a penny from a tall
isn't fast enough. It would hurt
building could kill someone
though.
The Oceans are blue because they Nope. Absorption and scattering of
light causes blue colour
reflect the sky
Some people have a photographic No hard scientific evidence, but
memory that mimics a camera is
memory
unlikely. Some people just have
great memories
Etymologically, it means "split-mind",
Schizophrenia is multiple
but dissociative "multiple personality"
personalities
disorders are different.
Introduced only in 1880, in Judo, to
Black belts are masters
show competency of basic
techniques.
Jesus was born on December 25th December 25 was declared official
celebration date in 350CE. Could be
guesstimate based on conception, or
winter solstice, or Yule.
Nowhere in the Bible does it specify
Three Wise Men visited Jesus
this. A mash up of Matthew 2 and
Isaiah 60:13: "The wise men visited
Jesus as a child, in a house".
Separate ideas. Immaculate
Immaculate Conception means
conception means Mary was not
Virgin Birth
subject to original sin. Virgin birth
means Mary miraculously conceived
Doesn't say this anywhere in the
Satan rules Hell
Bible.
Fatw means 'non-binding legal
A Fatwa is an Islamic death
opinion'.
sentence
It actually translates as "struggle".
A Jihad is a "holy war"
Sex reduces athletic performance
Islamic matyrs receive 72 virgins
Elementary My Dear Watson
word count
Google hits

myth busting) in
search result
max 20, min 5

12
4,400
21
18,100
y, "alcohol keeps
you warm"
16
393,000
"alcohol kills brain

cells"
13
215,000
46,300
309,000
14
27,400
y, "vegetarians"
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1375&bih=700&q=%22vegetarians%22+can%27t+get+enough+protein&oq=%22vegetarians%22+can%27t+get+enough+protein&gs_l=serp.3..0i30j0i5
Today's Dietician, Physician's
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/082510p20.shtml
http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/how-can-i-gethttp://www.acefitness.org/blog/86/are-vegetaria
health
can't get enough
Committee for Responsible Medicine,
protein
American Council on Exercise
y, "chewing gum" https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1375&bih=700&q=%22chewing+gum%22+%227+years+to+digest%22&oq=%22chewing+gum%22+%227+years+to+digest%22&gs_l=serp.12..0i7j0i3
Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fiction-chewing-gum-takes-seven-years-to-digest
health
"7 years to digest"
y, "men think about https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1375&bih=700&q=%22men+think+about+sex+every+7+seconds%22&oq=%22men+think+about+sex+every+7+seconds%22&gs_l=serp.3..0j0i30j0i5i3
LiveScience, The Times
http://www.livescience.com/14040-men-sex-thoughts.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article723
sex
sex every 7
seconds"
sex "before athletic
Nature, National Geographic
http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060609/full/news060605-16.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/0222
sex
performance"
21
2,600,000
"left brain" "right

brain" different
brain
pubmed, Nature reviews
http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v7/n5/full/nrn1907.html
213,000
BMJ
http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452.full
123,000
"vaccines and
autism"
"10% of our brain"
brain
16
brain
skeptical inquirer
http://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_ten-percent_myth/
18
10,100
dairy "increases
mucus"
disease
pubmed
121,000
warts from toads
disease
londondrugs
http://www.londondrugs.com/Cultures/en-US/FocusOnHealth/Fall2002/Warts.htm
20
1,850,000
flushed water
southern
hemisphere
physics
16
945,000
"lightning never
strikes twice"
physics
snopes. com
http://www.snopes.com/science/coriolis.asp
http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadCoriolis.html
12
1,870,000
drop penny kill

someone
physics
abc news
http://www.gantless.com/paper.html
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3131332&page=1
644
psychology
journal of chemical education,

physicstoday
indianpublicmedia. org, slate. com
http://inside.mines.edu/fs_home/dwu/classes/CH353/study/Why%20is%20Water%20Blue.pdf
http://www.physicstoday.org/resource/1/phtoad/v64/i4/p4
1,700,000
oceans blue "reflect

sky"
"photographic
memory"
physics
18
11
80
psychology
national alliance on mental illness
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Schizophrenia9&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=
13
8,030,000
20
8,230,000
schizophrenia
"multiple
personalities"
Black belts are
masters -"six
sigma"
Jesus born 25th
December
religion
biblical archaeology review
http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/christmas.asp
28
1,250,000
"Three wise men"

in Bible
religion
snopes. com
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/3wisemen.asp
18
118,000
"immaculate
conception" NEAR
"virgin birth"
religion
bbc.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/immaculateconception.shtml
36,600,000
Satan hell
religion
233,000
religion
BMJ
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124693/?tool=pmcentrez
1,870,000
fatwa "death
sentence"
jihad is "holy war"
religion
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UHWd6gLZsFIC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA74&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1719934&
2,270,000
72 virgins
religion
War and Peace in the Law of Islam, by

Majid Khadduri
guardian
329,000
"elementary my
dear watson"
literature
Nowhere in the Qu'ran, but is

14
reported elsewhere, but is a matter
of debate.
Not in the original stories. First used 11
in the 1929 film.
category
Source Name
source
source source
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22caffeine+dehydrates%22+body&oq=%22caffeine+dehydrates%22+body&gs_l=hp.12..0i30j0i8i30.3250.4225.33.5373.5.5
BMJ, Fullerton-Smith, Jill (2007). The
http://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a2769
http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Truth_About
health
Truth About Food. Bloomsbury. pp.
115117.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1375&bih=700&q=%22alcohol+keeps+you+warm%22&oq=%22alcohol+keeps+you+warm%22&gs_l=serp.12..0j0i30j0i5i30l4.82885.85365.0.86988.2.
Middlesboro Daily News, About.com
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kG5BAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QKkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5953,3984482
http://firstaid.about.com/od/heatcoldexposur1/f/07_alcoh
health
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1375&bih=700&q=%22alcohol+kills+brain+cells%22&oq=%22alcohol+kills+brain+cells%22&gs_l=serp.3..0l3j0i30l7.44026.47624.0.48853.16.16.0.0.0.
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1530-0277.1993.tb00720.x/abstract
http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/content/44/2/148
health
Research, Alcohol & Alcoholism
http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/photographic-memory/
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/scienc
sport
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geza_Vermes
http://www.minuteswithmessiah.com/question/sataninhell.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/jan/12/books.guardianreview5
Agnieszka Jasnowska: Elementary, My http://leeds.academia.edu/AgnieszkaJasnowska/Papers/133195/Elementary_My_Dear_Watson_The_Case_of_Masculinity_in_

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/signature/elementary.asp
Dear Watson: The Case of Masculinity
in the Sherlock Holmes Stories
NO! NO! NO! Common

misconceptions
remaining text
Edison invented the lightbulb
Single genes exist for different

personality traits
He made the first practical lightbulb,

but it was obsolete within a year.
England's Joseph Swan patented a
design before him.
He just improved the design, mostly
by supporting the work of his
employees.
Yes they can - just less frequently
than Windows computers
They're emptied on ground. Blue ice
is caused accidentally. Trains used
to dump on the tracks, though. Dirty
trains.
Gross oversimplification; there is no
'gay gene' etc.
LSD stays in the spinal fluid for

years
LSD is eliminated by the body in

under 10 hours.
Henry Ford invented the car
Apple Macs can't get viruses

Planes dump toilet waste at high
altitude
You can get high from banana peel A hoax, perpetuated through the
Internet.
If you've used LSD, you're legally Urban myth
insane.
He grew hemp to make rope and
George Washington smoked
clothes but there's no evidence to
cannabis
suggest he smoked a fatty most
nights.
Adding salt to water makes it boil Naturally salted water will boil more
quickly, because of the low heat
more quickly
capacity of the salt content but
adding salt to fresh water will not
make any difference.
word count
Google hits

myth busting) in
search result
category
Source Name
source
max 20, min 5

21
1,510,000
edison invented
light bulb
technology inventions
Smithsonian Institution
http://americanhistory.si.edu/lighting/bios/swan.htm
13
2,870,000
technology inventions
My Forty Years with Ford' by Charles E. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fv9WPvAXpGMC&pg=PA128&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://lccn.loc.gov/83016269
Sorensen
apple macs can't

get viruses
plane dump toilet
computing
switched, betanews
http://www.switched.com/2009/09/01/apple-quietly-admits-macs-get-viruses/
http://betanews.com/2009/08/28/macs-don-t-get-viruses
transportation
HowStuffWorks, WSJ
http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/question314.htm
http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2008/11/19/on-world-toil
genetics
Pubmed, Guardian, BBC News
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2805335/pdf/nyas1156-0001.pdf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/325979.stm
http:
Erowid, Medscape, PubMed
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_myth1.shtml
10
source source
19
3,700,000
388,000
"the gene for"

personality traits
10
39,000
LSD spinal fluid
3,390,000
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1011615-overvie
http:
//www.
ncbi.
nlm.
nih.
gov/pubmed/8912957
https://www.google.com/search?q=salt+make+water+boil&oq=salt+make+water+boil&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=high+banana+peel&oq=high+banana+peel&gs_l=serp.3..0j0i5i1
NY Times, Straight Dope
http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/anatomy-of-the-great-banana-smoking-hoax-of-1967/
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2389/will-sm
drugs
898,000
https://www.google.com/search?q=salt+make+water+boil&oq=salt+make+water+boil&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=LSD+users+legally+insane&oq=LSD+users+legally+insane&gs_
DEA, Erowid, Snopes.com
http://www.justice.gov/osg/briefs/1987/sg870439.txt
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_myth8.shtml
http://www.snopes.com/legal/lsdcrazy.asp
drugs
20
1,460,000
https://www.google.com/search?q=salt+make+water+boil&oq=salt+make+water+boil&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=george+washington+cannabis&oq=george+washington+cannab
The Straight Dope, George Washington http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2912/did-george-washington-and-thomas-jefferson-grow-marijuana
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@fie
Drugs
Diaries
28
11,300,000
https://www.google.com/search?q=salt+make+water+boil&oq=salt+make+water+boil&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Southwest Research Institute
http://www.swri.org/10light/water.htm
cooking
//www.
guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/sep/09/gene-inte
drugs

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NO! NO! NO!

Not a room Romans used during

The 'Dark Ages'

Viking's Horned Helmets

Pilgrims wore all black

The First Thanksgiving

Washington's wooden teeth

US Constitution written on hemp

Lincoln freed all slaves

Mussolini's trains ran on time

Einstein failed maths

Missing Persons Reports

You have to say if you're a cop

Searing meat seals in moisture.

Cooking removes alcohol

Thomas Crapper invented "crap"

Great Wall of China visible from

lot of noise (i.e. Google search

max 20, min 5

Not really 'holes' but hugely dense

NO! NO! NO! Common

Bulls hate red.

Bulls are colour-blind. They actually

lot of noise (i.e. Google search

max 20, min 5

y, "bulls hate the

No - they are our closest living

Only in infants. Or if the head is the

Dogs sweat by salivating

Goldfish memory span

Sharks don't get cancer.

Bananas grow on trees.

Evolution is just a "theory"

Humans evolved from

Most body heat is lost through the

Doesn't increase risk of cramps;

Scientific American, Cell

NO! NO! NO! Common

Sugar makes children hyperactive

Studies have disproved this. ADHD

Alcohol keeps you warm

Alcohol kills brain cells

Vegetarians can't get enough

No physiological basis to this, could

Islamic matyrs receive 72 virgins

Elementary My Dear Watson

lot of noise (i.e. Google search

max 20, min 5

"alcohol kills brain

"left brain" "right

pubmed, Nature reviews

warts from toads

drop penny kill

journal of chemical education,

oceans blue "reflect

national alliance on mental illness

biblical archaeology review

"Three wise men"

War and Peace in the Law of Islam, by

Nowhere in the Qu'ran, but is

Agnieszka Jasnowska: Elementary, My http://leeds.academia.edu/AgnieszkaJasnowska/Papers/133195/Elementary_My_Dear_Watson_The_Case_of_Masculinity_in_

NO! NO! NO! Common

Edison invented the lightbulb