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BESTLIFEONLINE

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50 Well-Known "Facts" That Are Actually Just Common Myths

Sometimes it can be hard to separate fact from fiction, especially when so many of the "facts" we've spent our whole lives believing are actually enduring myths and misconceptions. These common myths seem true because we...

1 Bulls get angry when they see the color red.

You're hardly alone if you believe that it's the bright color that incites their anger. But, according to the American Science Guide, bull...

3 We only use 10 percent of our brains.

Neurologist Barry Gordon told Scientific American that humans "use virtually every part of the brain" and most of the brain is "active almost all the time."

4 George Washington had wooden teeth.

I...

5 Women accused of witchcraft were burned the stake during the Salem Witch Trials.

The myth that they were burned at the stake is most likely due to the fact that durin...

7 You'll get cramps if you go swimming right after you eat.

Yes, the body requires extra blood in order to digest, but not nearly enough to prevent the muscles in your arms and legs from working as they should.

8 In the days of Christopher Columbus, everyone t...

9 Dogs only see in black and white.

No, your pup isn't seeing the world in black and white. Veterinarian Barbara Royal explained to HuffPost that dogs "don't see all of the colors that we see, but

11 It takes seven years for your body to digest gum.

You no long longer have to fret over that piece of gum you accidentally swallowed a couple years back. You see, gum doesn't stay in your stomach—it just moves quickly through your digestive system and exits through your s...

13 The Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure visible from space.

According to Snopes, this false fact most likely developed as an attempt to convey the grand scale of the wall. From low space...

15 Napoleon Bonaparte was extremely short.

However, Bonaparte was most likely average height at just over 5'5" tall, History says. Historians suppose the

17 Albert Einstein failed math class.

It's fun to imagine that Albert Einstein was a poor student. Einstein himself claimed that he was at the top of his class in primary school. "Before I was 15, I had mastered differential and integral calculus," he added.

1...

19 Touching a toad will give you warts.

Sadly, kissing a toad won't turn it into a handsome prince. But the good news is, touching one won't give you unsightly bumps. National Geographic says

21 Your hair and fingernails continue to grow after you die.

It's true that a person's hair and nails may appear longer after their death. But, according to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, that's only because the skin around a person nails and hair...

23 Drinking alcohol raises your body temperature.

While you may feel warmer when you drink alcohol, that's the booze and your brain getting together and playing tricks on the rest of your body. In reality, alco...

25 Georgia produces the most peaches of any state in the U.S.

According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, California grew 541,000 tons of peaches in 2017. Meanwhile, Georgia wasn't even in ...

27 Bats are blind.

Contrary to popular belief—and the idiom "as blind as a bat"—these nocturnal creatures can absolutely see. In fact, as Rob Mies, former executive director for the Organization for Bat Conservation,

29 Humans only have five senses.

Many of us were taught that humans have five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. But those are only the five basic senses. While this concept of the "five" senses

31 Chameleons change colors to blend in with their surroundings.

Yes, chameleons do have the ability to change colors, but the falsity here lies in why they do so. According to Wired, chameleo...

33 Bananas grow on trees.

We all know that money doesn't grow on trees, but many of us believe that bananas do. Sadly, we're mistaken again. Though they may look similar to trees, the Rai...

35 It's safe to eat food that's been on the floor for five seconds or less.

When researchers at Clemson University left bologna and bread on a surface contaminated with salmonella in a 2017 study, they found that "

37 Fortune cookies originated in China.

But the National Museum of American History points out that the creator of the fortune cookie was Suyeichi Okamura, a Japanese immigrant who ra...

39 Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's independence day.

On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army successfully defeated France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Though the country's victory was short-lived, people all around the globe partake in celebrations commemorati...

41 President Richard Nixon was successfully impeached

Official impeachment hearings against Richard Nixon began in May 1974, but the 37th president announced his resignation on Aug. ...

43 Going outside with wet hair makes you sick

Stepping outside in sub-zero temperatures right after you wash your hair might make you chilly—and it might cause your hair to freeze—but it won't get y...

45 Twinkies have no expiration date.

As Theresa Cogswell, former vice president for research and development at Interstate Bakeries Corp, told The Washington Post, the sweet snack only h...

47 Sugar causes headaches.

It's not the sugar itself that's causing your headache; it's a rapid drop in your blood sugar levels that wreaks havoc on your head. For some people, eating ...

49 The odds are always 50-50 in a coin toss.

Stanford University researchers proved this wrong in 2007 when they flipped a lot of quarters and found that a coin was more likely to land on the f...