30 myths people (somehow) still believe -

Misconceptions are everywhere in the world and often things we’re told aren't actually fact. Have you ever learned something and later realized it’s simply a myth and that there’s little to no truth behind it? From bats being blind to not shaving your arms because the hair will grow back thicker and everywhere in between, in this gallery we’ll explore 30 common myths and the truths behind each. 

Which myths had you been told were true? Click through now to find out more.

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Myth: The Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure visible from space - Truth: According to NASA and Yang Liwei, a Chinese astronaut, the structure is actually not visible from space.

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Myth: If you touch a baby bird, its mother will abandon it because of the smell -

Truth: According to Scientific American, this statement is a myth. It’s also been said that wild animals in general bond quickly with their young and thus aren't quick to abandon them.

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Myth: You have to wait 24 hours before filing a missing persons report  -

Truth: The State of California Department of Justice notes that there is no waiting period to report a missing person. All reports, regardless of timing, must be given priority and taken seriously.

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Myth: Cracking your knuckles makes them bigger and gives you arthritis -

Truth: Harvard Medical School tells us that cracking your knuckles does not increase your risk of developing arthritis, the cracking noise is simply collapsing gas bubbles.

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Myth: A goldfish's memory only lasts a few seconds -

Truth: This myth is absolutely false and in fact studies have indicated that goldfish could have a memory span of up to five months!

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Myth: You can ‘detox’ your body from toxins and parasites by drinking certain teas -

Truth: Teas are not what will detox or cure your body from toxins. According to Vox, unless you’re a drug addict or you’re at risk of alcohol poisoning, you probably don't need a detox.

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Myth: Bats are blind -

Truth: Bats can, in fact, see! According to the former executive director of the Organization for Bat Conservation, Rob Mies, bats can see three times better than humans.

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Myth: You get warts from frogs and toads -

Truth: According to National Geographic, this rumor probably originated from the fact that toads themselves have wart-like bumps on their skin, but they're just glands and don't secrete anything that can cause warts. Warts are only caused by human viruses.

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Myth: Einstein was a bad student who failed math -

Truth: This widely spread rumor was dismissed by Einstein himself in 1935 when he told a rabbi at Princeton that he had mastered differential and integral calculus before he was 15 years old.

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Myth: People in the Middle Ages believed the world was flat -

Truth: Historian Jeffrey Burton Russell has said that “with extraordinarly few exceptions, no educated person in the history of Western civilization from the third B.C. onward believed the Earth was flat.”

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Myth: Bulls get angry when they see the color red -

Truth: Surprise! Bulls and other cattle are actually color-blind. According to Live Science, the bull is likely irritated by the cape’s movement as the matador whips it around.

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Myth: Tryptophan in turkey makes you sleepy during Thanksgiving -

Truth: Thanksgiving sleepiness is likely due to the amount of food we consume, not the Tryptophan in turkey. Think about it, chicken has more Tryptophan than turkey and we don’t feel unusually sleepy after consuming that.

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Myth: Napoleon was very short -

Truth: Napoleon was likely of average height during his time in history. Historians suppose this particular myth was derived from caricatures of the general drawn by James Gillray in the early 1800s.

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Myth: If you go outside with wet hair, you will get sick -

Truth: The Mayo Clinic tells us that colds are caused by viruses. This means that a cold can’t be caught simply from going outside with wet hair. Colds are transmitted through bodily fluids, not wet hair.

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Myth: Cutting or shaving your hair makes it grow back thicker -

Truth: Shaving your hair doesn’t make it change color, nor does it affect the rate of growth or thickness, according to the Mayo Clinic. All that happens when you shave is it gives the hair a blunt tip and for some, it might feel more coarse as it grows back.

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Myth: A higher tax rate means your entire income is taxed at that rate -

Truth: People often fret about earning more money as it will put them in a higher tax bracket. However, it’s important to know that only the marginal amount of money you start earning is taxed at a higher rate, not the entire amount.

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Myth: Companies can't say that you were fired or why you were fired by law -

Truth: No federal law restricts what information can be disclosed about a former employee, according to Balance Careers. Actually, most states allow employers to share details about job performance, responsibilities, and professional conduct.

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Myth: Driving with interior lights on at night is illegal -

Truth: The vehicle code, specifically ABC30, says it's only illegal to add aftermarket lighting to the inside of your vehicle. It doesn’t prohibit the use of dome lights or map lights when it’s dark.

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Myth: We only use 10% of our brains -

Truth: Neurologist Barry Gordon told Scientific American that humans use virtually every part of their brain and that it’s active almost all of the time.

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Myth: Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice -

Truth: In 2003, NASA debunked this myth and said that not only does lightning strike the same place more than once, it does so about a third of the time.

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Myth: MSG is poisonous  -

Truth: MSG is prominent in processed foods but is not poisonous. It's often found in food that’s considered "bad" for you because it's high in fat and sodium, but MSG is not actually bad by itself.

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Myth: Flies live for only 24 hours -

Truth: The life cycle of flies can actually range greatly. Flies can live anywhere from a few days to a few years depending on the species and conditions. Even the common house fly can live for up to a month.

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Myth: It’s bad to wake up a sleepwalker -

Truth: Go ahead and wake the sleepwalker up! They are actually more likely to be hurt while sleepwalking than if you wake them up.

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Myth: Dropping a penny from high up could kill someone -

Truth: A penny is actually too small and flat for it to gain enough momentum and make any kind of fatal impact, says Scientific American. If you were struck by a falling coin, it would likely only be a minor inconvenience, nothing serious.

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Myth: George Washington had wooden teeth -

Truth: Washington did suffer from dental problems, according to historians at the Washington Library. However, his dentures were composed of ivory, gold, lead, and even other human teeth, not wood.

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Myth: You need to drink exactly eight glasses of water a day -

Truth: This isn’t necessarily a hard and fast rule and according to the Mayo Clinic the amount of water someone actually needs daily depends on different factors such as overall health, activity levels, and where you live.

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Myth: You’ll get cramps if you go swimming right after you eat -

Truth: Despite what your parents might have told you growing up, this is false. Though the body needs extra blood to digest food, it's not enough to prevent the muscles in your extremities from working properly.

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Myth: Drinking alcohol raises your body temperature -

Truth: Though you may think you’re warmer or even imagine feeling hotter, the alcohol you consume actually lowers your core body temperature according to a study published in the scientific journal ‘Alcohol.'

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Myth: Sugar causes hyperactivity in children -

Truth: Though many parents refrain from giving their children sugar for fear that it will cause them to be hyperactive, this is only a myth. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that sugar in the diets of children doesn’t affect their behavior.

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Myth: Adding salt to water makes it boil faster -

Truth: While the temperature of saltwater will get hotter faster than pure water, it still has a higher boiling point as the mass is greater, according to college professor Lesley-Ann Gildings and LiveScience. In short, salt water does not boil faster.

Sources: (BuzzFeed) (Siliconrepublic) (Best Life)

See also: Pregnancy myths people still believe

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