View source for List of common misconceptions

{{Cleanup|date=March 2025}}{{Restructure|date=March 2025}}

This is a list of popular [[fallacy|wrong]] ideas and beliefs about notable topics. Each has been discussed in published literature.

==History==

===Ancient to early modern history===

* There is no evidence that [[Vikings]] wore horns on their helmets.<ref>{{cite book |title=World history: societies of the past |last=Kahn |first=Charles |year=2005 |publisher=Portage & Main Press |isbn=978-1-55379-045-7 |page=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEXCIH4tek8C |access-date=2011-03-18}}</ref>
* [[Canute|King Canute]] did not command the tide to reverse in a fit of delusional arrogance.<ref>"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13524677 Is King Canute misunderstood?]" BBC news story.</ref>
* [[Christopher Columbus]]'s efforts to obtain support for his voyages were not hampered by a [[Europe]]an belief in a [[flat Earth]]. [[Sailor]]s and [[navigation|navigators]] of the time knew that the Earth was like a sphere, but (correctly) disagreed with Columbus's estimate of the distance to [[India]], which was approximately one-sixth of the actual distance. The intellectual class had known that the Earth was spherical since the works of the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle.<ref name="dicks">{{cite book|last=Dicks|first=D.R.|title=Early Greek astronomy to Aristotle |url=https://archive.org/details/earlygreekastron0000dick|page=[https://archive.org/details/earlygreekastron0000dick/page/68 68] |year=1970 |isbn=978-0-8014-0561-7 |publisher= Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, NY}}</ref> [[Eratosthenes]] made a very good estimate of the Earth's diameter around 240&nbsp;BC.<ref>{{cite web |title= Eratosthenes of Cyrene (276&nbsp;BC-194&nbsp;BC) |url= http://www.enotes.com/earth-science/eratosthenes-cyrene-276-b-c-194-b-c |publisher= enotes.com |access-date= 2011-04-05 |archive-date= 2012-07-28 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120728223529/http://www.enotes.com/eratosthenes-cyrene-64319-reference/eratosthenes-cyrene |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/previews/panama-veraguas-province-preview.pdf |title= Panama – Veraguas Province |publisher= LonelyPlanet.com |page= 174 |access-date= 2010-06-23 |archive-date= 2012-10-25 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121025154820/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/previews/panama-veraguas-province-preview.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= Stengle |first= Jamie |url= http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/daily/20080220_Lunar_eclipse__The_view_from_historys_perspective.html |title= Lunar eclipse: The view from history's perspective |publisher= Philadelphia Inquirer |date= 2008-02-20 |access-date= 2009-08-29 |archive-date= 2012-05-27 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120527044118/http://articles.philly.com/2008-02-20/news/24989193_1_lunar-eclipses-myth-flat-earth |url-status= dead }}</ref>
* There is a legend that [[Marco Polo]] imported pasta from [[China]]<ref>[http://www.ilovepasta.org/faqs.html National Pasta Association] article ''FAQs'' section "Who "invented" pasta?"; "The story that it was Marco Polo who imported noodles to Italy and thereby gave birth to the country's pasta culture is the most pervasive myth in the history of Italian food." (Dickie 2008, p. 48).  {{Wayback|url=http://www.ilovepasta.org/faqs.html|date =20101130120934}}</ref> which originated with the ''Macaroni Journal'', published by an association of food industries.<ref>S. Serventi, F. Sabban ''La pasta. Storia e cultura di un cibo universale'', VII. Economica Laterza 2004</ref> [[Durum wheat]], and thus pasta as it is known today, was introduced by [[Arabs]] from [[Libya]], during their conquest of [[Sicily]] in the late 7th century.<ref name="Serventi 2002 10">{{Citation |last= Serventi |first= Silvano |author2= Françoise Sabban |others= Trans. Antony Shugaar |title= Pasta: the story of a universal food |year= 2002 |publisher= Columbia University Press |location= New York |isbn= 978-0-231-12442-3 |page= 10}}</ref> 
* Contrary to the popular image of the [[Pilgrim Fathers]], the early settlers of the [[Plymouth Colony]] in present-day [[Plymouth, Massachusetts]] did not dress in black, wear buckles, or wear black steeple hats. According to historian James W. Baker, this image was formed in the 19th century when buckles were a kind of emblem of [[wikt:quaint|quaintness]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Shenkman |first=Rick |url= http://hnn.us/articles/406.html |title= Top 10 Myths about Thanksgiving |work=HNN.us |publisher=George Mason University |date= November 21, 2001 |access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pollak |first= Michael |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/26/technology/screen-grab-mayflower-descendant-digs-deep-into-the-lore.html |title=Screen Grab: Mayflower descendant digs deep into the lore |work=The New York Times |date=November 26, 1998 |access-date= 2009-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.pbs.org/wnet/colonialhouse/print/p-teach_lesson1_answers.html |title= Mythconceptions Quiz Answer Key |access-date= 2011-04-04 |year=2004 |work= Colonial House |publisher= PBS.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.history.com/topics/mayflower-myths |title=Mayflower Myths – Thanksgiving Holiday |publisher=History.com |date= January 4, 2008 |access-date= 2009-08-29}}</ref>
* [[Marie Antoinette]] did not actually use the words "[[let them eat cake]]" when she heard that the French [[peasant]]ry was starving because they did not have bread to eat. The phrase was first published in Rousseau's ''Confessions'' when Marie was only 10 years old. Marie Antoinette was unpopular, and many attributed the phrase "let them eat cake" to her, in keeping with her reputation as being hard-hearted and disconnected from her subjects.<ref>{{cite web |last=Keener |first=Candace|url=http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/top-5-marie-antoinette-scandals1.htm |title=HowStuffWorks "Let Them Eat Cake" |work= History.howstuffworks.com |date=2 September 2008|access-date= 2010-06-23}}</ref>
* [[George Washington]] did not have wooden teeth. According to a study of Washington's four known [[dentures]] by a forensic anthropologist, the dentures were made of gold, hippopotamus ivory, lead, and human and animal teeth (including horse and donkey teeth).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6875436/|title=Washington's False Teeth Not Wooden|publisher=MSNBC|date=2005-01-27|access-date=2009-08-29|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/61AEslghr?url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6875436/|archive-date=2011-08-23|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[United States Declaration of Independence]] was not signed on July 4, 1776. The final language of the document was approved by the Second Continental Congress on that date, it was printed and distributed on July 4 and 5,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_history.html | title=Declaration of Independence – a history | access-date=2011-04-04 | work=archives.gov | publisher=U.S. National Archives and Records Administration | archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5mr8D8v2a?url=http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_history.html | archive-date=2010-01-17 | url-status=live }}</ref> but the actual signing occurred on August 2, 1776.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/3742/new-poll-gauges-americans-general-knowledge-levels.aspx|date=July 6, 1999|title=New Poll Gauges Americans' General Knowledge Levels|first=Steve |last=Crabtree|quote=the Declaration... was officially signed on August 2nd. Another 32% give a more general answer, saying that July 4th celebrates Independence Day.|publisher=Gallup News Service|access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref>
* The [[United States Constitution]] was written on [[parchment]], not [[hemp]] paper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq_q145.html |title=Constitutional FAQ Answer #145|publisher=USConstitution.net.|work= The U.S. Constitution Online.|access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref>

===Modern history===
[[File:Caricature gillray plumpudding.jpg|thumb|The plumpudding in danger, a [[caricature]] by [[James Gilray]], dated 1805: It shows [[William Pitt]]  on the left, and Napoleon on the right; Napoleon is noticeably smaller than Pitt]]

[[File:Eastlake - Napoleon on the Bellerophon.jpg|thumb|upright|''Napoleon on the Bellerophon'', a painting of Napoleon I by [[Charles Lock Eastlake]]. Napoleon was taller than his nickname, The Little Corporal, suggests.]]
* [[Napoleon I]] (Napoleon Bonaparte) (pictured) was not as short as people thought.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/theory-of-napoleon-complex-is-debunked-442338.html |title=Theory of 'Napoleon complex' is debunked |access-date= 2009-07-13 |work=The Independent |location=London |first=Terry |last=Kirby |date=2007-03-29 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100617065558/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/theory-of-napoleon-complex-is-debunked-442338.html |archive-date= June 17, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> After his death in 1821, his height was found to be 5 [[Foot (length)|feet]] 2&nbsp;inches in [[Foot (length)#Obsolete use in different countries|French feet]]. This is the same as 5&nbsp;feet 6.5&nbsp;inches in modern English feet, or 1.686 [[metres]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.napoleon.org/en/essential_napoleon/faq/index.asp#ancre54|title=Fondation Napoléon|publisher=Napoleon.org|access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=La taille de Napoléon |url=http://www.napoleon.org/fr/salle_lecture/articles/files/Taillenapo_RIN_89_oct1963_2006.asp |language=fr |access-date=2010-07-22 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5jk3XhZKJ?url=http://www.napoleon.org/fr/salle_lecture/articles/files/Taillenapo_RIN_89_oct1963_2006.asp |archive-date=2009-09-12 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
* According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, there is a common misconception among Americans that [[Abraham Lincoln]] freed all the millions of [[Slavery in the United States|American slaves]] with the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] of January 1863,<ref>{{cite news |last=Cruz |first=Gilbert |url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html |title=A brief history of Juneteenth |publisher=TIME |date=2008-06-18 |access-date=2009-08-29 |archive-date=2013-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822212031/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> but the [[Confederate constitution]] had prohibited other nations from freeing slaves in Rebel states. The [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Thirteenth Amendment]], ratified on December 6, 1865, officially abolished (except as a punishment for crime) in all of the United States,<ref>{{cite web |title= Our Documents - 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery |url=https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=40 |website= ourdocuments.gov |date= 2019 |access-date= 2019-01-15 }}</ref> under President [[Andrew Johnson]], 8 months after Lincoln had died.
* Italian dictator [[Benito Mussolini]] did not "make the trains run on time". Much of the repair work had been performed before Mussolini and the [[National Fascist Party|Fascists]] came to power in 1922. Accounts from the era also suggest that the Italian railways' legendary adherence to timetables was more myth than reality.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/rear-window-making-italy-work-did-mussolini-really-get-the-trains-running-on-time-1367688.html|title=Rear window: making Italy work: did Mussolini really get the trains running on time|access-date=2010-09-13|work=The Independent|location=London|first=Brian|last=Cathcart|date=1994-04-03}}</ref>
* During the German [[Invasion of Poland]] in 1939, there is no evidence of [[Polish Cavalry]] mounting a brave but futile charge against German [[tank]]s using lances and sabres. Polish cavalry still carried the sabre, but were trained to fight as highly mobile, dismounted infantry and issued with light anti-tank weapons.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ankerstjerne|first=Christian|title=The myth of Polish cavalry charges|url=http://www.panzerworld.net/fallweiss.html#polishcavalry|publisher=Panzerworld|access-date=2011-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.polamjournal.com/Library/APHistory/Cavalry_Myth/cavalry_myth.html |title=Cavalry Myth |access-date=2011-08-16 |archive-date=2012-09-24 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6AvQeRgCM?url=http://www.polamjournal.com/Library/APHistory/Cavalry_Myth/cavalry_myth.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* During [[World War II]], King [[Christian X of Denmark]] did not thwart [[Nazi]] attempts to identify [[Jew]]s by wearing a yellow star himself. Jews in Denmark were never forced to wear the Star of David. The Danes did help most Jews flee the country before the end of the war.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.diis.dk/graphics/CVer/Personlige_CVer/Holocaust_and_Genocide/Publikationer/holocaust_DK_kap_5.pdf | title=The King and the Star — Myths created during the Occupation of Denmark | access-date=2011-04-05 | author=Vilhjálmur Örn Vilhjálmsson | publisher=Danish institute for international studies | archive-date=2011-07-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716022617/http://www.diis.dk/graphics/CVer/Personlige_CVer/Holocaust_and_Genocide/Publikationer/holocaust_DK_kap_5.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Albert Einstein]] did not fail mathematics in school. When shown a column claiming this fact, Einstein said "I never failed in mathematics... before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus".<ref>{{cite news|last=Isaacson|first=Walter|title=Did Einstein flunk math?|url=http://www.time.com/time/2007/einstein/3.html|publisher=Time|access-date=2011-05-04|date=2007-03-22|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101104120802/http://www.time.com/time/2007/einstein/3.html |archive-date = 2010-11-04|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Andrew Zimmerman|title=Physics Myth Month – Einstein Failed Mathematics?|url=http://physics.about.com/b/2007/09/19/physics-myth-month-einstein-failed-mathematics.htm|access-date=4 May 2011|archive-date=12 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412011826/http://physics.about.com/b/2007/09/19/physics-myth-month-einstein-failed-mathematics.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[John F. Kennedy]]'s words "{{lang|de|[[Ich bin ein Berliner]]}}" are standard German for "I am a Berliner".<ref>{{cite book |last=Daum |first=Andreas W. |title=Kennedy in Berlin |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=148–149 |year=2007 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IrK1TG34vw8C&pg=PT148|isbn=978-3506719911}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canoo.net/services/OnlineGrammar/Wort/Artikel/Gebrauch/ArtIndef.html|title=Gebrauch des unbestimmten Artikels (German, "Use of the indefinite article")|author=Canoo Engineering AG|access-date=2010-07-05}}</ref> An [[urban legend]] has it that due to his use of the indefinite article ''{{lang|de|ein}}'', ''{{lang|de|Berliner}}'' is translated as ''jelly doughnut'', and that the population of Berlin was amused by the supposed mistake. The word ''{{lang|de|Berliner}}'' is not commonly used in Berlin to refer to the ''{{lang|de|[[Berliner (pastry)|Berliner Pfannkuchen]]}}''; they are usually called ''{{lang|de|ein Pfannkuchen}}''.<ref>{{cite web|title=German Myth 6: JFK a Jelly Doughnut? Berlin Speech 1963|url=http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth06.htm|work=German misnomers, myths and mistakes|publisher=About.com|access-date=2011-04-05|archive-date=2014-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209152717/http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth06.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Eva Perón]] never uttered the quote "''I will return and I will be millions''". The quote was first formulated by the indigenous leader [[Túpac Katari]] in 1781 shortly before being executed. The misattribution to Eva Perón originates from a poem by [[José María Castiñeira de Dios]] written in Eva Perón's [[first-person narrative]] nearly ten years after her death. There is a similar quote in the ''[[Spartacus (movie)|Spartacus]]'' movie.<ref>[http://www.diariouno.com.ar/pais/Volvere-y-sere-millones-la-frase-que-erroneamente-la-historia-atribuyo-a-Evita-20080119-0026.html “Volveré y seré millones”, la frase que erróneamente la historia atribuyó a Evita] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007190720/http://www.diariouno.com.ar/pais/Volvere-y-sere-millones-la-frase-que-erroneamente-la-historia-atribuyo-a-Evita-20080119-0026.html |date=2011-10-07 }} {{in lang|es}}</ref>

==Legislation and crime==
* A common misconception is that you must wait at least 24 hours before filing a [[Missing person|missing person's]] report. This is rarely the case. In many cases if there is evidence of violence or of an unusual absence, law enforcement agencies sat to begin an investigation soon after they are missing.<ref>{{cite news|title=Missing persons usually found|author=Preston Sparks and Timothy Cox|date=November 17, 2008|newspaper=Augusta Chronicle|access-date=May 21, 2011|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2008/11/17/met_483813.shtml}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.missingpersons.gov.au/nmpcc/faqs.aspx#a1|title=FAQs: Question: Do you need to wait 24 hours before reporting a person missing?|publisher=National Missing Persons Coordination Center, Australian Federal Police|access-date=May 22, 2011|archive-date=December 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214111833/http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2008/11/17/met_483813.shtml#a1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/missing-persons-week-launched-20100801-110yt.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=Missing persons week launched | date=2010-08-01}}</ref>
* [[Entrapment]] law in the [[United States]] does not require police officers to identify themselves as police in the case of a sting or other undercover work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/risque/hookers/cop.asp|title=Snopes on Entrapment|publisher=Snopes.com|access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref>  The law is specifically about leading people to commit crimes they would not have considered in the normal course of events.<ref>''Sloane'' (1990) 49 A Crim R 270. See also [[agent provocateur]]</ref>

==Food and cooking==
[[File:Western Sushi.jpg|thumb|180px|Roll-style Western [[sushi]]. Contrary to a popular myth, sushi can contain any number of raw ingredients, including vegetables and other non-meat products.]]
* [[Searing]] meat does not "seal in" moisture, and in fact may actually cause meat to lose moisture. Generally, the value in searing meat is that it creates a brown crust with a rich flavor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freeculinaryschool.com/how-to-sear/|title=How To Sear|publisher=freeculinaryschool.com|access-date=2011-08-16|archive-date=2010-12-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224153811/http://freeculinaryschool.com/how-to-sear/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cookthink.com/reference/7/Does_searing_meat_really_seal_in_moisture|title=Does searing meat really seal in moisture?|publisher=Cookthink.com|access-date=2009-08-29|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100115142754/http://www.cookthink.com/reference/7/Does_searing_meat_really_seal_in_moisture |archive-date = January 15, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=McGee>{{cite book|author=McGee, Harold|title=On food and cooking|url=https://archive.org/details/onfoodcookingsci0000mcge_e4f3|publisher=Scribner|year=2004|isbn=978-0-684-80001-1|edition=revised}} Page 161, "The Searing Question".</ref>
* Some cooks believe that food items cooked with wine or liquor will be non-alcoholic, because [[ethanol|alcohol's]] low boiling point causes it to evaporate quickly when heated. However, a study found that some of the alcohol remains: 25% after 1 hour of baking or simmering, and 10% after 2 hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ochef.com/165.htm|title=Does alcohol burn off in cooking?|publisher=Ochef.com|access-date=2009-08-29|archive-date=2010-12-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215125413/http://www.ochef.com/165.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* ''[[Sushi]]'' does not mean "raw fish", and not all sushi includes raw fish. The name sushi refers to the vinegared rice used in it. Sushi is made with ''sumeshi'', rice which has been gently folded with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar dressing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/sushi.htm|title=How Sushi Works|date=18 October 2005|publisher=HowStuffWorks|access-date=February 4, 2011}}</ref>  The rice is traditionally topped by raw fish, cooked seafood, fish [[roe]], [[egg (food)|egg]], and/or vegetables such as [[cucumber]], [[daikon]] radish, and [[avocado]].
* [[Microwave oven]]s do not cook food from the inside out. Microwave radiation penetrates food and causes direct heating only a short distance from the surface. This distance is called the [[skin depth]]. As an example, lean muscle tissue (meat) has a skin depth of only about {{convert|1|cm}} at microwave oven frequencies.<ref name=VanderVorst>{{cite book|author=Van der Vorst, Andre|title=RF/Microwave interaction with biological tissues|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|year=2006|isbn=978-0-471-73277-8}} Page 43, "Figure 1.8.</ref>

==Words and phrases==
* The word '[[fuck]]' did not come from Christianized [[Anglo-Saxon]] England and it is not any kind of [[acronym]]. The earliest recorded use of 'fuck' in English comes from about 1475, in the poem ''Flen flyys'', where it is spelled ''fuccant'' (conjugated as if a [[Latin]] [[verb]], meaning 'they fuck'). It is of [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] origin, and is related to [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''fokken'' and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] ''fukka''.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fuck
|title=Fuck
|author=Douglas Harper
|year=2010
|work=Online Etymology Dictionary
|access-date=June 17, 2011
}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|year=2011
|title =Fuck
|encyclopedia=Merriam–Webster
|publisher=Merriam–Webster, Inc
|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fuck
|access-date=June 17, 2011
}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title =Fuck|encyclopedia=Webster's New World College Dictionary|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/fuck|access-date=June 17, 2011}}</ref> Modern English was not spoken until the 16th century, and words such as 'fornication' did not exist in any form in English until the [[Anglo-Norman language#The influence French had on English|influence of Anglo-Norman]] in the late 12th century.
* The word '[[crap]]' did not originate as a [[back-formation]] of British [[plumber]] [[Thomas Crapper]]'s surname. Nor does his name originate from the word 'crap', although the surname may have helped popularize the word.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cra1.htm|title=Crap|author=Michael Quinion|year=2011|work=World Wide Words|access-date=June 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/business/names/crapper.asp|title=Thomas Crapper|date=May 31, 2011|work=Snopes.com|publisher=Urban Legends Reference Pages|access-date=June 17, 2011}}</ref> The surname 'Crapper' is a variant of 'Cropper', which originally referred to someone who [[harvest]]ed [[crops]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=crap|title=Crap|author=Douglas Harper|year=2010|work=Online Etymology Dictionary|access-date=June 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year=2003|title=Cropper|encyclopedia=Dictionary of American Family Names|publisher=Oxford University Press|url=http://www.ancestry.com/facts/cropper-family-history.ashx|access-date=June 17, 2011}}</ref> The word 'crap' ultimately comes from [[Medieval Latin]] ''crappa'', meaning '[[chaff]]'.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year=2001|title=Crap|encyclopedia=American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|url=http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/crap|access-date=June 17, 2011|archive-date=January 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121195235/http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/crap|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The word '[[gringo]]' is a [[pejorative]] term for an American. It did not originate during the [[Mexican-American War]] (1846–1848) or in the [[American Old West]] (~1865–1899);<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/gringo.asp
|title=Gringo
|date=April 13, 2011
|work=Snopes.com
|publisher=Urban Legends Reference Pages
|access-date=June 17, 2011
}}</ref> Nor did it originate during any of these times as a corruption of "Green go home!", falsely said to have been shouted at green-clad American troops.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://ask.yahoo.com/20000821.html
|title=How did the term 'Gringo' originate?
|date=August 21, 2000
|work=Ask Yahoo!
|publisher=Yahoo! Inc
|access-date=June 17, 2011
|archive-date=November 17, 2012
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117015326/http://ask.yahoo.com/20000821.html
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> The word originally simply meant "foreigner", and is probably a corruption of Spanish ''griego'', "Greek".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|year=2001
|title=Gringo
|encyclopedia=American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
|url=http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/gringo
|access-date=June 17, 2011
|archive-date=May 14, 2013
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514193349/http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/gringo
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>
* The phrase "sleep tight" did not originally refer to a supposed [[Middle Ages|medieval]] or [[early modern period|early modern]] practice of tightening feather [[mattress]]es with ropes.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sle1.htm
|title=Sleep tight
|author=Michael Quinion
|year=2011
|publisher=World Wide Words
|access-date=June 17, 2011
}}</ref> The word "tight" here simply means "soundly".<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/page/phrasesleeptight
|title=What is the origin of the phrase 'sleep tight'?
|year=2011
|work=Oxford Dictionaries
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|access-date=June 17, 2011
|archive-date=September 10, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910020444/http://oxforddictionaries.com/page/phrasesleeptight
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>
* People during the Old and Middle English speaking periods never pronounced "the" as "ye".<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/ye.html
|title=Common errors in English usage
|author=Paul Brians
|year=2011
|publisher=Washington State University
|access-date=June 24, 2011
|archive-date=May 31, 2013
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531122316/http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/ye.html
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> The idea that they did comes from confusion with the [[Thorn (letter)|thorn]], which in old print (''þ<sup>e</sup>'' or ''y<sup>e</sup>'') often looked like a ''y''.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=ye
|title=ye (pron.)
|author=Douglas Harper
|date=2001
|work=Online Etymology Dictionary
|access-date=June 24, 2011
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0osmAAAAMAAJ&q=The+concise+usage+and+abusage
|title=The concise usage and abusage
|author=Eric Partridge
|year=1961
|publisher=H. Hamilton
|access-date=June 24, 2011
}}</ref>
* The claim that a reporter, on assignment to Cuba, telegraphed [[William Randolph Hearst]] "...There will be no war. I wish to return" and Hearst responded, "Please remain. You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war." Although this claim is included in a book, there is no evidence that the telegraph exchange ever happened, and substantial evidence that it did not.<ref name="GIW">{{cite book  | last1 = Campbell | first1 = W. Joseph. | title = Getting it wrong : ten of the greatest misreported stories in American Journalism | url = https://archive.org/details/gettingitwrongte0000camp | date = 2010 | publisher = University of California Press | location = Berkeley | isbn = 978-0-520-26209-6 | pages =[https://archive.org/details/gettingitwrongte0000camp/page/9 9]–25 }}</ref><ref name="Yellow">W. Joseph Campbell, ''Yellow Journalism: puncturing the myths, defining the legacies'' (2003) p. 72</ref>
* The Dutch [[confection]]s '[[pepernoot]]' and '[[kruidnoot]]' are ofen confused. Both are brown [[cookie]]-like [[dessert]]s but kruidnoten are hard while pepernoten are soft and chewy.

==Science==
===Astronomy===
[[File:Great Wall of China, Satellite image.jpeg|thumb|250px|A [[Satellite (artificial)|satellite]] image of a section of the [[Great Wall of China]] that goes diagonally from lower left to upper right. Next to it is a river, running from upper left to lower right). The area in the image is 12&nbsp;×&nbsp;12&nbsp;km (7.5&nbsp;×&nbsp;7.5&nbsp;miles).]]
* It is commonly claimed that the [[Great Wall of China]] is the only human-made object visible from the Moon. This is false. None of the [[Project Apollo|Apollo]] astronauts reported seeing ''any'' specific human-made object from the Moon, and even earth-orbiting astronauts can barely see it. City lights, however, are easily visible on the night side of Earth from orbit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2003/24mar_noseprints/|title=Space Station Astrophotography|publisher=NASA|date=March 24, 2003|access-date=2011-01-13|archive-date=2014-04-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404162248/http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2003/24mar_noseprints/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Shuttle astronaut [[Jay Apt]] said "...the Great Wall is almost invisible from only 180&nbsp;miles up".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/science/greatwall.asp |title=Great Walls of Liar|publisher=Snopes.com|access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref>
* [[Black hole]]s, contrary to their common image, do not necessarily suck up all the matter around them.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wolfson|first=Richard|title=Simply Einstein: relativity demystified|publisher= Norton|year=2002|page=261|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OUJWKdlFKeQC&dq=%22black+hole%22+%22misconception%22+%22cosmic+vacuum+cleaner%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA219|isbn=0393051544}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Misner|first=Charles W. |author2=Kip S. Thorne, John Archibald Wheeler |title= Gravitation |year=1973 |isbn=978-0-7167-0344-0 |publisher= Freeman |location=New York}}{{Page needed|date=September 2010}}</ref> Were the Sun to be replaced by a black hole of the same mass, then the orbits of all the planets surrounding it would be unaffected. This is because "if you're outside the event horizon, you can just keep going around in circles around [a black hole], in exactly the same way that you can be in orbit around any other kind of mass".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oyc.yale.edu/astronomy/frontiers-and-controversies-in-astrophysics/content/transcripts/transcript09.html |title=Frontiers And Controversies In Astrophysics Transcript 9 |publisher=[[Yale University]]|access-date=2011-04-26}} {{dead link|date=May 2012}}</ref>
* [[Season]]s are not caused by the [[Earth]] being closer to the [[Sun]] in the summer than in the winter. In fact, the Earth is actually farther from the Sun when it is summer in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. Seasons are the result of the Earth being [[Axial tilt|tilted on its axis]] by 23.4 degrees. As the [[Earth's orbit|Earth orbits the Sun]], different parts of the world receive different amounts of direct sunlight. When an area of the Earth's surface is oriented perpendicular to the incoming sunlight, it will receive more radiation than it will when it is oriented at an angle to the incoming sunlight. In July, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun giving longer days and more direct sunlight; in January, it is tilted away. The seasons are reversed in the [[Southern Hemisphere]], which is tilted towards the Sun in January and away from the Sun in July.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/education/resources/sunearth/section06i.shtml|publisher=Adler Planetarium |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216004548/http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/education/resources/sunearth/section06i.shtml|archive-date=2007-12-16|title=Sun-Earth Connection|access-date=2009-05-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/outreach/sunearthmiscons.html|title=Ten things you thought you knew about Sun-Earth science|publisher=NASA|access-date=2009-05-08}}</ref>
* [[Meteorite]]s are not necessarily hot when they reach the Earth. In fact, many meteorites are found with frost on them. A meteorite has been in the near-[[absolute zero]] temperature of space for billions of years, so the interior of it is very cold. A meteor's great speed is enough to melt its outside layer, but any molten metal will be quickly blown off, and the interior of the meteor does not have time to heat up because rocks are poor conductors of heat. Also, atmospheric drag can slow small meteors to [[terminal velocity]] by the time they hit the ground, giving them time to cool down.<ref>[http://listverse.com/2007/12/01/top-10-common-misconceptions/ Top 10 Common Misconceptions]</ref>

===Biology===
[[File:AD2009Aug08 Bombus pratorum.jpg|thumb|''[[Bombus]] pratorum'' over an ''[[Echinacea]] purpurea'' [[inflorescence]]. A common myth is that bumblebees should be incapable of flight.]]
* [[DNA]] is not made of [[protein]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Regis|first=Ed|title=What is life?: investigating the nature of life in the age of synthetic biology|url=https://archive.org/details/whatislifeinvest0000regi_d0c5|page=[https://archive.org/details/whatislifeinvest0000regi_d0c5/page/44 44]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-19-538341-6|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=USA}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lakin |first1=Liz |title=The golden age of protein: an initial teacher training perspective on the biological role of proteins in our everyday lives |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_international-journal-of-consumer-studies_2004-03_28_2/page/127 |journal=International Journal of Consumer Studies |volume=28 |pages=127–34 |year=2004 |issue=2 |doi=10.1111/j.1470-6431.2003.00359.x}}</ref> DNA is instead a [[nucleic acid]]. However, DNA and protein work closely together. DNA is always accompanied by proteins in the [[chromatin]] of plants and animals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chromatin.net/|title=Chromatin network home page.|access-date=2011-01-07|archive-date=2011-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813142546/http://chromatin.net/|url-status=dead}}</ref> See [[protein biosynthesis]] for DNA's involvement in assembling protein. See also [[DNA replication]] and [[Ribonuclease]].
* [[Lemming]]s do not engage in mass suicidal dives off cliffs when migrating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.asp|title=Lemmings|publisher=Snopes|access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Scott |first=W. |journal=The Monthly Chronicle of North-country Lore and Legend |year=1891 |title=The Monthly chronicle of North-country lore and legend: v.1–5; Mar. 1887-Dec. 1891 |volume=5 |page= 523 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W8rUAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA523 |access-date=7 January 2011}}</ref>
* [[Bat]]s are not blind. All bat species have eyes and can see. Further, not all bats can echolocate and these bats have excellent night vision (see [[megabat]] vs. [[microbat]]).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fws.gov/endangered/bats/miscon.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519095139/http://www.fws.gov/endangered/bats/miscon.htm|archive-date=2008-05-19|title=Common misconceptions about bats|access-date=2009-04-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2003/American-Heritage-Animal-Cliches.aspx|title=The truth about animal clichés|access-date=2009-04-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collegenews.org/x2682.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607080055/http://www.collegenews.org/x2682.xml|archive-date=2008-06-07|title=Blind as a Bat?|date=12 June 2003|access-date=2009-04-07}}</ref>
* It is a common myth that an [[earthworm]] becomes two worms when cut in half. However, only a limited number of earthworm species are capable of anterior [[Earthworm#Regeneration|regeneration]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jez.1401170102/abstract|title=Simultaneous anterior and posterior regeneration and other growth phenomena in Maldanid polychaetes|year=1942|doi=10.1002/jez.1401170102|last1=Moment|first1=Gairdner B.|journal=Journal of Experimental Zoology|volume=117|pages=1–13}}</ref> When most earthworms are cut in half, only the front half of the worm (where the mouth is located) can survive, while the other half dies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/didyouknow_worms.shtml|title=Gardening with children – Worms|publisher=BBC|access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref> Also, species of the [[planaria]] family of [[flatworm]]s actually ''do'' become two new planaria when bisected or split down the middle.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reddien |first1=Peter W. |last2=Alvarado |first2=Alejandro Sanchez |title=Fundamentals of planarian regeneration |journal=Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology |volume=20 |pages=725–57 |year=2004 |pmid=15473858 |doi=10.1146/annurev.cellbio.20.010403.095114}}</ref>
* According to urban myth, the daddy longlegs spider (''[[Pholcus phalangioides]]'') is the most venomous spider in the world, but the shape of their mandibles leaves them unable to bite humans, rendering them harmless to our species. In reality, they can indeed pierce human skin, though the tiny amount of venom they carry causes only a mild burning sensation for a few seconds.<ref>Mythbusters Daddy-longlegs (Season 1, Episode 16)</ref> In addition, there is also confusion regarding the use of the name ''daddy longlegs'', because harvestmen (order ''[[Opiliones]]'', which are not spiders) and [[crane fly|crane flies]] (which are insects) are also known as ''daddy longlegs'', and share (also incorrectly) the myth of being venomous.<ref>{{cite web|title=UCR Entomology Spiders – Daddy Long Legs|url=http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Spider Myths – If it could only bite|url=http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/daddyvenom.html|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5QgD7DosN?url=http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/daddyvenom.html|archive-date=2007-07-28|url-status=live|access-date=2011-08-16}}</ref>
* [[Poinsettia]]s are not highly [[Toxicity|toxic]]. They are just mildly irritating to the skin or stomach,<ref name = southern>{{cite encyclopedia |title= Euphorbia |encyclopedia= The Southern Living Garden Book |editor-last= Bender |editor-first= Steve |date= January 2004 |edition= 2nd |isbn= 0-376-03910-8 |publisher= Oxmoor House |location = Birmingham, Alabama |page= 306}}</ref> and may sometimes cause [[diarrhea]] and [[vomiting]] if eaten.<ref name = fiction>{{cite web |url= http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55606 |title= Are Poinsettia plants poisonous? Fact or fiction?|access-date= 2007-12-21 }}</ref><ref name = ajem>{{cite journal 
|author1=Krenzelok EP
|author2=Jacobsen TD
|author3=Aronis JM |title= Poinsettia exposures have good outcomes…just as we thought |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_american-journal-of-emergency-medicine_1996-11_14_7/page/671 |journal= American Journal of Emergency Medicine |volume=14 |issue=7 |pages= 671–4 |date= Nov 1996 |pmid=8906768 |doi= 10.1016/S0735-6757(96)90086-8 }}</ref> Also, Poinsettias are not highly toxic to cats. According to the ASPCA, poinsettias may cause light to mid-range gastrointestinal discomfort in felines, with diarrhea and vomiting as the most severe consequences of ingestion.<ref name = ASPCA>{{cite web |title= Poinsettia |url= http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-poison-control/poinsettia.aspx |access-date= 2011-08-16 |archive-date= 2011-01-10 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110110210836/http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-poison-control/poinsettia.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref>
* The flight mechanism and aerodynamics of the [[bumblebee]] (as well as other insects) are actually quite well understood, in spite of the legend that calculations show that they should not be able to fly. In the 1930s a German scientist, using flawed techniques, postulated that bumblebees theoretically should not be able to fly,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://naturenet.net/blogs/index.php/2008/01/04/can_bees_fly |title=Can bees fly? The Virtual Ranger |access-date=2011-08-16 |archive-date=2011-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720113121/http://naturenet.net/blogs/index.php/2008/01/04/can_bees_fly |url-status=dead}}</ref> although he later retracted the suggestion. 
* [[Shark]]s can actually suffer from [[cancer]]. The myth that sharks do not get cancer was spread by the 1992 book ''Sharks don't get cancer'' by I. William Lane. Extracts of shark [[cartilage]] was sold as cancer prevention treatments. Reports of [[carcinoma]]s in sharks exist, and current data do not allow any speculation about the incidence of tumors in sharks.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ostrander |first1=G. K. |last2=Cheng |first2=KC |last3=Wolf |first3=JC |last4=Wolfe |first4=MJ |title=Shark cartilage, cancer and the growing threat of pseudoscience |journal=Cancer Research |volume=64 |issue=23 |pages=8485–91 |year=2004 |pmid=15574750 |doi= 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-04-2260|s2cid=8107336 }}</ref>
* It is not harmful to baby birds to pick them up and return them to their nests, despite the common belief that doing so will cause the mother to reject them.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lollar |first=Michael |title=Fine feathered infirmary for sick songbirds |url=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jun/16/fine-feathered-infirmary-for-sick-songbirds |access-date=12 January 2011 |newspaper=Knoxs News |date=16 June 2008 |archive-date=16 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116050610/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jun/16/fine-feathered-infirmary-for-sick-songbirds/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/babybird.asp|title=Rejected baby birds |access-date=2011-01-22}}</ref>
* Bulls are not enraged by the color red, used in capes by professional [[matador]]s. Cattle are [[Dichromacy|dichromats]], so red does not stand out as a bright color. It is not the color of the cape that angers the bull, but rather the movement of the fabric that irritates the bull and incites it to charge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itla.net/index.cfm?sec=Longhorn_Information&con=handling|title=Longhorn_Information – handling|publisher=ITLA|access-date=2010-06-23|archive-date=2010-05-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511090201/http://www.itla.net/index.cfm?sec=Longhorn_Information&con=handling|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://iacuc.tennessee.edu/pdf/Policies-AnimalCare/Cattle-BasicCare.pdf|title=Cattle – Basic Care|access-date=2010-06-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625012822/http://iacuc.tennessee.edu/pdf/Policies-AnimalCare/Cattle-BasicCare.pdf|archive-date=2008-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GhmrNYJhcrIC&dq=cattle+dichromat&pg=PA45|title=Livestock handleing and transport|publisher=CABI|year=2007|access-date=2011-01-28|isbn=978-1-84593-219-0}}</ref>
* Contrary to popular belief, [[dog]]s do not sweat by [[salivation|salivating]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cool Pet Facts - North Shore Animal League America.htm|url=http://www.animalleague.org/kids/cool_pet_facts.html|access-date=22 May 2011|archive-date=25 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725012738/http://www.animalleague.org/kids/cool_pet_facts.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dog noses – myths and facts about your dog's nose – weekly pet tips by Pets.ca|url=http://www.pets.ca/dogs/tips/dog-noses-facts-and-myths-pet-tip-115/|access-date=22 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Varasdi|first=J. Allen|title=Myth Information|year=1989|publisher=Ballantine Books|isbn=978-0-345-35985-8|page=267|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Euz0P7x98z0C|quote=Dogs do not sweat with their tongues as most people believe. They do have some sweat glands, but the ones of most importance are on the pads, or soles, of their feet.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Segaloff|first=Nat|title=The Everything tall tales, legends & outrageous lies book|year=2001|publisher=Adams Media Corp.|isbn=978-1-58062-514-2|page=265|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=03vYAAAAMAAJ|quote=Of course, dogs sweat. You would, too, if you had to wear a fur coat in hot weather. Dogs excrete moisture through the pads on their paws.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Olien|first=Michael D.|title=The human myth : an introduction to anthropology|year=1978|publisher=Harper & Row|location=New York|isbn=978-0-06-044918-6|page=568|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mvFKAAAAYAAJ|quote=It is another folk tale that dogs do not sweat except through the tongue. This is an incorrect belief as dogs possess sweat glands all over the body.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Aoki |first=T. |author2=Wada, M. |title= Functional activity of the sweat glands in the hairy skin of the dog |journal=Science |date=2 August 1951 |volume=114 |issue= 2953 |pages=123–124 |doi= 10.1126/science.114.2953.123|pmid=14854926 |url=http://www.sciencemag.org/content/114/2953/123.short |access-date= 22 May 2011 |bibcode= 1951Sci...114..123A }}</ref> It is not true that dogs do not have [[sweat gland]]s or have sweat glands only on their tongues. They do sweat, mainly through the footpads. However, dogs do primarily regulate their body temperature through panting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Do Dogs Sweat - Page 1 |url=http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-do-dogs-sweat/page1.aspx |access-date=2011-08-16 |archive-date=2013-12-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214113342/http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-do-dogs-sweat/page1.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Evolution====
[[File:Palais de la Decouverte Tyrannosaurus rex p1050042.jpg |thumb |right|230px |''[[Tyrannosaurus]]''. Non-[[bird|avian]] [[dinosaur]]s died out in the [[Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event]] at the end of the [[Cretaceous]] period.]]
* The word ''[[theory]]'' in ''the theory of evolution'' does not imply scientific doubt about its validity. The concepts of ''theory'' and ''[[hypothesis]]'' have specific meanings in science. While ''theory'' in colloquial usage may denote a hunch or conjecture, a ''[[scientific theory]]'' is a set of principles that explains ''observable phenomena'' in [[naturalism (philosophy)|natural]] terms.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.msu.edu/~pennock5/research/papers/Pennock_TeachingEvoNatureSci.pdf|title=Evolutionary science and society: educating a new generation (TOC) |publisher= MSU.edu |work=Revised Proceedings of the BSCS, AIBS Symposium |date=Nov 2004 |access-date= 2011-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://chandra.harvard.edu/chronicle/0308/theo/index.html |title=It is not just a theory… it is a theory! |date=July 7, 2008 |publisher= Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics |work=Chandra Chronicles |access-date= 2009-04-08}}</ref> "Scientific fact and theory are not categorically separable",<ref>{{cite book |title= The structure of scientific revolutions|url= https://archive.org/details/structurescienti00kuhn_141|edition= 3rd|author-link=Thomas S. Kuhn|last= Kuhn|first= Thomas S.|year= 1996|publisher= University of Chicago Press|location= Chicago|isbn= 978-0-226-45808-3|page= [https://archive.org/details/structurescienti00kuhn_141/page/n18 7]}}</ref> and evolution is a theory in the same way as [[gravitation]], or [[plate tectonics]] are theories.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://evoled.dbs.umt.edu/lessons/miscon.htm#3|title=Misconceptions about the nature of science|publisher=[[University of Montana]], Div. Biological Sciences|work=UMT.edu|access-date=2009-04-08}}</ref>
[[File:Aegyptopithecus NT.jpg|thumb|A reconstruction of ''[[Aegyptopithecus]]'', a [[primate]] predating the split between the human and [[Old World monkey]] lineages in [[human evolution]]]]
* Humans did not evolve from chimpanzees<ref>{{cite news|first=Amy |last=Harmon, New York Times|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/30/MNSK12HD6J.DTL|title=Teaching evolution to young Christian skeptics|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|date=August 31, 2008|access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref> or any other modern-day [[primate]]s. Humans and chimpanzees share a [[common descent|common ancestor]] that lived about seven million years ago. [[Human]]s are in the [[Hominidae]] ([[hominid]] and [[great ape]]) family, including [[chimpanzee]]s, [[gorilla]]s and [[orangutan]]s. The common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees, which lived between 6 and 8 million years ago, evolved into two lineages. One line eventually became modern humans, and the other became the two living chimpanzee species.<ref name="pbs_evolution_faq">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/cat02.html#Q01|title=Evolution: frequently asked questions|publisher=PBS.org|access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref>
* Evolution is not a progression from inferior to superior organisms, because the words ''inferior'' and ''superior'' are undefined [[value judgement]]s. Evolution also does not ''necessarily'' result in the evolution of [[complexity]], though overall it has done so. A population can evolve to become simpler, having a smaller [[genome]].<ref name="pmid11893328">{{cite journal |last1=Moran |first1=Nancy A. |title=Microbial minimalism: genome reduction in bacterial pathogens |journal=Cell |volume=108 |issue=5 |pages=583–6 |year=2002 |pmid=11893328 |doi=10.1016/S0092-8674(02)00665-7|s2cid=18688744 }}</ref>
* According to the California Academy of Sciences, only 59% of U.S. adults know humans and [[dinosaur]]s did not coexist.<ref name=science_daily>{{cite web|url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312115133.htm |title=American adults flunk basic science |publisher=[[Science Daily]]|date= March 13, 2009}}</ref> However, the last of the non-[[Aves|avian]] [[dinosaur]]s died 65.5 million years ago, after the [[Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event]], whereas the earliest ''[[Homo (Genus)|Homo]]'' Genus (humans) evolved between 2.3 and 2.4 million years ago.
* Evolution does not "plan" to improve an organism's fitness to survive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/misconceptions_faq.php#a4|title=Understanding evolution: Misconceptions about evolution and the mechanisms of evolution|date=19 September 2021}} Misconception: "Natural selection involves organisms 'trying' to adapt."</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/misconceptions_faq.php#a5|title=Understanding evolution: Misconceptions about evolution and the mechanisms of evolution|date=19 September 2021}} Misconception: "Natural selection gives organisms what they 'need'".</ref> For example, an incorrect way to describe giraffe evolution is to say that giraffe necks grew longer over time because they needed to reach tall trees. Evolution does not see a need and respond to it. A mutation resulting in longer necks would be more likely to benefit an animal in an area with tall trees than an area with short trees, and thus enhance the chance of the animal surviving to pass on its longer-necked genes. Tall trees could not cause the mutation nor would they cause a higher percentage of animals to be born with longer necks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic10/giraffe.htm |title=The Giraffe's Short Neck. |access-date=2011-08-16 }}</ref> In the giraffe example, the evolution of a long neck may also have been driven by [[sexual selection]]. The idea would be that long necks evolved as a secondary [[sexual dimorphism|sexual characteristic]], giving males an advantage in "necking" contests over females.<ref name=sim1996>{{cite journal| author = Simmons R.E. & Scheepers L| title = Winning by a neck: sexual selection in the evolution of giraffe| journal = The American Naturalist| volume = 148| issue = 5| pages = 771–786| year = 1996| url = http://bill.srnr.arizona.edu/classes/182/Giraffe/WinningByANeck.pdf| doi = 10.1086/285955| s2cid = 84406669| access-date = 2011-08-16| archive-date = 2004-08-23| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040823200801/http://bill.srnr.arizona.edu/classes/182/Giraffe/WinningByANeck.pdf| url-status = dead}}</ref> It is common for an [[adaptation]] to have more than one function.
* [[Mammal]]s did not evolve from [[reptile]]s, just as humans have not evolved from chimpanzees (above). Soon after the first vertebrate [[Amniote|land-dwellers]] appeared, they split into two branches.<ref>Coven R 2000. History of life. Blackwell, Oxford. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qvyBS4gwPF4C&dq=diapsids+ancestors+synapsids&pg=PA154 p 154]</ref> The line leading to mammals ([[Synapsid]]s) diverged from the line leading to reptiles ([[Sauropsid]]s) about 320 million years ago, in the mid [[Carboniferous]] period. Only much later did the modern reptilian groups ([[lepidosaur]]s, [[turtle]]s and [[crocodile]]s) emerge. Mammals are the only survivors of the synapsid line.<ref>Romer A.S. & T.S. Parsons. 1977. ''The Vertebrate Body.'' 5th ed. Saunders, Philadelphia. (6th ed. 1985)</ref> The confusion over the origin of mammals comes from conflicting definitions of "Reptile". Under [[Linnaean taxonomy]] reptiles are all [[amniote]]s except mammals and birds, thus including the synapsids as well as the first basal amniotes.<ref name="tudge">{{RefTudgeVariety}}</ref> With the rise of classification based on [[phylogeny]], the Sauropsida excludes basal amniotes and the synapsid line.<ref name=modestoanderson2004>{{cite journal | last1 = Modesto | first1 = S.P. | last2 = Anderson | first2 = J.S. | year = 2004 | title = The phylogenetic definition of Reptilia | url = http://sysbio.oxfordjournals.org/content/53/5/815.full | journal = Systematic Biology | pmid = 15545258 | volume = 53 | issue = 5| pages = 815–821 | doi = 10.1080/10635150490503026}}</ref> The synapsids are popularly known as "mammal-like reptiles". An example is ''[[Dimetrodon]]'', which is often thought of as a dinosaur, but is in fact neither a dinosaur nor closely related to modern reptiles.<ref>Kenneth D. Angielczyk, [http://www.springerlink.com/content/w3u27142m0144433/ ''Dimetrodon'' is not a dinosaur: using tree thinking to understand the ancient relatives of mammals and their evolution]{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''Evolution: Education and Outreach'' '''2''', #2, 257–271, DOI: 10.1007/s12052-009-0117-4</ref>

===Chemistry===
* [[Glass]] is not a high-[[viscosity]] liquid at room temperature: it is an [[amorphous solid]], although it does have some chemical properties normally associated with liquids. Panes of [[stained glass]] windows often have thicker glass at the bottom than at the top, and this has been cited as an example of the slow flow of glass over centuries. However, this unevenness is due to the window manufacturing processes used in earlier eras, which produced glass panes that were unevenly thick at the time of their installation. Normally the thick end of glass would be installed at the bottom of the frame, but it is also common to find old windows where the thicker end has been installed to the sides or the top. In fact, the lead frames of the windows are less viscous than the panes, and if glass was indeed a slow moving liquid, the panes would warp at a higher degree.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/science/29glass.html|work=The New York Times|title=The nature of glass remains anything but clear|first=Kenneth|last=Chang|date=2008-07-29|access-date=2010-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glassnotes.com/WindowPanes.html|title=Does Glass Flow|publisher=Glassnotes.com|date=1998-05-30|access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref>

===Human body and health===
====The senses====
* Humans have more than five [[senses]]. Although definitions vary, the actual number ranges from 9 to more than 20. In addition to [[visual perception|sight]], [[olfaction|smell]], [[taste]], [[somatosensory system|touch]], and [[hearing]], which were the senses identified by [[Aristotle]], humans can sense balance and acceleration ([[equilibrioception]]), [[pain]] ([[nociception]]), body and limb position ([[proprioception]] or kinesthetic sense), and relative temperature ([[thermoception]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hms.harvard.edu/news/harvard-medicine/extra-sensory-perceptions|title=Extra Sensory Perceptions|author=Jessica Cerretani|date=Spring 2010|work=Harvard Medicine|publisher=Harvard College|access-date=2011-01-13|archive-date=2013-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013015746/http://hms.harvard.edu/news/harvard-medicine/extra-sensory-perceptions|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other senses sometimes identified are the sense of time, [[Pruritus|itching]], pressure, hunger, thirst, fullness of the stomach, need to urinate, need to defecate, and blood [[carbon dioxide]] levels.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/perception/question242.htm |title=How many senses does a human being have? |work=Discovery Health |date=April 2000 |publisher=Discovery Communications Inc. |access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Human-Senses.topicArticleId-8741,articleId-8725.html |title=Biology: Human Senses |work=CliffNotes |publisher=Wiley Publishing, Inc |access-date=2011-01-13 |archive-date=2013-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429064356/http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Human-Senses.topicArticleId-8741%2CarticleId-8725.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Skin and hair====

* [[Windburn]] is not caused by wind (on a cloudy day). It is actually a sunburn.<ref name=Crew&White>{{cite magazine|title=Medicine: Windburn to Sunburn|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,848654,00.html|magazine=[[Time (magazine)]]|publisher=[[Time Inc.]]|access-date=18 August 2013|date=12 October 1936|quote=...was the first demonstration that "windburn" is really sunburn|archive-date=12 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812085457/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,848654,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Shaving does not cause [[terminal hair]] to grow back thicker or coarser or darker. This belief is based on the fact that hair which has never been cut has a tapered end, whereas after cutting there is no taper. Thus, the cut hair appears to be thicker, and feels coarser due to the sharper, unworn edges. The fact that shorter hairs are "harder" (less flexible) than longer hairs also contributes to this effect.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snopes.com/oldwives/hairgrow.asp|title=Shaved Hair Grows Darker|publisher=snopes.com|access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref><ref>[http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hair-removal/an00638 Does shaving make hair grow back thicker? – MayoClinic.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/shaving-tips-girls?page=2 Shaving tips for teen girls]</ref><ref>[http://www.cosmopolitan.com/hairstyles-beauty/how-to/facial-hair-post-shave Cosmo Beauty Q&A: Facial Hair Post-Shave – Cosmopolitan]</ref>
* Hair and fingernails do not continue to grow after a person dies. Rather, the skin dries and shrinks away from the bases of hairs and nails, giving the appearance of growth.<ref>{{cite book |last=Graham-Brown |first=Robin |author2=Tony Burns |title=Lecture Notes on Dermatology |url=https://archive.org/details/lecturenotesderm0000grah |publisher= Blackwell |year=2007 |page=[https://archive.org/details/lecturenotesderm0000grah/page/6 6] |isbn= 978-1-4051-3977-9}}</ref>
* Hair care products cannot actually "repair" [[Trichoptilosis|split ends]] and damaged hair. They can prevent damage from occurring in the first place, and they can also smooth down the cuticle in a glue-like fashion so that it appears repaired, and generally make hair appear in better condition.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://beauty.about.com/library/bltips531.htm |title=About.com Beauty.about.com |access-date=2011-08-16 |archive-date=2010-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102162714/http://beauty.about.com/library/bltips531.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wwwehow.com/how-does_4569485_hair-conditioner-work.html |title=How does hair conditioner work |access-date=2011-08-16 |archive-date=2025-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124195708/http://wwwehow.com/how-does_4569485_hair-conditioner-work.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=disabled-world.com|date=22 March 2009|url=http://www.disabled-world.com/health/dermatology/hair/hair-care.php|access-date=2009-04-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/streetcents/features/front_question_of_the_week.html|title=Question: What is up with colour-enhancing shampoos? Do they work?|access-date=2010-01-13|publisher=CBC News|work=CBC.ca|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5viIsSWgO?url=http://www.cbc.ca/streetcents/features/front_question_of_the_week.html|archive-date=2011-01-13|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hair Myths|date=31 July 2008|url=http://www.glamour.com/beauty/2008/09/hair-myths|publisher=Glamour.com| access-date=2009-04-13}}</ref>
* The [[gene]] for red hair is not going [[extinct]]. In August 2007, many news organizations reported that redheads would become extinct, possibly as early as 2060, due to the gene for red hair being [[allele#Recessive|recessive]]. Although redheads may become more rare, they will not die out unless everyone who carries the gene dies or fails to reproduce.<ref>{{cite web|last=Silverman|first=Jacob|title=Are redheads going extinct?|date=9 September 2007|url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/genetic/redhead-extinction.htm|publisher=HowStuffWorks|access-date=15 July 2011}}</ref> This myth has been around since at least 1865, and often resurfaces in American newspapers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kruszelnicki|first=Karl S.|title=Redheads' 'extinction' explanation splitting hairs|url=http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/11/25/2428904.htm|access-date=15 July 2011|newspaper=ABC Science|date=25 November 2008}}</ref> The proportion of genes do not change because an [[allele]] is recessive. That has no effect whatsoever on its frequency. See [[Hardy–Weinberg law]]

====Nutrition, food, and drink====
* Eight glasses of water a day are not necessary to maintain health.<ref name=NPR>{{cite news |title=Five Myths About Drinking Water |author=Aubrey, Allison |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89323934 |newspaper=National Public Radio |date=April 3, 2008 |access-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref><ref name="9ThingsToStopWorryingAbout">{{cite web|url=http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100268897&imageindex=2|title=9 Things to Stop Worrying About|author=Dorothy Foltz-Gray|publisher=MSN|access-date=2011-02-02|archive-date=2011-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130033221/http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100268897&imageindex=2|url-status=dead}}</ref> Consuming things that contain water (e.g. juice, tea, milk, fruits or vegetables) also keeps a person hydrated.<ref name="9ThingsToStopWorryingAbout"/>
* Drinking normal levels of caffeinated beverages does not cause a net dehydration effect.<ref name="Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review">{{cite journal|title=Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-human-nutrition-and-dietetics_2003-12_16_6/page/411|author1=Maughan RJ|author2= Griffin J|journal=Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics |date=December 2003 |volume=16 |issue=6 |pages=411–420|doi=10.1046/j.1365-277X.2003.00477.x |pmid=19774754}}</ref> The mild diuretic effect of caffeine is offset by the large amount of water in the caffeinated beverage.<ref name="Caffeine, Fluid-Electrolyte Balance, Temperature Regulation: Summary And Future Research">{{cite journal|title=Caffeine, Fluid-Electrolyte Balance, Temperature Regulation: Summary And Future Research|author1=Lawrence E. Armstrong|author2= Douglas J. Casa|author3= Carl M. Maresh|author4= Matthew S. Ganio|journal=Exercise & Sport Sciences Reviews |date=July 2007 |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=135–140|doi=10.1097/jes.0b013e3180a02cc1 |pmid=17620932|s2cid=46352603}}</ref>
* Sugar does not cause hyperactivity in children.<ref name="festive myths">{{cite journal|author=Vreeman RC, Carroll AE|title=Festive medical myths|journal=BMJ|volume=337|pages=a2769|year=2008|pmid=19091758|doi=10.1136/bmj.a2769|s2cid=29006871}}</ref><ref name="MedicalMythsUniversityOfArkansasMedicalSciences">{{cite web|url=http://www.uamshealth.com/?id=877&sid=1|title=Medical Myths – University of Arkansas Medical Sciences|publisher=University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences|access-date=2011-02-10}}</ref> [[Blind experiment#Double-blind trials|Double-blind trials]] have shown no difference in behavior between children given sugar-full or sugar-free diets, even in studies specifically looking at children with [[Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder]] or those considered sensitive to sugar.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fullerton-Smith|first=Jill|title=The Truth About Food|url=https://archive.org/details/truthaboutfood0000full|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2007|pages=[https://archive.org/details/truthaboutfood0000full/page/115 115]–117|isbn=978-0-7475-8685-2|quote="Most parents assume that children plus sugary foods equals raucous and uncontrollable behaviour.[…] according to nutrition experts, the belief that children experience a "sugar high" is a myth."}}</ref>
* Alcohol does not make one warmer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kG5BAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QKkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5953,3984482|title=Popular Misconceptions Regarding Intoxication|last=Brandstadt|first=William G.|date=December 19, 1967|work=Middlesboro Daily News|access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y7QOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=voIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6314,2739204|title=Hypothermia main outdoors threat|last=Pierson|first=Rebecca|date=December 9, 2004|work=Elizabethton Star|access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=757&dat=19770415&id=AnRaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0kYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6238,1782448|title=Writer Tells Of Alcohol Dangers, Misconceptions|last=Seixas|first=Judy|date=April 15, 1977|work=The Virgin Islands Daily News|access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref> The reason that alcoholic drinks create the sensation of warmth is that they cause blood vessels to dilate and stimulate nerve endings near the surface of the skin with an influx of warm blood. This can actually result in making the core body temperature lower, as it allows for easier heat exchange with a cold external environment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://firstaid.about.com/od/heatcoldexposur1/f/07_alcohol_warm.htm|title=Alcohol for Warmth|access-date=2011-08-16|archive-date=2014-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413035244/http://firstaid.about.com/od/heatcoldexposur1/f/07_alcohol_warm.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Alcohol does not necessarily kill brain cells.<ref name="StudyFindsAlcoholDoesntKillOffBrainCells">{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/study-finds-alcohol-doesnt-kill-off-brain-cells/story-e6frfkp9-1111113923217|title=Study finds alcohol doesn't kill off brain cells &#124; News.com.au|publisher=[[News Limited]]|access-date=2011-01-08|date=2007-07-10|archive-date=2011-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113134106/http://www.news.com.au/study-finds-alcohol-doesnt-kill-off-brain-cells/story-e6frfkp9-1111113923217|url-status=dead}}</ref> Alcohol can however lead ''indirectly'' to the death of brain cells in two ways:  (1) In chronic, heavy alcohol users whose brains have adapted to the effects of alcohol, abrupt cessation following heavy use can cause [[excitotoxicity]] leading to cellular death in multiple areas of the brain.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Lovinger D.M.|year=1993| title=Excitotoxicity and alcohol-related brain damage |journal=Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research |volume=17 |issue=1|pages=19–27 |doi=10.1111/j.1530-0277.1993.tb00720.x|pmid=8383925}}</ref>  (2) In alcoholics who get most of their daily calories from alcohol, a deficiency of [[thiamine]] can produce [[Korsakoff's syndrome]], which is associated with serious brain damage.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Kopelman MD|author2=Thomson AD|author3=Guerrini I|author4= Marshall EJ |title=The Korsakoff syndrome: clinical aspects, psychology and treatment |journal=Alcohol and Alcoholism |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=148–54 |year=2009 |pmid=19151162 |doi=10.1093/alcalc/agn118}}</ref>
* A [[vegetarian]] or [[vegan]] diet can provide enough protein.<ref name="DefendingVeganDiet">{{cite journal | last = Webb | first = Densie | title = Defending Vegan Diets — RDs Aim to Clear Up Common Misconceptions About Vegan Diets | journal = Today's Dietician | page = 20 | date = September 2010 | url = http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/082510p20.shtml | access-date = 9 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="AceFitness">{{cite web | url=http://www.acefitness.org/blog/86/are-vegetarian-diets-safe/| title=Are vegetarian diets safe? | last = Matthews | first = Jessica | publisher = American Council on Exercise | date = 4 November 2009 | access-date = 9 March 2011 | work = Ask the Expert}}</ref><ref name="PCRM">{{cite web | url = http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/protein.html | title = How can I get enough protein? The protein myth | publisher = Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine | access-date = 9 March 2011 | archive-date = 6 January 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130106231722/http://www.acefitness.org/blog/86/are-vegetarian-diets-safe | url-status = dead }}</ref>  In fact, typical protein intakes of ovo-lacto vegetarians,<ref>Who eat milk and egg products</ref> and of [[vegan]]s, meet and exceed requirements.<ref name="DieticiansGuide">{{cite book |title=The dietitian's guide to vegetarian diets |url=https://archive.org/details/dietitiansguidet0000mang |last= Messina |first=Virginia |author2=Reed Mangles, Mark Messina |year=2004 |publisher= Jones and Bartlett Publishers |location=Sudbury, MA |isbn=978-0-7637-3241-7}}</ref> However, a strict vegan diet does require extra [[B vitamin complex|Vitamin B12]] for good health.<ref name="DefendingVeganDiet"/>

====Human sexuality====
* A popular myth regarding [[human sexuality]] is that men think about sex every seven seconds. In reality, this has not been measured, and as far as researchers can tell, this statistic greatly exaggerates the frequency of sexual thoughts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/index.php?url=myths_men_sex_03.jpg&cat=myths|title=LiveScience.com: The Most Popular Myths in Science|publisher=LiveScience|access-date=2010-06-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060308105123/http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/index.php?url=myths_men_sex_03.jpg&cat=myths|archive-date=8 March 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ahuja|first=Anjana|title=Every 7 seconds? That's a fantasy|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article723673.ece|access-date=18 June 2010|newspaper=The Times|date=1 February 2006|location=London|archive-date=15 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715232345/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article723673.ece|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Mikkelson|first=Barbara|title=Daydream Deceiver|url=http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/thinksex.asp|work=Snopes.com|access-date=18 June 2010}}</ref>
* Another popular myth is that having sex in the days leading up to a sporting event or contest is detrimental to performance. Many studies have shown that there is no physiological basis to this myth.<ref>{{cite journal
|url=http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060609/full/news060605-16.html
|title=Sex before the big game?
|journal=Nature
|date=2006-06-09|doi=10.1038/news060605-16
|access-date=2011-01-16|last1=Ainsworth
|first1=Claire
|s2cid=179920555
}}</ref> Additionally, it has been demonstrated that sex during the 24 hours prior to sports activity can elevate the levels of [[testosterone]] in males, which potentially could enhance their performance.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sex and Sports: Should Athletes Abstain Before Big Events?|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/0222_060222_sex.html
|publisher=National Geographic|date=2006-02-22|access-date=2011-01-16}}</ref>

====The brain====
[[File:Gyrus Dentatus 40x.jpg|thumb|left|Golgi-stained [[neuron]]s in human hippocampal tissue. It is commonly believed that humans will not grow new brain cells, but research has shown that some neurons can reform in humans.]]
* Mental abilities are not absolutely separated into the left and right [[cerebral hemisphere]]s of the brain.<ref name="Westen 2006">Westen | display-authors = etal 2006 "Psychology: Australian and New Zealand edition" John Wiley p.107</ref> Some mental functions, such as [[speech]] and [[language]], tend to activate one hemisphere of the brain more than the other. If one hemisphere is damaged at a very early age, however, these functions can often be recovered in part or even in full by the other hemisphere (see [[neuroplasticity]]). Other abilities such as [[somatic nervous system|motor control]], memory, and general reasoning are served equally by the two hemispheres.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goswami |first1=U |title=Neuroscience and education: from research to practice? |journal=Nature Reviews. Neuroscience |volume=7 |issue=5 |pages=406–11 |year=2006 |pmid=16607400 |doi=10.1038/nrn1907|s2cid=3113512 }}</ref>
* Until very recently medical experts believed that humans were born with all of the brain cells they would ever have.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Society for Neuroscience |work= Brain Briefings |date=June 2007 |title=Adult Neurogenesis |url= http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=brainbriefings_adult_neurogenesis}}</ref> However, we now know that new [[neuron]]s can be created in the [[postnatal]] brain. Researchers have observed adult neurogenesis in [[bird]]s,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Goldman SA, Nottebohm F |title= Neuronal production, migration, and differentiation in a vocal control nucleus of the adult female canary brain |journal=Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A |volume=80 |issue=8 |pages= 2390–4 |date=April 1983 |pmid= 6572982 |pmc= 393826 |doi= 10.1073/pnas.80.8.2390 |bibcode = 1983PNAS...80.2390G |doi-access= free }}</ref> [[primates|Old World Primates]],<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1073/pnas.96.9.5263 |last1=Gould |first1=E |last2=Reeves |first2=AJ |last3=Fallah |first3=M |last4=Tanapat |first4=P |last5=Gross |first5=CG |last6=Fuchs |first6=E |title= Hippocampal neurogenesis in adult Old World primates |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=96 |issue=9 |pages=5263–7 |year=1999 |pmid=10220454 |pmc=21852 |bibcode=1999PNAS...96.5263G|doi-access=free }}</ref> and humans.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eriksson |first1=Peter S. |last2= Perfilieva |first2=Ekaterina |last3=Björk-Eriksson |first3=Thomas |last4=Alborn |first4=Ann-Marie |last5=Nordborg |first5= Claes |last6=Peterson |first6=Daniel A. |last7=Gage |first7=Fred H. |title= Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus |journal=Nature Medicine |volume=4 |issue=11 |pages=1313–7 |year=1998 |pmid=9809557 |doi= 10.1038/3305|s2cid=5213939 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reh |first1=Thomas A. |last2=Ponti |first2=Giovanna |last3=Peretto |first3=Paolo |last4=Bonfanti |first4=Luca |editor1-last=Reh |editor1-first=Thomas A. |title=Genesis of Neuronal and Glial Progenitors in the Cerebellar Cortex of Peripuberal and Adult Rabbits |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=3 |issue=6 |pages=e2366 |year=2008 |pmid=18523645 |pmc=2396292 |doi= 10.1371/journal.pone.0002366 |bibcode = 2008PLoSO...3.2366P |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=Chunmei |last2= Deng |first2=Wei |last3=Gage |first3=Fred H. |title=Mechanisms and Functional Implications of Adult Neurogenesis |journal=Cell |volume= 132 |issue=4 |pages=645–60 |year=2008 |pmid=18295581 |doi= 10.1016/j.cell.2008.01.033|s2cid=28378396 }}</ref> The newborn neurons migrate to the [[olfactory bulb]] and the [[dentate gyrus]]. They are believed to integrate into existing neural circuits. However, the function and physiological significance of adult-born neurons remains unclear. Some studies have suggested that post-natal neurogenesis also occurs in the [[neocortex]],<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1126/science.286.5439.548 |last1=Gould |first1=E |last2=Reeves |first2=AJ |last3= Graziano |first3=MS |last4=Gross |first4=CG |title=Neurogenesis in the neocortex of adult primates |journal=Science |volume=286 |issue=5439 |pages=548–52 |year=1999 |pmid=10521353}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhao |first1=M |last2=Momma |first2=S |last3=Delfani |first3=K |last4=Carlen |first4=M |last5=Cassidy |first5=RM |last6=Johansson |first6=CB |last7=Brismar |first7=H |last8=Shupliakov |first8=O |last9=Frisen |first9=J |title=Evidence for neurogenesis in the adult mammalian substantia nigra |journal= Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=100 |issue=13 |pages=7925–30 |year=2003 |pmid=12792021 |pmc=164689 |doi= 10.1073/pnas.1131955100 |bibcode= 2003PNAS..100.7925Z|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1007/s100249900120 |last1=Shankle |first1=WR |last2=Rafii |first2=MS |last3=Landing |first3=BH |last4=Fallon |first4=JH |title= Approximate doubling of numbers of neurons in postnatal human cerebral cortex and in 35 specific cytoarchitectural areas from birth to 72 months |journal= Pediatric and Developmental Pathology |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=244–59 |year=1999 |pmid= 10191348|s2cid=23546857 }}</ref> an idea that is disputed.<ref name="pmid11826088">{{cite journal |last1=Rakic |first1=P |title=Adult neurogenesis in mammals: an identity crisis |journal=The Journal of Neuroscience |volume= 22 |issue=3 |pages=614–8 |year=2002 |doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.22-03-00614.2002 |pmid= 11826088|pmc=6758501 }}</ref>
* People do not use only ten percent of their brains. While it is true that a small minority of neurons in the brain are actively firing at any one time, the inactive neurons are important too.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/10percent.asp |title=Snopes on brains |publisher= Snopes.com |access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Radford |first=Benjamin |year= 1999 |title= The Ten-Percent Myth |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |publisher=Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal |issn=0194-6730 |url= http://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_ten-percent_myth |access-date=2009-04-15|quote=It's the old myth heard time and again about how people use only ten percent of their brains}}</ref> This myth has been commonplace in American culture at least as far back as the start of the 20th century, and was attributed to [[William James]], who apparently used the expression metaphorically.<ref name= "beyersteinbrain">{{cite book |last=Beyerstein |first=Barry L. |title=Mind myths: exploring popular assumptions about the mind and brain|url=https://archive.org/details/mindmythsexplori0000unse |editor=Sergio Della Sala |publisher= Wiley |year=1999 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/mindmythsexplori0000unse/page/n20 3]–24 |chapter= Whence cometh the myth that we only use 10% of our brains?|isbn=978-0-471-98303-3}}</ref> Some findings of brain science (such as the high ratio of [[glial cell]]s to [[neurons]]) have been mistakenly read as providing support for the myth.<ref name="beyersteinbrain"/>

====Disease====
* Drinking milk or consuming other [[dairy products]] does not increase [[mucus]] production.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pinnock |first1=CB |last2=Graham |first2=NM |last3= Mylvaganam |first3=A |last4=Douglas |first4=RM |title= Relationship between milk intake and mucus production in adult volunteers challenged with rhinovirus-2 |journal=The American Review of Respiratory Disease |volume=141 |issue=2 |pages=352–6 |year=1990 |doi=10.1164/ajrccm/141.2.352 |pmid=2154152}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Handbook of pediatric nutrition |author1= Patricia Queen Samour |author2=Kathy King Helm |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7637-8356-3 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=J8Xgyvr9038C&dq=milk+mucus+misconception&pg=PA337}}</ref> As a result, they do not need to be avoided by those suffering from flu or cold [[Nasal congestion|congestion]].
* [[Wart]]s on human skin are caused by viruses that are unique to humans ([[human papillomavirus]]). Humans cannot catch warts from [[toad]]s or other animals; the bumps on a toad are not warts.<ref>{{cite web |author= London Drugs |url= http://www.londondrugs.com/Cultures/en-US/FocusOnHealth/Fall2002/Warts.htm |title=''Putting an End to Warts'' |publisher= www.londondrugs.com |access-date= 2009-08-29}}</ref>
* [[Vaccine]]s do not cause [[autism]]. Although [[fraud]]ulent research by [[Andrew Wakefield]] claimed a connection, repeated attempts to [[Reproducibility|reproduce]] the results ended in failure, and the research was ultimately shown to have been manipulated.<ref>{{cite journal |url= http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452.full|title=British Medical Journal: Wakefield's article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent |year=2011 |doi=10.1136/bmj.c7452 |pmid=21209060 |access-date= 2011-01-05|last1=Godlee |first1=F. |last2=Smith |first2=J. |last3=Marcovitch |first3=H. |journal=BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) |volume=342 |pages=c7452 |s2cid=43640126 }}</ref>
* Cracking ones knuckles does not cause [[osteoarthritis]]. Neither does simply exercising, as long as one does not get hurt.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Bosomworth NJ |title= Exercise and knee osteoarthritis: benefit or hazard? |journal=Can Fam Physician |volume=55 |issue=9 |pages=871–8 |date= September 2009 |pmid=19752252 |pmc= 2743580}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1= Deweber K.|author2=Olszewski, M. |author3=Ortolano, R. |title= Knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis |journal= Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM |date=2011 |orig-year= Mar–Apr |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=169–74 |pmid= 21383216 |doi= 10.3122/jabfm.2011.02.100156|s2cid=6613061 }}</ref>
* Eating nuts, popcorn, or seeds does not increase the risk of [[diverticulitis]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://itwire.com/health/20268-diverticulitis-isnt-anti-nut-any-more.html |title= Diverticulitis isn't anti-nut any more |last=Atkins |first=William |access-date=1 July 2011 }}</ref> These foods may actually have a protective effect.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Weisberger |first=L |author2= Jamieson, B. |title=Clinical inquiries: How can you help prevent a recurrence of diverticulitis? |journal=The Journal of Family Practice |date= July 2009 |volume=58 |issue=7 |pages= 381–2 |pmid= 19607778}}</ref>

====Miscellaneous====
* Waking [[sleepwalking|sleepwalkers]] does not harm them. While it is true that a person may be confused or disoriented for a short time after awakening, this does not cause them further harm. In contrast, sleepwalkers may injure themselves if they trip over objects or lose their balance while sleepwalking. Such injuries are common among sleepwalkers.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.medicinenet.com/sleepwalking/article.htm |title= Sleepwalking: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments |publisher= MedicineNet, Inc |access-date= 2009-05-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-related-problems/sleepwalking |title= Sleepwalking |publisher= National Sleep Foundation |access-date=2009-05-10}}</ref>
* Although it is commonly believed that most body heat is lost through a person's head, heat loss through the head is not more significant than other parts of the body when naked.<ref>{{cite journal
 |doi             = 10.1097/00000542-199010000-00011
 |author1          = Sessler, D.I.
 |author2          =  Moayeri, A.
 |display-authors = etal
 |year            = 1990
 |title           = Thermoregulatory vasoconstriction decreases cutaneous heat loss
 |journal         = Anesthesiology
 |volume          = 73
 |issue           = 4
 |pages           = 656–60
 |issn            = 0003-3022
 |url             = http://journals.lww.com/anesthesiology/Abstract/1990/10000/Thermoregulatory_Vasoconstriction_Decreases.11.aspx
 |pmid            = 2221434
 |access-date     = 2011-08-16
 |archive-date    = 2011-09-24
 |archive-url     = https://web.archive.org/web/20110924150437/http://journals.lww.com/anesthesiology/Abstract/1990/10000/Thermoregulatory_Vasoconstriction_Decreases.11.aspx
 |url-status      = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Ian Sample, science correspondent|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/17/medicalresearch-humanbehaviour|title=Scientists debunk myth that most heat is lost through head &#124; Science|work=The Guardian|date=2008-12-18|access-date=2010-06-23|location=London}}</ref> This may be a generalization of situations in which it is true, such as when the head is the only uncovered part of the body. For example, it has been shown that hats effectively prevent hypothermia in infants.<ref>{{cite journal| author      = Stothers, JK| year=1981| title=Head insulation and heat loss in the newborn.| journal=British Medical Journal| volume=56| issue=7| pages=530–534| publisher=Royal Coll Paediatrics| doi=10.1136/adc.56.7.530| pmid=7271287| pmc=1627361}}</ref>
* Eating less than an hour before swimming does not increase the risk of experiencing muscle [[cramp]]s or drowning. One study shows a correlation between alcohol consumption and drowning, but there is no evidence cited regarding stomach cramps or the consumption of food.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/health/28real.html|title=The Claim: Never Swim After Eating |work=New York Times|date=2005-06-28|access-date=2011-01-16|first=Anahad|last=O'Connor}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/hourwait.asp|title=Hour Missed Brooks|publisher=Snopes|date=2005-01-03|access-date=2011-01-16}}</ref>
* [[Drowning]] is often thought to be a violent struggle, where the victim waves and calls for help.<ref name="Vittone">{{citation|last=Vittone|first=Mario|title=It doesn't look like they're drowning|work=On Scene: The Journal of U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue|url=http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg534/On%20Scene/OSFall06.pdf|page=14|access-date=2011-08-16|archive-date=2011-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103121719/http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg534/On%20Scene/OSFall06.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In truth, drowning is often inconspicuous to onlookers. Raising the arms and vocalising are even usually impossible due to the [[instinctive drowning response]].<ref name="Vittone" /> Waving and yelling (known as "aquatic distress") is a sign of trouble, but not a dependable one: most victims demonstrating the instinctive drowning response do not show prior evidence of distress.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fletemeyer|first=John|title=Drowning: new perspectives on intervention and prevention, Volume 1998 |year=1999 |page=234 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Xcnwm8zE24QC&q=drowning+new+perspectives+on+intervention+and+prevention |author2=Pia |chapter=Chapter 14 ("Reflections on Lifeguard surveillance programs") |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn= 978-1-57444-223-6}}</ref>
* It is a common misconception that [[Hydrogen peroxide#Therapeutic use|hydrogen peroxide]] is a [[disinfectant]] or [[antiseptic]] for treating wounds.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Really? The claim: hydrogen peroxide is a good treatment for small wounds
| first = Anahd
| last = O’Connor
| work = New York Times
| date=2007-06-19
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/health/19real.html
| access-date = 2011-07-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| title =  Medical myths don't die easily
| first =  Aaron E.
| last = Carroll
| author2 = Rachel C. Vreeman
| publisher = CNN
| date=2011-07-12
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/07/12/vreeman.carroll.medical.myths/index.html?hpt=op_t1
| access-date = 2011-07-13}}</ref> While it is an effective cleaning agent, hydrogen peroxide is not an effective agent for reducing [[bacterial infection]] of wounds. Further, hydrogen peroxide applied to wounds can impede [[healing]] and lead to [[scar]]ring because it destroys newly formed [[Skin|skin cells]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17151171 |title=Hydrogen peroxide disrupts scarless fetal wound repair |publisher=Cat.inist.fr |access-date=2010-09-05 |archive-date=2013-12-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214114412/http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17151171 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

===Mathematics===
* Contrary to a widespread perception, the [[real number]] [[0.999...]]—where the [[decimal point]] is followed by an infinite sequence of nines—is exactly equal to 1.<ref>{{cite book|last=Eccles|first=Peter J. |title= An introduction to mathematical reasoning: numbers, sets, and functions|year= 1997|publisher= Cambridge University Press|page=167|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImCSX_gm40oC&pg=PA167|isbn=0521597188|quote=Intuition suggests that this means that the repeating decimal<math>0.\bar{9}</math> is also less than 1, and this is a common misconception.}} {{dead link|date=May 2012}}</ref> They are two different ways of writing the same real number.<ref>{{cite book|last=Maor|first=Eli |year= 1991 |title= To infinity and beyond: a cultural history of the infinite|publisher=Princeton University Press|page=32| isbn=978-0-691-02511-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXjF7JnHQoIC&pg=PA32|quote=Many people find it hard to accept this simple fact, and one can often hear a heated discussion as to its validity.}}</ref>
* When a sequence of [[statistical independence|independent]] trials of a [[random process]] is observed a long run may occur. For example, when a [[roulette]] ball ended up on black 26 times in a row, and not even once on red,<ref>{{cite book |title=Understanding probability: chance rules in everyday life |url=https://archive.org/details/understandingpro00tijm_198 |author=Henk&nbsp;Tijms |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-521-70172-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/understandingpro00tijm_198/page/n90 79]}}</ref>), the other outcome is often believed to be more likely for the next trial: it is thought to be "due".<ref>{{cite book |title=Data matters: conceptual statistics for a random world |url=https://archive.org/details/datamattersconce0000maxw |author=Nicholas Maxwell |publisher=Key College |year=2004 |page=[https://archive.org/details/datamattersconce0000maxw/page/n78 63] |isbn=978-1-930190-89-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science |volume=2 |editor1=W. Edward Craighead|editor2= Charles B. Nemeroff |publisher=Wiley |year=2000 |page=617 |isbn=978-0-471-24097-6}}</ref> This misconception is known as the [[gambler's fallacy]]; in reality, by the definition of statistical independence, that outcome is just as likely or unlikely on the next trial as always—a property sometimes informally described by the phrase, "the system has no memory".
* The correct answer to the [[Monty Hall Problem]] is that the contestant should indeed switch doors. The original problem is as follows: on a game show, there are three closed doors, one hiding a car and each of the other two doors concealing a goat. The contestant, wishing to win the car, selects a door. The door remains closed while the host, knowing where the car is hidden, proceeds to reveal a goat behind one of the remaining doors, and then offers the contestant a chance to switch his or her initial choice of door to the other closed door. Should the contestant switch?  The correct answer is that the contestant should switch, as it doubles the chances of winning the car.<ref>"The [[Monty Hall problem]] (or three door problem) is one of the most famous examples of a 'cognitive illusion'." Schuyler W. Huck, ''Statistical misconceptions''. Psychology Press, Taylor & Francis group, 2009, page 100. [https://books.google.com/books?id=TCgA-HCZjLkC&dq=%22monty+hall+problem%22+misconception&pg=PA100 here]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pdesas.org/module/content/resources/6184/view.ashx|title=Dependent Events and the Monty Hall Problem|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Education, teaching module}}</ref><ref>Massimo Piatelli-Palmarini "Probability blindness: Neither rational nor capricious", ''Bostonia'', March/April 1991, 28–35: "No other statistical puzzle comes so close to fooling all of the people all of the time". (As quoted in Rosenhouse, Jason: The Monty Hall Problem. Oxford University Press 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-19-536789-8}}, p. 31.)</ref>

===Physics===
* The [[Water vortex|Coriolis effect]] does not determine the direction that water rotates in a bathtub drain or a flushing toilet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadCoriolis.html|first=Alistair |last=Frasier |title=Bad Coriolis |publisher=[[Penn State]] College of Earth an Materials Sciences|work=ems.psu.edu|date=October 16, 1996 |access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref> The Coriolis effect caused by the Earth's daily rotation is too small to affect the direction of water in a typical bathtub drain. The effect becomes significant and noticeable only at large scales, such as in weather systems or oceanic currents. Other forces dominate the dynamics of water in drains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/science/coriolis.asp|title=Coriolis Force Effect on Drains|publisher=snopes.com|access-date=2010-06-23}}</ref> In addition, most toilets in the United States inject water into the bowl at an angle, causing a spin too fast to be significantly affected by the Coriolis effect.<ref>{{cite web|title=Which way will my bathtub drain|url=http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/bathtub.html|publisher=Usenet Physics FAQ|access-date=2008-08-07}}</ref>
* [[Gyroscope|Gyroscopic forces]] are not needed for a rider to [[bicycle and motorcycle dynamics#Other hypotheses|balance]] a [[bicycle]].<ref name="whitt">{{cite book |title=Bicycling Science |edition=Second |last1= Whitt |first1=Frank R. |first2=David G. |last2=Wilson |year=1982 |publisher= Massachusetts Institute of Technology |isbn= 978-0-262-23111-4 |pages=198–233}}</ref><ref name="klein">{{cite web |url= http://www.losethetrainingwheels.org/default.aspx?Lev=2&ID=34 |publisher= LoseTheTrainingWheels.org |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061010070125/http://www.losethetrainingwheels.org/default.aspx?Lev=2&ID=34 |archive-date=2006-10-10 |title= Bicycle Science |last=Klein |first= Richard E. | display-authors = etal |access-date= 2006-08-04}}</ref><ref name="jones">{{cite journal |last1= Jones |first1=David E.H. |pages= 34–40 |title= The stability of the bicycle |volume=23 |journal= Physics Today |year=1970 |issue=4 |url= http://socrates.berkeley.edu/%7Efajans/Teaching/MoreBikeFiles/JonesBikeBW.pdf |doi= 10.1063/1.3022064|bibcode=1970PhT....23d..34J }}</ref> Although gyroscopic forces are a factor, the stability of a bicycle is determined primarily by inertia, steering geometry, and the rider's ability to counteract tilting by steering.<!-- need a MORE RELIABLE SOURCE: book, magazine -->
* It is not true that air takes the same time to travel above and below an aircraft's wing.<ref name=NASA_Incorrect_Theory1>{{cite web |url= http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/wrong1.html |title= Incorrect Lift Theory |publisher= NASA Glenn Research Center |work= grc.nasa.gov |date= July 28, 2008 |access-date= 2011-01-13 |archive-date= 2014-04-27 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140427084226/http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/wrong1.html |url-status= dead }} (Java applet).</ref> This misconception is widespread among textbooks and non-technical reference books, and even appears in pilot training materials. In fact the air moving over the top of an airfoil generating lift is always moving much faster than the equal transit theory would imply,<ref name=NASA_Incorrect_Theory1/> as described in the [[Equal transit-time fallacy|incorrect]] and [[Lift (force)#A more rigorous physical description|correct explanations]] of lift force.
* The idea that [[lightning]] never strikes the same place twice is one of the oldest and most well-known [[superstition]]s about lightning. There is no reason that lightning would not be able to strike the same place twice; if there is a thunderstorm in a given area, then objects and places which are more prominent or conductive (and therefore minimize distance) are more likely to be struck. For instance, lightning strikes the [[Empire State Building]] in [[New York City]] about 100 times per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2005/ps_3.html|title=spinoff 2005-Lightning Often Strikes Twice|publisher=Office of the Chief Technologist, NASA|work=Spinoff|date=March 25, 2010|access-date=2010-06-23|archive-date=2012-05-27|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527044219/http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2005/ps_3.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Staff |url=http://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-news/weather-reports.html?story=6571 |title=Full weather report story from WeatherBug.com |publisher=Weather.weatherbug.com|date=May 17, 2010|access-date=2010-06-23}}</ref>
* A [[penny]] dropped from the [[Empire State Building]] will not kill a person or crack the sidewalk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.misconceptionjunction.com/index.php/2010/10/dropping-a-penny-from-the-top-of-the-empire-state-building-isnt-dangerous/|title=Dropping A Penny From The Top Of The Empire State Building Isn't Dangerous|publisher=misconceptionjunction.com|access-date=2011-08-16|archive-date=2011-09-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928152107/http://www.misconceptionjunction.com/index.php/2010/10/dropping-a-penny-from-the-top-of-the-empire-state-building-isnt-dangerous/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[terminal velocity]] of a falling penny is about 30–50&nbsp;miles per hour, and the penny will not exceed that speed regardless of the height from which it is dropped. At that speed, its energy is not enough to penetrate a human skull or crack concrete, as demonstrated on an episode of [[Mythbusters]].
* It is a common misconception that the [[color of water]] in large bodies, such as the [[ocean]]s, is blue due to the reflections from the sky on its surface. Reflection of light off the surface of water only contributes significantly when the water surface is extremely still, i.e., mirror-like, and the [[angle of incidence]] is high, as water's [[reflectivity]] rapidly approaches near total reflection under these circumstances, as governed by the [[Fresnel equations]]. While relatively small quantities of water are observed by humans to be colorless, pure water has a slight blue color that becomes a deeper blue as the thickness of the observed sample increases. The blue tint of water is an intrinsic property and is caused by selective [[Electromagnetic absorption by water|absorption]] and [[scattering]] of white light. Impurities dissolved or suspended in water may give water different colored appearances.<ref>{{cite journal | author1=Dickey TD| author2= Kattawar GW| author3= Voss KJ | title=Shedding new light on light in the ocean | journal=Physics Today | volume=64 | issue=4 | pages=44–49 | year=2011 | doi= 10.1063/1.3580492| bibcode= 2011PhT....64d..44D| url=http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_64/iss_4/44_1.shtml }}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Braun CL, Smirnov SN |title=Why is water blue? |journal=J. Chem. Edu. |volume=70 |issue=8 |page=612 |year=1993 |url=http://inside.mines.edu/fs_home/dwu/classes/CH353/study/Why%20is%20Water%20Blue.pdf |doi=10.1021/ed070p612 |bibcode=1993JChEd..70..612B |access-date=2011-08-16 |archive-date=2019-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201000418/http://inside.mines.edu/fs_home/dwu/classes/CH353/study/Why%20is%20Water%20Blue.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Psychology===
* Photographic or [[eidetic memory]] refers to the ability to remember images with extremely high precision—so high as to mimic a camera. However, it is highly unlikely that photographic memory exists, as to date there is no hard scientific evidence that anyone has ever had it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/photographic-memory/|title=Photographic Memory|publisher=indianapublicmedia.org}}</ref> Many people have claimed to have a photographic memory, but those people have been shown to have good memories as a result of [[mnemonic|mnemonic devices]] rather than a natural capacity for detailed memory encoding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2140685/|title=Kaavya Syndrome The accused Harvard plagiarist doesn't have a photographic memory. No one does.|publisher=slate.com|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110123143046/http://www.slate.com/id/2140685/ |archive-date = January 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> There are rare cases of individuals with exceptional memory, but none of them has a memory that mimics a camera.
* [[Schizophrenia]] is not the same thing as [[Dissociative identity disorder]], namely split or multiple personalities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Schizophrenia9&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=118290|title=Schizophrenia|publisher=National Alliance on Mental Illness|access-date=2021-01-28|archive-date=2012-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504155431/http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Schizophrenia9&Template=%2FContentManagement%2FContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=118290|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mha-oc.org:80/10myths.html|title=10 Myths About Mental Illness|publisher=Mental Health Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015045703/http://www.mha-oc.org/10myths.html|archive-date=2012-10-15|access-date=2011-08-16|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.schizophreniasymptoms.com/dispelling_the_myths.php|title=Schizophrenia: Dispelling the Myths|publisher=schizophreniasymptoms.com|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100924100206/http://www.schizophreniasymptoms.com/dispelling_the_myths.php |archive-date = September 24, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[https://mentalhealthblogging.com/schizophrenia/]{{Dead link|date=January 2021|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}{{cite web|last=Iles|first=Alan|date=2018-10-04|title=Schizophrenia|url=https://www.mentalhealthdaily.news/schizophrenia/|access-date=2018-10-04|website=Mental Health News}}{{Dead link|date=January 2021|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://health.discovery.com/tv/psych-week/articles/myths-about-dissociative-identity-disorder.html|title=5 Myths About Dissociative Identity Disorder|publisher=discovery.com|access-date=2011-08-16|archive-date=2010-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228192015/http://health.discovery.com/tv/psych-week/articles/myths-about-dissociative-identity-disorder.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebrainhealth.com/schizophrenia-vs-dissociative-identity-disorder.html|title=Schizophrenia vs. Dissociative Identity Disorder|publisher=thebrainhealth.com}}</ref> Etymologically, the term "schizophrenia" comes from the Greek roots skhizein (σχίζειν, "to split") and phrēn, phren- (φρήν, φρεν-; "mind") and is a word proposed by the Swiss psychiatrist [[Eugen Bleuler]]. It may have given rise to this common misconception.

==Religion==
===Hebrew Bible===
* The [[forbidden fruit]] mentioned in the [[Book of Genesis]] is commonly assumed to be an apple,<ref>{{cite book|title=Voices from the University: The Legacy of the Hebrew Bible|author=Szpek, Heidi|year=2002|page=92|publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-0-595-25619-8}}</ref> and is widely depicted as such in Western art, although the Bible does not identify what type of fruit it is. The original Hebrew texts mention only ''tree'' and ''fruit''. Early Latin translations use the word ''mali'', which can be taken to mean both "evil" and "apple". German and French artists commonly depict the fruit as an apple from the 12th century onwards, and [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Areopagitica]]'' from 1644 explicitly mentions the fruit as an apple.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Straight Dope: Was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden an apple?|author=Cecil Adams|date=24 November 2006|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2682/was-the-forbidden-fruit-in-the-garden-of-eden-an-apple|access-date=2010-01-15}}</ref> Jewish scholars suggested that the fruit could have been a grape, a fig, wheat, or [[etrog]].<ref>[[Babylonian Talmud]], [[Berakhot (Talmud)|Berakhot]], 40a</ref><ref>[[Genesis Rabba]] 15 7</ref><ref>[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2682/was-the-forbidden-fruit-in-the-garden-of-eden-an-apple The Straight Dope: Was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden an apple?]</ref> Likewise, the Quran speaks only of a forbidden "tree" and does not identify the fruit.
* Nowhere in the [[Old Testament]] or the [[New Testament]] is [[Satan]] described as dwelling in or ruling over [[hell]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.minuteswithmessiah.com/question/sataninhell.html
|title=What Does the Bible Say About…Satan in Hell?
|author=Tim O'Hearn
|year=2005
|work=Minutes With Messiah
|access-date=June 17, 2011
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://brittgillette.com/WordPress/?p=108
|title=Satan, Hell, and Bible Prophecy
|author=Britt Gillette
|date=September 10, 2009
|work=BrittGillette.com: A Christian Examination of Bible Prophecy and Emerging Technology
|access-date=June 17, 2011
|archive-date=July 8, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708094849/http://brittgillette.com/WordPress/?p=108
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>
* The Bible does not teach that humans can or will become [[angel]]s after death.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.ibelieveinangels.com/Questions-About-Angels/do-humans-become-angels-when-they-die.html
|title=Do Humans Become Angels When They Die?
|year=2008
|publisher=I Believe in Angels.com
|access-date=June 17, 2011
|archive-date=July 18, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718103650/http://www.ibelieveinangels.com/Questions-About-Angels/do-humans-become-angels-when-they-die.html
|url-status=dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Do people become angels after death? |author=Eymann, Paul |url=http://www.christiananswers.net/q-acb/acb-t005.html#6 |newspaper=Christian Answers |year=2002 |access-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.answers2prayer.org/bible_questions/Answers/angels/becoming.html |title=Do humans ever become Angels? |author=Debo Adeyemo |publisher=Answers2Prayer |access-date=June 17, 2011 |archive-date=September 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904033546/http://www.answers2prayer.org/bible_questions/Answers/angels/becoming.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> This myth has been proliferated by movies such as ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (1946) and ''[[Unlikely Angel]]'' (1996).

===Buddhism===
* The [[Gautama Buddha|historical Buddha]] was not obese.  The "chubby Buddha" or "laughing Buddha" is a tenth century Chinese folk hero by the name of [[Budai]].  In Chinese Buddhist culture, Budai came to be revered as an [[incarnation]] of [[Maitreya]], the [[Bodhisattva]] who will become a Buddha to restore Buddhism after the teachings of the historical Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, have died.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddha/a/laughingbuddha.htm|title=The Laughing Buddha|access-date=January 6, 2011|work=about.com|archive-date=April 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412011304/http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddha/a/laughingbuddha.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The Buddha is not a [[god]].  In early Buddhism, Siddhārtha Gautama possessed no salvific properties and strongly encouraged "self-reliance, self discipline and individual striving."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/snapshot01.htm|title=Buddhism – Major Differences|access-date=January 6, 2011|work=Buddhanet.net|archive-date=October 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017021112/http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/snapshot01.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>  However, in later developments of [[Mahayana|Mahāyāna Buddhism]], notably in the [[Pure Land Buddhism|Pure Land (Jìngtǔ)]] school of Chinese Buddhism, the [[Amitābha|Amitābha Buddha]] was thought to be a [[Salvation|savior]].  Through faith in the Amitābha Buddha, one could be reborn in the [[Pure Land|western Pure Land]].  Although in Pure Land Buddhism the Buddha is considered a savior, he is still not considered a god in the common understanding of the term.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b3schchn.htm|title=The Chinese Buddhist Schools|access-date=January 6, 2011|publisher=Buddhanet.net|archive-date=December 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214105638/http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b3schchn.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Christianity===
* There is no evidence that Jesus was born on December 25.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|title=Why Jesus Christ Wasn't Born on December 25|url=http://www.gnmagazine.org/booklets/HH/jcnotborndec25.asp|publisher=United Church of God|work=gnmagazine.org|access-date=2011-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317011832/http://www.gnmagazine.org/booklets/hh/jcnotborndec25.asp|archive-date=17 March 2010}}</ref> The Bible never claims a date of December 25, but may imply a date closer to September.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> 
* Nowhere in the Bible does it say exactly three [[Biblical Magi|magi]] came to visit the baby Jesus, nor that they were kings, rode on camels, or that their names were Casper, Melchior and Balthazar. Three magi are supposed because three gifts are described, and artistic depictions almost always show three magi.<ref>{{cite book|title=''Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. I'',1971 (English trans from German)|author=G. Schiller|isbn=978-0-85331-270-3|page=105}}</ref> Also, the wise men in the actual biblical narrative did not visit on the day Jesus was born, but saw Jesus as a child, in a house as many as two years afterwards ({{bibleverse|Matthew||2:11}}).<ref>{{cite web|last=Mikkelson|first=David and Barbara|title=Snopes.com – Three Wise Men|url=http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/3wisemen.asp|access-date=2009-04-07 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Geza |last=Vermes |author-link=Geza Vermes |title=The Nativity: History and Legend |location=London |publisher=Penguin |year=2006 |page=22}}</ref>
* The [[Immaculate Conception]] is not synonymous with the [[virgin birth of Jesus]], nor is it a supposed belief in the virgin birth of [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]], his mother. Rather, the Immaculate Conception is the [[Roman Catholic]] belief that Mary was not subject to [[original sin]] from the first moment of her existence, when she was conceived.<ref>{{cite web|title=Religion & Ethics – Beliefs: The Immaculate Conception|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/immaculateconception.shtml|year=2009|publisher=BBC.co.uk| access-date=2011-01-05}}</ref> The confusion stems from a misunderstanding of the term "immaculate," which means "without stain" (i.e. sinless). The concept of the virgin birth, on the other hand, is the belief that Mary miraculously conceived [[Jesus]] while remaining a virgin.<ref>The correct formulation is "that Mary miraculously conceived Jesus while remaining a virgin" as stated in the English Wikipedia article on the virgin birth of Jesus.</ref>
* The doctrine of the [[perpetual virginity of Mary]] is not supported by canonical scripture, first appearing c.145 AD in the [[Gospel of James]] written several decades after the canonical ones. The [[Gospel of Matthew]] (1:24) implies that Mary and Joseph did indeed consummate a marriage after Jesus's birth, both Matthew (13:55) and the [[Gospel of Mark]] (6:3) indicate that Jesus had among his family four brothers ([[Joses]], [[James the Just|James]], [[Jude, brother of Jesus|Jude]] and [[Simon (brother of Jesus)|Simon]]) and an unspecified number of sisters. The [[Gospel of John]] makes reference to an unidentified number of Jesus's "brothers" associated with Mary and separate from his disciples. Nevertheless, the doctrine was held as truth by virtually all Christian authorities until the twentieth century, and remains a central tenet of the [[Roman Catholic Church]].
* [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] do not believe the [[pope]] is sinless.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholicbasictraining.com/apologetics/coursetexts/4i.htm |title=Infallibility versus Impeccability |author=Simon Rafe |work=Saint Michael's Basic Training: Apologetics |access-date=June 17, 2011 |archive-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427082422/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=27151&highlight=impeccable |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=27151&highlight=impeccable |title=In What Sense Is the Pope Infallible? |author=Jim Blackburn |date=December 14, 2004 |work=Catholic Answers Forums |access-date=June 17, 2011 |archive-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427082422/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=27151&highlight=impeccable |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/orthodox/pope_bishop_of_rome_primacy.htm#sinless
|title=Is the Pope Sinless?
|author=David MacDonald and Mark Bonocore
|work=The Pope, Bishop of Rome Catholic and Orthodox relations
|publisher=CatholicBridge.com
|access-date=June 17, 2011
|archive-date=June 15, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615202522/http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/orthodox/pope_bishop_of_rome_primacy.htm#sinless
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> Catholic [[dogma]] does state that a teaching based on [[divine revelation]] stated by the pope is free from error. This does not mean that the pope or everything he says is free from error, even when speaking in his official capacity.

===Islam===
* A [[fatwā]] is a non-binding legal opinion issued by an [[Ulema|Islamic scholar]] under [[Sharia|Islamic law]]. The popular misconception<ref>{{cite journal|last=Isbister|first=William H. |title=A "good" fatwa| journal=British Medical Journal |date=November 23, 2002|volume=325 |issue=7374 |page=1227 |doi=10.1136/bmj.325.7374.1227 |pmc=1124693}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Vultee |first=Fred |title=Fatwa on the Bunny |url=http://jci.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/4/319?ck=nck |journal=Journal of Communication Inquiry |date=October 2006 |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=319–336 |doi=10.1177/0196859906290919 |s2cid=143612009 |access-date=2009-12-19 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> that the word means a death sentence probably stems from the fatwā issued by Ayatollah [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] of Iran in 1989 regarding the author [[Salman Rushdie]], whom he stated had earned a death sentence for [[blasphemy]]. This event led to fatwās gaining widespread media attention in the West.<ref>{{cite news|title=In Depth: Islam, Fatwa FAQ|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/islam/fatwa.html|publisher=CBC News Online | date=June 15, 2006|access-date=2009-04-08 }}</ref>
* The word "[[jihad]]" does not always mean "[[Religious war|holy war]]"; literally, the word in Arabic means "struggle". While there is such a thing as "[[Jihad#Warfare (Jihad bil Saif)|jihad bil saif]]", or jihad "by the sword",<ref>{{cite book|first=Majid |last=Khadduri |title=War and Peace in the Law of Islam |publisher=Johns Hopkins Press |year=1955 |pages=74–80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHWd6gLZsFIC&pg=PA74|isbn=9781584776956}}</ref> many modern Islamic scholars usually say that it implies an effort or struggle of a spiritual kind.<ref>{{cite book |first=Luke |last=Buckles|title=The complete idiot's guide to world religions, 3rd ed.|page=157 |publisher=Alpha|year=2004| isbn=978-1-59257-222-9| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPokHByS3N0C&pg=PA157}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1719934&Language=en|title=Western definition of "jihad" must be corrected – Italian expert |date=March 29, 2007|newspaper=Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)}}</ref>  Scholar [[Louay Safi]] asserts that "misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding the nature of war and peace in Islam are widespread in both the Muslim societies and the West", as much following [[9/11]] as before.<ref>{{cite book| title=Peace and the limits of war: transcending the classical conception of Jihad |first=Louay M. |last=Safi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1_PFEicd5LkC&pg=PP9 |publisher=International Institute of Islamic Thought| year=2003 |page=preface |isbn=978-1-56564-402-1}}</ref>

==Technology==
===Inventions===
* [[George Washington Carver]] did not invent [[peanut butter]], though he reputedly discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more for soybeans, pecans, and sweet potatoes.<ref>[http://peanut-butter.org/peanut-butter/History+of+Peanut+Butter History of Peanut Butter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727170350/http://peanut-butter.org/peanut-butter/History+of+Peanut+Butter |date=2011-07-27 }}  Peanut-butter.org.</ref><ref>[http://www.americanscientist.org/bookshelf/pub/a-true-renaissance-man A True Renaissance Man]. American Scientist.</ref>
* [[Thomas Crapper]] did not invent the [[flush toilet]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/business/names/crapper.asp|title=Thomas Crapper|work=Snopes|date=2007-02-22|access-date=2008-12-13}}</ref> it was invented by [[John Harington (writer)|Sir John Harrington]] in 1596. Crapper, however, did much to increase its popularity and came up with some related inventions, such as the [[ballcock]] mechanism used to fill toilet tanks. He was noted for the quality of his products and received several [[Royal Warrant]]s. Furthermore, his surname was not the origin of the word "crap" (see under [[#Words and phrases|Words and phrases]] above).
* [[Thomas Edison]] did not invent the [[light bulb]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Robert |first= Friedel |author2=Paul Israel |title= Edison's electric light: Biography of an invention |url= https://archive.org/details/edisonselectricl00robe |location=[[New Brunswick, New Jersey]] |publisher= Rutgers University Press |pages= [https://archive.org/details/edisonselectricl00robe/page/115 115]–117 |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-8135-1118-4}}</ref> He did, however, develop the first practical light bulb in 1880 (employing a carbonized bamboo filament), shortly before [[Joseph Swan]], who invented an even more efficient bulb in 1881 (which used a cellulose filament).
* [[Henry Ford]] did not invent either the [[automobile]] or the [[assembly line]]. He did help to develop the assembly line substantially, sometimes through his own engineering but more often through sponsoring the work of his employees.<ref name= "Sorensen1956">{{cite book |last= Sorensen | first= Charles E.; with Williamson, Samuel T. |year= 1956 | title = My forty years with Ford | publisher= Norton | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-8143-3279-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fv9WPvAXpGMC&pg=PA128 |page=128 }}</ref> [[Karl Benz]] is credited with the invention of the first modern automobile,<ref>{{cite book
| title=The Automobile Book
| publisher=Paul Hamlyn Ltd
| year=1967
| author=Ralph Stein
}}</ref> and the assembly line was invented before, several times.<ref>see [[Terracotta Army]] and [[Venetian Arsenal]]</ref>
* [[Guglielmo Marconi]] did not invent radio, but only modernized it for public broadcasting and communication.<ref>{{cite web|first=B. Eric |last=Rhoads |url=http://www.qsl.net/n7jy/radiohst.html |title=Just who invented radio and which was the first station? |publisher=QSL.net|access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ccrane.com/library/who-invented-radio.aspx |title=Who Invented Radio? |publisher=CCrane.com |work=WorldRadio |date=May 2006 |access-date=2011-01-13 |archive-date=2010-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229174209/http://www.ccrane.com/library/who-invented-radio.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://mobiledevdesign.com/standards_regulations/radio_invented_radio/ |title=Who invented radio?|date=February 1, 2002|first=Don |last=Bishop|publisher=Penton Media, Inc.|work=Mobile Dev & Design |access-date=2011-01-13}}</ref> No single person was responsible for the [[invention of radio]].
* [[James Watt]] did not invent the [[steam engine]],<ref name=LTCRolt>{{cite book|last=Rolt|first=L.T.C.|title=James Watt|year=1962|publisher=Batsford|isbn=978-1-163-47052-7|page=10|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VNrlAAAAIAAJ}}</ref><ref name=JMCarroll>{{cite book|last=Carroll|first=John Millar|title=Designing interaction: psychology at the human-computer interface|year=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-40056-5|page=76|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=coY6AAAAIAAJ}}</ref><ref name=Contrarytopopularbelief>{{cite book|last=Green|first=Joey|title=Contrary to Popular Belief: More Than 250 False Facts Revealed|year=2005|publisher=Broadway Books|isbn=978-0-7679-1992-0|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ew38DByz-DQC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://physicsworldarchive.iop.org/index.cfm?action=summary&doc=3%2F12%2Fphwv3i12a41%40pwa-xml&qt=|title=Invention: myth and reality|publisher=Physics World|year=1990|access-date=2011-08-16|archive-date=2014-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427082415/http://physicsworldarchive.iop.org/index.cfm?action=summary&doc=3%2F12%2Fphwv3i12a41%40pwa-xml&qt=|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=DPMiller>{{cite journal|url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2004HisSc..42..333M|title=True myths: James Watt's kettle, his condenser, and his chemistry|publisher=Science History Publication Ltd|year=2004|bibcode=2004HisSc..42..333M|last1=Miller|first1=David Philip|journal=History of Science|volume=42|issue=3|page=333|doi=10.1177/007327530404200304|s2cid=161722497}}</ref> The invention of the steam engine was a process of development and redevelopment. Watt developed the first commercially successful steam engine by greatly improving [[Newcomen]]'s machine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dspace.dsto.defence.gov.au/dspace/bitstream/1947/3295/1/DSTO-RR-0287%20PR.pdf|title=An evolutionary framework for experimental innovation|publisher=Australian Government Department of Defence Defence Science and Technology Organisation|access-date=2011-08-16|archive-date=2011-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815072201/http://dspace.dsto.defence.gov.au/dspace/bitstream/1947/3295/1/DSTO-RR-0287%20PR.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Transportation===
* Toilet waste is never intentionally dumped overboard from an aircraft. All waste is collected in tanks which are emptied on the ground by special toilet waste vehicles. A vacuum is used to allow the toilet to be flushed with less water and because plumbing cannot rely on gravity alone in an aircraft in motion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.howstuffworks.com/question314.htm|title=How does the toilet in a commercial airliner work?|author=How Stuff works|date=April 2000|access-date=2008-06-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2008/11/19/on-world-toilet-day-let-us-praise-the-airline-lav/|last=Philips|first=Matt|title=On World Toilet Day, Let Us Praise the Airline Lav|work=The Middle Seat Terminal (Wall Street Journal)|access-date=2009-04-02|date=2008-11-19}}</ref> The infamous [[blue ice (aircraft)|blue ice]] is caused by accidental leakages from the waste tank. Passenger trains, on the other hand, have historically [[Passenger train toilets|flushed onto the tracks]]; however, modern trains usually have retention tanks on board the train.

==Related pages==
* [[MythBusters]]
* [[Pseudoscience]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Diefendorf|first=David|title=Amazing… But False!: Hundreds of "Facts" You Thought Were True, But Aren't|url=https://archive.org/details/amazingbutfalseh0000dief|publisher=Sterling|year=2007|isbn=978-1-4027-3791-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Green|first=Joey|title=Contrary to Popular Belief: More than 250 False Facts Revealed|publisher=Broadway|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7679-1992-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Johnsen|first=Ferris|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Misconceptions: The Ultimate Debunker's Guide to Widely Accepted Fallacies|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofpo0000john|publisher=Carol Publishing Group|year=1994|isbn=978-0-8065-1556-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Kruszelnicki |first=Karl |author2=Adam Yazxhi |title=Great Mythconceptions: The Science Behind the Myths|url=https://archive.org/details/greatmythconcept0000krus |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7407-5364-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Lloyd |first=John |author2= John Mitchinson |title=The Book of General Ignorance |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgeneralign00lloy |publisher=Harmony Books |year=2006 |isbn= 978-0-307-39491-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Lloyd |first=John |author2=John Mitchinson |title=The Second Book of General Ignorance |url=https://archive.org/details/secondbookofgene0000lloy_c2q5 |publisher=Faber and Faber |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-571-27285-3}}
* {{cite book |title=Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language |url=https://archive.org/details/originsofspeciou00ocon |last1=O'Conner |first1=Patricia T. |last2=Kellerman |first2=Stewart |year=2009 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |isbn= 978-1-4000-6660-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Tuleja |first=Tad |title= Fabulous Fallacies: More than 300 Popular Beliefs That Are Not True |url=https://archive.org/details/fabulousfallacie0000tule |publisher=Galahad Books |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-57866-065-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Varasdi |first=J. Allen |title=Myth Information: More Than 590 Popular Misconceptions, Fallacies, and Misbeliefs Explained! |url=https://archive.org/details/mythinformation0000vara |publisher=Ballantine Books |year=1996 |isbn= 978-0-345-41049-8}}

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==Other websites==
{{External links|date=November 2009}}
* [http://www.dartmouth.edu/~etrnsfer/water.htm The color of water, J. Chem. Education, 1993, 70(8), 612]
* [http://amasci.com/miscon/opphys.html List of children's misconceptions about science]
* [http://amasci.com/miscon/miscon4.html Misconceptions taught by science textbooks]
* [http://scienceinquirer.wikispaces.com/misconception Science Misconceptions Podcast]
* [http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~siegel/warning.html Common Misconceptions about Science]
* [http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/BadScience.html Bad Science]
* [http://www.princeton.edu/~lehmann/BadChemistry.html Bad Chemistry]
* [http://www.snopes.com/ Snope]
* Hershey, D.R., 2003. http://www.botany.org/bsa/psb/2003/psb49-3.html#Misconceptions
* From ''Listverse: Ultimate Top 10 Lists'':
** JT, "[http://listverse.com/miscellaneous/top-10-common-misconceptions/ Top 10 Common Misconceptions]," ''Listverse: Ultimate Top 10 Lists'' (December 1, 2007).
** JFrater, "[http://listverse.com/miscellaneous/10-more-common-misconceptions/ 10 More Common Misconceptions]," ''Listverse: Ultimate Top 10 Lists'' (December 3, 2008).
** "[http://listverse.com/miscellaneous/another-10-common-misconceptions/ Another 10 Common Misconceptions]," ''Listverse: Ultimate Top 10 Lists'' (February 23, 2008).
** JFrater, "[http://listverse.com/miscellaneous/10-misconceptions-about-common-sayings/ 10 Misconceptions About Common Sayings]," ''Listverse: Ultimate Top 10 Lists'' (March 23, 2009).
-->

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