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Teachers hold a great deal of trust from students and parents alike, as we expect them to be knowledgeable and capable of educating our children. However, many teachers, often unknowingly, repeat the same misconceptions they were taught themselves. With the internet, it's easy to come across inaccurate information, and even books and academic papers can perpetuate these errors. This article is the third in a series debunking such myths, following previous lists: 'Top 10 Fascinating Facts That Are Wrong' and '10 More Fascinating Facts That Are Wrong.' Feel free to share your own favorites in the comments.
10. High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Myth: High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contributes to weight gain
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) became a staple in the American food industry during the 1970s, which coincided with the rise in obesity rates. As a result, many people have blamed HFCS for the obesity crisis. While it's true that HFCS contributes calories that are linked to obesity, these calories are not any different from those in refined white sugar. HFCS contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose, while white sugar is made up of about 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose, meaning the body processes them in essentially the same way. Nutritionally, they're almost identical.
Interesting Fact: In Mexico, Coca-Cola is still made with sugar rather than corn syrup, unlike the version in the U.S. Many consumers believe they can taste the difference and prefer the 'better' Mexican version. However, no properly conducted scientific blind tests have been performed, and the results of various online tests vary greatly.
9. The Cell Phone and Cancer Myth
Myth: Cell phones are linked to brain cancer
Despite widespread media coverage, the idea that cell phones cause cancer, particularly brain cancer, continues to persist. A Discovery Health/Prevention survey found that 30% of Americans still hold this belief. However, they may have missed the numerous reports debunking the myth, as those lacked the same dramatic headlines. While some studies have suggested a potential connection to rare types of brain tumors, the general consensus from well-conducted studies is that there is no consistent evidence linking cell phone use to brain cancer. [Source]
Interesting Fact: The first-ever patent for a wireless telephone-like device was granted in 1908 to Nathan B. Stubblefield. Some claim he invented the radio before Tesla and Marconi, though Stubblefield's later life ended in isolation as he tragically starved to death.
8. Equestrian Sculptures
Myth: The number of hooves raised in a horse statue indicates the manner of its rider's death
While researching for this list, I stumbled upon a myth that I, like many others, had always assumed was true! The belief is that when a horse statue has one hoof raised, it symbolizes that its rider was wounded in battle but survived. If two hooves are raised, it indicates the rider was killed, and if none are raised, the rider survived unscathed. Though this is a myth, it's interesting to note that it applies to most Gettysburg equestrian statues, except for James Longstreet’s statue, which shows one hoof raised despite the fact that he was not wounded in battle. (See image above).
Interesting Fact: A statue depicting a horse with a rider is known as an equestrian statue. The term comes from the Latin word “eques,” meaning knight, and “equus,” meaning horse. On the other hand, a statue of a horse alone is referred to as an equine statue.
7. Spherical Earth
Myth: Christopher Columbus proved that the Earth was round
This old myth, surprisingly believed by millions, suggests that Columbus’ contemporaries thought he would fall off the edge of the Earth, which supposedly doomed his voyage. However, the Earth’s roundness had been known since the time of Pythagoras, 2,000 years before Spain even existed. Columbus may have failed to reach his original destination, but his journey led to the discovery of the Americas—a rather impressive outcome for a failed mission. The round Earth theory was so widely accepted that navigational methods of the time were based on it.
Interesting Fact: Columbus, at 53, returned to Spain from his travels to the Americas, only to be arrested with his two brothers for the atrocities they committed. After six weeks in jail, they were released, and their wealth and property were restored. Columbus believed his voyages to the New World signaled the onset of mankind’s Last Judgment.
6. Banana Shortage
Myth: In ten years, bananas will be extinct
While there is some truth to this myth, it’s not as dire as it may seem. Fusarium wilt, also known as Panama disease, is a threat to bananas in some Asian countries, particularly affecting the Cavendish banana, which is the type most familiar to Americans. However, it’s unlikely to wipe out all bananas globally, nor even decimate the Cavendish variety, as some of the major exporting farms remain unaffected. In fact, the Cavendish is just one of around 300 different types of bananas that are suitable for human consumption.
Interesting Fact: Despite the common misconception, bananas do not grow on trees. The plant that produces bananas is actually classified as a herb.
5. Newton and the Falling Apple
Myth: Isaac Newton formulated his law of universal gravitation after an apple fell on his head while he sat under a tree
It's tempting to imagine that great discoveries happen instantly, triggered by a simple, fortuitous event. People often believe that if the right person hadn’t been in the right place at the right time, a crucial piece of knowledge might have been lost forever. This is why the myth persists that Newton formulated his law of gravity after an apple fell on his head. However, the first reference to an apple in relation to Newton appeared 60 years after his death: 'Whilst he was musing in a garden it came into his thought that the power of gravity (which brought an apple from the tree to the ground) was not limited to a certain distance from the earth but that this power must extend much further.' (John Conduitt)
Interesting Fact: While Isaac Newton is widely recognized for his contributions to science, his true passion was the Bible. He spent more time studying Scripture than engaging in scientific research. Newton believed in the Bible as the Word of God, written by divinely inspired authors. He said, 'I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.' Newton also devoted considerable effort to uncovering hidden messages within the Bible. [Source]
4. The Story of Typhoid Mary
Myth: Typhoid Mary, one of the most infamous women in American history, is said to have caused the deaths of hundreds (if not thousands) by unknowingly spreading typhoid fever
Typhoid Mary, or Mary Mallon, is widely recognized for being a carrier of Typhoid fever without contracting the disease herself. Though she did indeed cause fatalities, the scale of her impact has often been exaggerated. Mary, who worked as a cook, transmitted Typhoid to 30 to 53 individuals, depending on the source, but only 3 of them died. After being identified as the source of the illness, she was briefly quarantined. However, this quarantine was lifted as it was considered unfair since others in similar situations weren’t subjected to the same treatment. She agreed to stop working as a cook but, unable to find a comparable job, she assumed a false identity and worked as a cook in a hospital, where 25 people became ill and one died. As a result, she was arrested and quarantined for the remainder of her life, passing away 18 years later. The image above shows her during her first quarantine.
Interesting Fact: Typhoid fever is caused by the salmonella typhi bacteria, which is typically destroyed by the heat in cooking. However, Mary’s signature dish, a frequently requested peach ice cream, posed a risk. Her lack of hygiene, particularly when using the toilet, allowed the bacteria to transfer from feces to her hands, facilitating the spread of the disease.
3. Margarine Madness
Myth: Margarine is just one molecule away from being plastic
Each year, Americans consume four times more margarine than butter, which might seem surprising given how widely believed the myth is about this chemical spread. While much of the negative publicity surrounding margarine holds some truth, this particular myth is false. Margarine is produced by heating vegetable oil and hydrogenating it—essentially, saturating the oil until it solidifies at room temperature. It is then blended with other ingredients to form a white, lumpy substance resembling fat, and yellow food dye is added to complete the margarine. Interestingly, there is not a single molecule in margarine that could transform it into plastic.
Fun Fact: Margarine came into existence after Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France offered a prize in 1869 for anyone who could create an inexpensive butter alternative for the military and lower-income citizens. The prize was awarded to Hippolyte Mège-Mouriés, a French chemist, for his invention of oleomargarine. To counter the rise of margarine, governments imposed high taxes and banned its use of color. Remarkably, selling butter-colored margarine remains illegal in Missouri [source], and this law lasted in Quebec until July 2008 [source].
2. Titanic SOS
Myth: The Titanic was the first ship to ever transmit the SOS distress signal.
At first, the Titanic sent out the CQD signal, which stood for 'All stations: distress.' However, since Britain had recently adopted the new SOS standard, one of the crew members suggested using it as well, saying, 'Send SOS; it’s the new call, and besides, this may be your last chance to send it!' While it was a new practice for British ships, the SOS standard had been in use for several years, and even a 1909 newspaper article mentions its use by an American ship, the Arapahoe.
Fun Fact: Contrary to what some people think, SOS does not actually stand for anything. Some believe it means 'save our souls' or 'send out ships,' but the signal was chosen because of its simplicity. It was so easy to send that even someone with no experience in using radio equipment could transmit it in an emergency. The Morse code for SOS (... / – – – / ...) is much simpler to send than the previous distress signal, CQD (-.-. / – -.- / -..).
1. Einstein Failed Math
Myth: Albert Einstein failed math during his school years.
This is a long-standing misconception that many people continue to believe. It appears to have originated in a 1935 edition of Ripley’s Believe It or Not magazine, where it was first printed under the heading 'Greatest living mathematician failed in mathematics.' The myth likely gives hope to students struggling in math, as they may think that if Einstein could fail math and still become a genius, there's hope for them too. However, the truth is that Einstein demonstrated his brilliance early on, even in mathematics. When he saw the article, Einstein laughed and said, 'I never failed in mathematics. Before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus.'
Interesting Fact: In 1905, in his spare time, Einstein authored four groundbreaking papers that revolutionized physics. The first paper proposed that light could be both particle-like and wave-like. The second confirmed the existence of atoms and molecules. The third introduced the special theory of relativity, stating that time and space are not absolute. And the fourth highlighted the famous equation E=mc², which describes the equivalence between energy and mass. [Source]
