Fact or myth?

20 famous myths, busted

• Goldfish have a three-second memory. Myth. Goldfish can be trained and remember things for months.Source: University of Plymouth
• The Great Wall of China is visible from space with the naked eye. Myth. Astronauts say it is far too narrow to see from orbit without help.Source: NASA
• We only use 10% of our brains. Myth. Brain scans show we use virtually all of it, just not all at once.Source: Scientific American
• Bulls get angry when they see red. Myth. Bulls can't see red well. It is the movement of the cape that provokes them.Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Lightning never strikes the same place twice. Myth. The Empire State Building is hit about 20 times a year.Source: US National Weather Service
• Bats are blind. Myth. All bats can see, and many see well. Some also use echolocation.Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. Myth. Studies, including one doctor who cracked only one hand for 60 years, found no link.Source: Harvard Health
• Swallowed chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years. Myth. It passes through in a few days like anything else.Source: Mayo Clinic
• Hair and nails keep growing after death. Myth. The skin dries and pulls back, which makes them look longer.Source: Scientific American
• Sugar makes children hyperactive. Myth. Double-blind studies found no effect. Parents who think sugar was given rate their kids as more hyper.Source: JAMA, 1995 review
• Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when scared. Myth. They lie flat on the ground, or run. From far away that looks like a buried head.Source: San Diego Zoo
• Dogs only see in black and white. Myth. Dogs see colours, mostly blues and yellows.Source: American Kennel Club
• You lose most of your body heat through your head. Myth. You lose heat from any uncovered skin, about 10% from the head.Source: BMJ, 2008
• A mother bird will reject a chick that a human has touched. Myth. Most birds have a poor sense of smell and won't abandon their young.Source: Audubon Society
• Napoleon was unusually short. Myth. At about 1.69 m he was average for a Frenchman of his time.Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Vikings wore horned helmets. Myth. No horned Viking battle helmet has ever been found. The look came from 1800s opera costumes.Source: National Museum of Denmark
• Shaving makes hair grow back thicker. Myth. The cut end feels coarser, but thickness, colour and speed don't change.Source: Mayo Clinic
• Different parts of the tongue taste different flavours. Myth. The "tongue map" came from a mistranslated 1901 paper. Every part tastes everything.Source: Smithsonian Magazine
• Humans have five senses. Myth, sort of. Balance, temperature, pain and knowing where your limbs are count too. Scientists list many more.Source: Scientific American
• Camels store water in their humps. Myth. The humps are fat, used as an energy store.Source: San Diego Zoo

Fact or myth: questions

How does fact or myth work?

You get ten statements, five true facts and five famous myths, in random order. Pick "fact" or "myth" and we show the real story and a source.

What is the most common myth?

Probably that we only use 10% of our brains. Brain scans show we use virtually all of it.