Fallacies

So much of what we assume, upon further scrutiny, we discover to be just plain wrong. Collected here are some of our favorite bits of trivia that poke holes in our most coveted myths, misconceptions and outright falsehoods.


Pope John Paul II's name wasn't originally John, nor was it Paul. His real name is Karol Wojtyla.

Wild rice isn't rice. It's long-grained marsh grass.

It's not true that men commit child abuse most often. Sixty percent of all child abuse is committed by women with sole custody.

Tempura isn't a Japanese word, nor is it a native Japanese dish. It's Portuguese.

Gray whales aren't gray. They're actually black.

Jersey cows don't come from New Jersey. They come from Jersey, an island in the English Channel.

Diamonds are not the most valuable gems. Rubies are.

Honey bees aren't native to North America. They were introduced here in the 1600s by the Puritans.

Despite what you might think, in all of human history, there has never been a documented case of death by piranha.

The Douglas fir isn't a fir.

In an early draft of the script for the film "Back to the Future," the time machine wasn't a Delorean, but rather a souped-up refrigerator.

Riptides aren't tides. They're currents.


Nero didn't fiddle while Rome burned. The fiddle hadn't been invented yet.


Genghis Khan's wasn't the military leader's real name, it was Temujen. Genghis Khan means "emperor of all emperors."

Eggplant is a fruit, not a vegetable.

Washington D.C. was not always America's capital. From 1789 to 1790, New York City was the capital.

Nero didn't fiddle while Rome burned. The fiddle hadn't been invented yet.

Little John was not the name of the character in the famous stories about Robin Hood. He was actually named John Little.

"Lead" pencils have no lead in them—just graphite.

The quote, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," is often attributed to William Shakespeare. It's actually, "Heaven has no rage, like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury, like a woman scorned." It was actually written by dramatist William Congreve, in his 1697 play "The Mourning Bride."

There is no book of "Revelations" in the Bible. The book is "Revelation."

Despite their reputation, there have been no deaths attributed to tarantula bites recorded in history.

There is no species of fish called the sardine. Usually small herring or pilchard are processed as sardines.

Americans use the word "macaroni" to mean a specific kind of pasta, but in Italy, maccherone (or "mixture of elements") refers to all types of pasta.

Klondike isn't in Alaska, it's in the Yukon Territory—in Canada.

"Nice" didn't always mean what it means today. Originally, it came from the Latin nescius (ignorant), and grew to mean "foolish" in the 14th and 15th centuries.

The American robin isn't a robin, it's a thrush.

Cleopatra was not an Egyptian queen. Actually, there were seven women who reigned under that name—the seventh is the one we are most familiar with. None of the women were Egyptians, they were Macedonians.

Mississippi Bay is nowhere near Mississippi. It's outside of Yokohama, Japan.

Yams and sweet potatoes are actually unrelated vegetables.

The Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea aren't seas. They're lakes.

Takeoffs and landings aren't what cause the most wear and tear on airplane tires—it's the taxiing.


Alaska is the most northern, western and eastern state.


Many are surprised to discover Alaska is the most eastern U.S. state. Alaska is the most northern, western and eastern state.

Black-eyed peas aren't peas. They're beans.

People in the time of Columbus did not believe the world was flat. Not since the days of Greece had anyone thought that.

Rabbits are more closely related to horses than they are to rodents or mice.

George Washington didn't have a middle name.

People weren't always said to "smoke tobacco." That phrase didn't become popular until the 1750s. Before that, the expression for smoking was to "drink tobacco."

The Romans did not use chariots in ancient wars. They used them for sport and transportation, not in war.

There is no one place known as the Kremlin. Moscow has one, but so do lots of Russian cities. In Russian, Kremlin means a citadel or fortress. Also, Moscow's Kremlin is not a specific building, but a complex within a large walled space.

The vintage date on a bottle of wine indicates the year the grapes were picked, not the year of bottling.

The Pony Express didn't use ponies, they used horses.

Cucumbers aren't vegetables—they're fruits.

Polecats aren't cats. They're nocturnal European weasels.

There's no evidence that pirates ever buried their treasure. That myth first came up when captain William Kidd lied about burying his gold during his trial.

One cannot be given the Congressional Medal of Honor. No such thing. It's just the Medal of Honor.

The correct version of the widely misused phrase "far from the maddening crowd" is actually "far from the madding crowd." Madding means "frenzied."

You might be surprised to learn that more people are killed each year from bees than from snakes.

It is often incorrectly assumed Chicken Kiev was invented by Russians. However, it was actually created by French chefs for Russian nobility.

Despite what you might suspect, Italy imports most of its pasta from the U.S. and Canada.

Our muscles can't push, they can only pull.

George Washington never threw a dollar across the Potomac. There weren't any dollars during Washington's youth—the currency was British.

Panama hats aren't made in Panama. They're made in Ecuador.

Ladybirds aren't birds—they're beetles.

A popularly held belief is that soda water contains soda. It doesn't.

Pintos and palominos are not breeds of horses, those names denote colors.

Compasses do not point to the North Pole. They point to magnetic north, far from the North Pole.

Chest hair has no connection to virility.

Remember Atari games? The company isn't Japanese, even though most people think so. The name was chosen so consumers would think the company, based in Northern California, was Japanese.

A "light year" is a measurement of distance, not time.

Wedding cake wasn't always eaten by the bride and groom. Originally, it was thrown at them.

Female canaries can't sing.

More Mohicans wore Mohawks than the Mohawks did.

Jack-o'-lanterns weren't always made from pumpkins. Originally, they were made from turnips.

The world's largest known pyramid is not in Egypt. It is the Great White Pyramid in China.

Birds don't sleep in their nests. (They may occasionally nap in them, but they actually sleep in other places.)

Swiss steak isn't Swiss. It's an American invention.

Despite what is popularly believed, Mussolini never made the trains run on time.

George Washington's dentures weren't, as the legend goes, made of wood. They were made from hippopotamus tusk.

Rice paper isn't made from rice. It's made from the pith of a tree called the rice-paper tree, an Asiatic tree of the ginseng family.

Despite what you might think, adult moths do not eat clothes. It's their larvae that do the damage.

Jordan almonds don't come from Jordan, they come from Spain. The name is a corruption of the Middle English jardin almande—the "jardin" means "garden" in French.

It's not the lions. It's not the polar bears. It's not the snakes. Rather, zookeepers say the most dangerous animal in the zoo is the panda.

It's a myth that lightning won't strike twice in the same place. In fact, it is more likely than not to do so.

You've probably heard that Podunk is in Idaho. Actually, it's in Massachusetts.

Studies show more women talk to their cars than men do.

Contrary to what you might suspect, the Puritans loaded more beer than water onto the Mayflower before they departed for the New World.

The classic children's tale Little Black Sambo takes place in India. Sambo is Hindu.

Despite what you might suspect, the U.S. has more bagpipe bands than Scotland.

No modern dictionary has any connection with Noah Webster. Those which stick the name Webster in their title are doing so just because of his reputation.

Joan of Arc wasn't French. She was born in Domremy, part of Bar, which was a part of Lorraine—which did not become a part of France until 1776. And her name wasn't Joan, it was Jeanne.

The largest city—in area—in the U.S. is not Los Angeles. It's Jacksonville, Florida.

If you think the United States is the country with the most universities, you’re mistaken. That distinction is held by India.

Not all snakes lay eggs. Garter snakes and rattlesnakes have live birth (they're ovoviviparous). The fertile eggs develop within the maternal body.

You might be surprised to learn that a Catholic priest can be married—as long as the marriage takes place before ordination.

It’s been rumored that the characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in the classic It’s A Wonderful Life. But that’s a myth according to the creators of Sesame Street.

Kleenex tissues were originally developed as gas mask filters during World War I, not as a way to deal with runny noses.

Harpo Marx was fully capable of speaking.

No witches were burned during the Salem Trials of 1692. All the victims were hanged, except for one man, who was pressed to death with stones.

You might be surprised to learn that there are more pyramids in Mexico than Egypt.

Seinfeld wasn’t Jerry Seinfeld’s first sitcom. He played the governor’s speechwriter on Benson, but was fired after three episodes.

Play-Doh wasn’t originally intended to be a toy. It was created to clean wallpaper.

The Man in the Iron Mask didn't wear an iron mask—it was made of black velvet stiffened with whalebone and fastened behind the head with a padlock or steel springs.

Brides do not walk down the aisle of a church during a wedding. The center section, or passage, of a church is correctly called a "nave."

"Mrs." is not an abbreviation for "missus" as is often believed. "Mrs." is short for "mistress," the feminine form of "mister," which in turn originally meant "master." For obvious reasons, "Mrs." is no longer spelled out.

No sailor would use the term "knots per hour." Knots are a measurement of speed—one nautical mile per hour.

Saturn isn't the only planet in our solar system with a ring. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have ring systems.

You might not think so, but lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.

Not all cats react to catnip. The reaction is inherited—some cats are totally unaffected by it.

Some people mistakenly believe Theodore Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt were married. In fact, Theodore Roosevelt was Eleanor Roosevelt's uncle. (Eleanor Roosevelt was married to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.)

While it goes against intuition, there's no sand in sandpaper.

Salmonella isn’t named after the fish. It’s named after the pathologist who discovered it, Dr. Daniel E. Salmon.

When puppies lick your face, it’s not because they love you. They are instinctively looking for food scraps.

Lucille Ball wasn't a natural redhead. Originally, she was a brunette.

Despite what you might think, drivers kill more deer than hunters.

"Baby-cut" carrots aren’t baby carrots. They’re actually full-sized ones peeled and polished down to size. (Incidentally, about 25 percent of California’s fresh carrot crop is turned into "babies.")

St. Patrick wasn’t Irish—he was Welsh.

Crickets do not chirp by rubbing their legs together. They rub their wings.

Romaine lettuce didn’t originate in Rome. It got its start on the Greek island of Cos.

The Liberty Bell wasn’t made in the United States. It was made in London in 1752. Another fallacy related to the bell—it wasn’t named for the colonists, but rather, for slaves seeking their freedom. (It wasn’t named the Liberty Bell until the 1830s.)

It is a common misconception that Florence Nightingale spent her life doing nursing—she didn’t. In truth, she spent only performed nursing duties for about three years.

Quaaludes weren’t originally always used as a mood leveler. They were originally developed to fight malaria.

Eskimos do not now, nor have they in the past, lived in igloos. Generally, igloos are used only in cases of emergency.

Many mistakenly believe that California is the most active region for earthquakes. However, Japan has three times the amount of seismic activity.

Despite what many wrongly believe, the Statue of Liberty isn’t on Ellis Island. It’s on Liberty Island.

While some may be surprised to hear it, Americans filed more civil lawsuits per capita in 1830 than they do today.

Nelson wasn’t Mr. Mandela’s real first name—it was Rolihlahla. A schoolteacher renamed him Nelson after Horatio Nelson, a famous British fleet commander.

Cats with white feet should not be called "Boots." They’re referred to as "gloves" by those in the know.

The idea that archaeologists dig up dinosaurs is a misconception. Archaeology only deals with Man and covers the last 3-4 million years. Paleontology deals with all fossils and covers the last 3.5 billion years.

You may be surprised to learn that college football outdraws pro football by more than 2-to-1.

Popeye got it wrong. The misconception that spinach gives a person exceptional strength came about because of a mathematical error. Researchers in the 1890s put a decimal point in the wrong place, giving spinach 10 times more iron than it really contains. As a source of iron, spinach is no better—and no worse—than any other green vegetable.

If you think our brains are larger than those of Neanderthals, you’re wrong.

It’s been widely disseminated that the only real person to be a immortalized as a Pez dispenser was Betsy Ross. Untrue. Daniel Boone and Paul Revere have also been depicted.

Abraham Lincoln didn’t have a middle name.

It’s a myth that life insurance policies won’t pay if the insured commits suicide. All policies have a suicide clause. All they require is that the policy be held for at least two years—if someone commits suicide before then, it’s considered fraud, and payment will be refused.

Despite its hump, a camel has a straight spine.

Three Mile Island is only 2.5 miles long.

Famous composer Irving Berlin never learned to read music.

World hunger isn't caused by a shortage of food. If everyone received a fair share of the food being produced worldwide, each person would have about 4.3 pounds of meat, grain, fruits and vegetables every day.

The "Ye" in "Ye Olde Taverne," is pronounced "the," not "ye."

Silent film heartthrob Rudolph Valentino wasn't born with that name. His real name was Rodolfo Alfonzo Raffaele Pierre Philibert Guglielmi.

London Bridge isn't in London. It's in Arizona.

Lincoln wasn't the featured speaker at Gettysburg. The main speaker at Gettysburg spoke for two hours. Lincoln spoke for two minutes.

Fish are not immune from seasickness.

The inventor of the flush toilet was not, as is commonly believed, Thomas Crapper.

Despite the Shakespearean play, Richard III was not a hunchback.

Although you might suspect otherwise, football isn't the pro sport that draws the greatest number of spectators. Baseball is more than three times as popular.

Humans aren't the only creatures that wage war. Ants also do so—and they take slaves.

The Bank of England was not founded by an Englishman. It was founded by a Scotsman. The Bank of Scotland, however, was founded by an Englishman.

Most people are surprised to learn that John Wayne never served in the armed forces.

Coffee beans aren’t naturally flavorful. They have no taste until they’re roasted.

When we think of Amazons, we often think of buxom women. However, "Amazon" actually means "breastless ones." Greeks believed Amazons removed their right breasts so they could more easily use their bows.

Socrates never wrote down a single word of his teachings.

Despite what many people think, not all Swiss cheese has holes in it.

The first baseball game telecast wasn’t in the U.S., but rather, in Tokyo.

Many mistakenly believe the Gutenberg Bible was the first printed book. However, the Chinese were printing with moveable type centuries earlier.

It’s untrue that the "rings" under our eyes darken. Experts say this effect is actually caused by the rest of the face getting lighter.

Lions are not the king of the jungle. They don’t inhabit jungles. They dwell in the plains.

Nipple piercing isn’t a new phenomenon, of course. It was also popular among ladies in the 1800s.

The idea of using Navajo Indians and their language during WWII to stump Japanese code breakers wasn’t a new one. During WWI, German code breakers were thwarted by Americans using Choctaw Indians to relay orders.

Not everyone in Rome wore togas. Only freeborn men were entitled to wear them.

Footballs are not, nor were they ever, made of pigskin.

Most people believe sperm swims to the egg and fertilizes it. However, new research shows the egg is actually the aggressor. As the sperm wiggle around, the egg is on the hunt—and when the right sperm swims by, the egg tosses out a kind of chemical net and snags it.

It is a fallacy that diamonds are indestructible. They crush easily and also burn.

Not surprisingly, Blackbeard wasn't the real name of the infamous pirate—his real name was Edward Teach.


A bride wears red in China.


While many think exactly the opposite, the lightning we see actually goes from the ground to the sky in what is known as the "return stroke" (which travels one-third the speed of light). We can't see the initial "stepped leader" that passes from the sky to the ground.

Many people think the great lakes are in the United States. However, Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes that's entirely in the U.S.

Xmas is considered by many to be a vulgar abbreviation. However, the Old English word for Christmas begins with X. The Greek word for "Christ," from which the English is derived, begins with the Greek letter chi, or X. So, X is an appropriate abbreviation for Christ.

White isn't the standard color for bridal gowns everywhere. A bride wears red in China.

Most people think Africa is mostly wilderness. In fact, Africa is only 28 percent wilderness. By contrast, North America that is 38 percent wilderness.

Author Louis L'Amour didn't start out with that name—his real name was Louis LaMoore.

History books might say otherwise, but one of the primary reasons the Pilgrims on the Mayflower ended their trip at Plymouth Rock was because they ran out of beer.

Despite what we were told as children, handling frogs does not cause warts. Warts are caused by a virus.

You often hear the term "meteoric rise" used in reference to someone who's up-and-coming. In actuality, meteors don't rise, they fall.

When "Yankee Doodle stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni," it wasn't a reference to food. It referred to the Macaroni Club, founded in the mid-18th century, made up of English "dandies" who took on foreign mannerisms and fashions. The song was originally intended to ridicule the American revolutionary troops, but was eventually taken over by them as a marching song.

Hawaii wasn’t a state when Pearl Harbor was attacked. It didn’t become a state until 1959, and the attack on Pearl Harbor took place in 1941.

"Thou shalt not kill" is not what was intended as the sixth Commandment in the Bible. That phrase was mistranslated from the Old Hebrew. The proper translation is, "Thou shall not do murder."

"Golden apples" in Greek mythology weren’t apples. They were apricots.

Despite what most people think, hornets and wasps don’t die after they sting. (Honeybees do, but hornets and wasps can sting numerous times without dying.)

The famous hotel and casino in Las Vegas isn’t Caesar’s Palace. The hotel does not use an apostrophe in its name—it’s Caesars Palace.

Little Miss Muffet, who sat on her tuffet, wasn’t fictional as most people believe. She was the daughter of Dr. Thomas Moffett of England—an expert on spiders.

Horseshoe crabs aren’t crabs. Their closest existing relatives are the scorpion and spider.

People didn’t always put their hand over their heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge was first given with the arm outstretched in front, palm slightly up. Since that gesture resembled the Hitler salute, Congress changed it during World War II to the arm across the chest.

Contrary to popular belief, only one alligator has ever been found in the New York City sewer system. The 125-pound alligator was pulled out by four boys back in 1935.

Head cheese isn’t cheese. It’s chopped and boiled meat--portions of the head and feet and other parts of a pig-- mixed with gelatin and pressed into the shape of a cheese.

Koala bears aren’t bears. They’re marsupials.

Cupid was originally the god of lust, not romantic love. Cupid was the name given by the Romans to the Greek god Eros. In India, Cupid was known by Hindus as Kama, the inspiration for the Kama Sutra sex manual.

Despite the legend, William Tell never shot an apple off his son’s head. In actuality, the story of William Tell is a complete fiction.

The prairie dog isn’t a dog. It’s a rodent.

Christianity hasn't always been opposed to prostitution. Church-controlled brothels were not uncommon in medieval Europe.

The comic strip "Peanuts" wasn't always called that. Originally, it was originally called, "Li'l Folks."

French poodles were originally bred in Germany, not France.

The capitol of Portugal wasn’t always in Portugal. From 1807-1821, the capitol was moved to Rio de Janeiro (when Portugal was fighting France during the Napoleonic Wars).

Liver isn’t meat. Meat actually only refers to animal muscle, so liver doesn't qualify.

Why do ostriches bury their heads in the sand? They don't. In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand (or even attempted to do so).

The Pledge of Allegience didn’t always contain the phrase "under God." It was added 60 years after the pledge was originally written, for political reasons (during the rise of Communism).

Swallows don’t return to Capistrano on the same day every year. The birds can return anytime from from late February to the end of March, and contrary to what many think, they don’t all arrive in a single flock.

Dry cleaning is not dry cleaning. A liquid is used, it just isn’t water.

It might surprise you to know that you are far more likely to get a cold by shaking hands than from kissing.

The 1969 Woodstock Festival didn’t take place in Woodstock. It was held in Bethell, New York—40 miles from Woodstock.

Despite what most assume, a perfectly clean fire produces almost no smoke. Smoke means that a fire is not burning properly and that bits of unburned material are escaping.

Urine doesn’t smell—at least not when it leaves the body. The bad smell comes from bacteria that grows when urine sits stagnant.

People didn’t refer to Abraham Lincoln as "Abe" during his lifetime—he disliked that name.

Forget what you’ve heard. There’s no scientific proof that cedar chests deter insects.

There is no record of Paul Revere having ever owned a horse.

Contrary to intuition, statistics prove conclusively that the poor are burglarized far more often than the rich.

Model Ts weren’t originally black. They were green at first, but someone noticed that black paint dried faster, so the color was switched.

Electric eels aren’t eels—they’re a fish.

Leonardo di Vinci wasn’t a prolific painter. He painted only 17 paintings during his lifetime, and several of those were unfinished.

The word "Sunday" doesn’t appear in the Bible.

Howard Hughes’ plane the Spruce Goose—the largest plane ever built—was not made of spruce, but rather of birch.

The Capitol building of the U.S. wasn’t designed by an architect. Congress established a contest for someone to design the Capitol in 1793. The winner was Dr. William Thornton, who had no training as an architect.

Kleenex tissues weren’t always called that. When they were first marketed in 1924, they were called "Celluwipes."

During the time of King Henry VIII, knitting was the specialty of men, not women.

Air conditioning wasn’t invented to cool homes or offices. It was invented to control humidity in a printing plant.

Black cats aren’t universally seen as being bad luck. In Japan, if a black cat crosses your path, it’s good luck.

East Chicago isn’t where you might think. It’s a town in Indiana.

Sauerkraut didn’t originate in Germany as many people mistakenly believe. It got its start in China about 1,000 years before it became popular in Germany.

Lenin wasn’t Lenin’s real name. It was one of 151 pseudonyms Vladimir Illych Ulyanov used during his lifetime.

Venetian blinds were invented in Japan, not Venice.

It might surprise you to find out men are far more likely to be moved to tears by music than women.

Most precious gems are actually colorless. Their color comes from impurities in the stone that act as pigmenting agents.

Short Line, of Monopoly fame, wasn’t actually a railroad. It was a bus company.

The London Bridge has never fallen down.

Those who do public speaking don’t stand behind a podium. They stand behind a lectern. A podium is the platform or stage on which a speaker stands.

Smokey Bear didn’t always have that famous name. Originally, he was Hot Foot Teddy.

Although people think otherwise, a newborn baby can’t shed tears.

Buttermilk doesn’t contain butter.

It’s widely believed that Orville Wright became the first person to be killed in a plane crash. Actually, on September 17, 1908, U.S. Army Signal Corps lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge became the first when he and Orville fell from the sky in Wright's airplane at Fort Meyer, Virginia.

Tennessee Williams wasn’t born in Tennessee. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi.

Shooting stars aren’t stars, of course. They're meteors.

Kilts aren’t a Scottish invention, no matter what you might think. They originally came from France.

Coney Island isn’t an island.

Michael J. Fox’s middle name is Andrew.

The Pennsylvania Dutch aren’t Dutch—they’re German.

The silkworm isn’t a worm—it’s a caterpillar.

Picasso wasn’t the artist’s real name. His real name was Pablo Diego José Francisco do Paula Juan Nepomuceno Cipriano de la Santissima Trinidad. Picasso was his mother’s name.

Sugarplums, often mentioned around the holidays, aren’t plums. They’re hard candy.

Noon isn’t supposed to be 12 o’clock. Noon comes from the Latin word nona, which means the ninth hour after sunrise (about 3 p.m.).

Most people incorrectly believe bees are solely responsible for fertilizing flowers, but actually flies (60,000 species of them) fertilize 80% of all flowers.

Elephants don’t actually eat peanuts in the wild. They have to be taught to like them.

The sound you hear when you hold a seashell to your ear isn’t coming from the shell. The sound is that of the blood coursing through your ear.

Boston College isn’t in Boston. It’s in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

A horned toad isn’t a toad. It’s a lizard.

Two-by-fours don’t measure two inches by four inches. Rather, they're 1 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.

Despite what you’ve heard, smokers don’t have "nicotine-stained" fingers. Actually, nicotine is colorless. Tar is the real culprit.

The pineapple has nothing to do with pines or apples. They’re actually a berry.

"We don’t need no stinking badges," was never uttered in the film, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, no matter how often you hear it misquoted that way. The line was, "Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges."

For the Dutch, Rice Krispies don’t "snap, crackle, pop." Instead, it’s "pif, paf, pof."

Karl Marx, the founder of Russian Communism, was never in Russia in his life.

The Emmy award isn’t named after a person. Emmy is a variation of Immy, a nickname for the image orthicon tube (and early TV camera tube).

Young people are robbed more often than older people. Who knew?

The Titanic wasn’t a British ship. The English operated it, but it was owned by the International Mercantile Marine Co., controlled by U.S. magnate J.P. Morgan.

The Japanese didn’t fire the first shot at Pearl Harbor. Just before sunrise on December 7, 1941, the U.S. destroyer Ward located a two-man midget submarine making its way toward Pearl Harbor—the Ward sank it and thus fired the first shot at Pearl Harbor.

Though people think otherwise, there is no law requiring that a justice on the Supreme Court be a lawyer.

Abe Lincoln never slept in the Lincoln Bedroom.

You might be surprised to learn that not all penguins like cold weather. The Jackass Penguin lives in temperate areas of South Africa.

Mules (the result of breeding a male donkey with a female horse) can’t reproduce. Male mules are born sterile, as are female mules (except in rare cases).

The evening star isn’t a star. That "star" that appears over the western horizon shortly after sunset is actually either Venus or Mercury reflecting the sun’s light.

Film directors don’t yell, "Lights, camera, action!" That phrase hasn’t been used in some time. In the old days, lights were unpredictable and had to be turned off regularly to cool. Now, the phrase is, "Roll sound. Roll camera. Action." (The assistant director says the first two parts. By the way, only the director says, "Action.")

The United States was not founded as a democracy, but rather, as a republic.

It’s not illegal to remove the tag from a mattress. The tag, "Remove under penalty of law," only applies to retailers, not consumers.

Olympic gold medals aren’t gold. They’re gold-plated silver.

That song favored by piano students, Chopsticks, has nothing to do with the Chinese eating utensils. The name comes from the actions of the two fingers when the song is played—like chopping sticks with an axe.

The names we know for the Marx brothers weren’t their real names. Their real names were Leonard (Chico), Herbert (Zeppo), Julius (Groucho) and Arthur (Harpo).

The pupil of the eye isn’t black. It’s actually clear. The black we see is the darkness of the inside of the eye.

The laughing jackass isn’t a jackass. It’s a bird, the kookaburra.

Although it’s widely accepted as fact, slaves didn’t build the Egyptian pyramids. In truth, local farmers were drafted into service at certain times of the year when the Nile was flooded (and farming was impossible, anyway). Workers were paid.

The "red" in Moscow’s Red Square has nothing to do with Communism. The square takes its name from the word krasnaya, which translates as both "beautiful" and "red."

The action in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, takes place not in midsummer, but in the spring.

Cellophane isn’t made of plastic as many believe, but from shredded and aged plant fibers.

The French Horn isn’t French. It’s German.

Most people believe fajitas are of Mexican origin. Actually, most Mexicans don't know what a fajita is—which makes sense, because the food originated in France.

When in England, you’re likely to see establishments with names like "Ye Olde Tea Shoppe." Most folks pronounce "ye" as "yee," however, it should actually be pronounced like "the." The first letter is not a "y" but a loose rendition of the Old English character "thorn." The thorn is no longer in use, but was represented by a character similar to "y."

Contrary to popular belief, Man is not the world's largest polluter. A single volcanic eruption causes many, many times more atmosphere-depleting pollution than we have throughout human history.

Russian dressing isn’t Russian. It was first made in America.

Francis Scott Key, the man who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner," wasn’t a songwriter—he was a lawyer. (And he didn't write the music, just the lyrics—the music was actually an old drinking song.)

Guerilla warfare has nothing to do with the animals—gorillas. "Guerilla" comes from the Spanish, and means "little war."

Neither Florida nor Texas is the most southern state in the U.S. Hawaii is the southernmost U.S. state.

Jesus' mother, Mary, was not the first woman to give birth as a virgin. According to dogma, Zoroaster's mother achieved this same feat 500 years earlier.

Despite what you might think, greyhounds aren’t the fastest-running dogs. Salukis are faster. (Pictured, right.)

Cold showers actually increase sexual arousal, despite that’s commonly believed.

Toadstools have nothing to do with toads. The fungi gets its name from the German tod and stuhl, meaning "death stool," referring to the poisonous nature of this mushroomlike plant.

"Hail to the Chief," the well-known song played for U.S. Presidents, isn’t an American song. It was written in England by Sir Walter Scott and James Sanderson.

Ocean water isn’t blue. Or green. Or any other color, for that matter. It’s clear. Oceans look blue or green because of the reflections from the sky above or the vegetation below.

Hong Kong isn’t a city. The city on Hong Kong island is actually named Victoria.

Piggy banks weren’t named after pigs, but rather, after a kind of clay. That clay was called pygg, originally used to make jars in which people saved money. In time, they were made in the shape of pigs.

Though beavers live near rivers and lakes, they don't eat fish.

There is no such thing as "paper mache." No matter what you’ve heard, the material (paper or paper pulp combined with a mixture of water and flour or glue) is actually named papier-mâché.

Pirates didn’t make people walk the plank. That convention didn’t exist before an 1887 Harper’s Monthly illustration by pirate enthusiast Howard Pyle.

No Viking ever had a horned helmet.

The Godfather, Part II is often cited as the only sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Not true. Silence of the Lambs (sequel to Manhunter) shares that distinction.

Walt Disney's autograph bears no resemblance to the famous Disney logo.

The widely held idea that lions and tigers live in Africa is untrue. Only lions live in Africa—tigers don’t. Their ranges do not overlap.

Despite what you might think, the sacrificial virgins in ancient cultures weren’t forced to kill themselves. They were volunteers. (In fact, it was considered an honor to serve in that capacity.)

Most Americans erroneously believe that foreign aid is a significant part of the U.S. budget. Actually, it represents less that one percent of the budget, and most of that is spent within America's borders (due to a law that requires aid be spent with U.S. companies if possible).

Julius Caesar wasn’t an emperor of Rome, though most people would say otherwise. There were no emperors until after his death in 44 B.C.

English muffins aren’t English.

Danishes aren’t Danish.

Despite what you might see in movies and on TV, dinosaurs and humans didn’t co-exist. The death of the last dinosaur and the appearance of the first "human" (genus homo) were separated by about 62 million years.

The Canary Islands weren’t named after the bird. That name is derived from the original name, insulae canariae, meaning "island of dogs" which referred to the wild dogs that inhabited the islands.

Hitler didn’t snub Olympian Jesse Owens when he won four gold medals in 1936. Owens was critical of writers who claimed Hitler snubbed him. Owens said that when he passed the German leader, Hitler stood and waved. Owens waved back.

The monkey wrench has nothing to do with primates. The distinctive wrench got its name from its inventor, Charles Moncky.

Roasted peanuts aren’t roasted. They are boiled in oil.

The Arctic isn’t always cold, though you might suspect that’s the case. Summer temperatures in the Arctic Circle can reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chinese checkers—the game played with marbles and a star-shaped board—didn’t come from China. It’s a modern version of an English game called Halma.

The word "forte," as in someone's strong suit, isn't pronounced "for-tay." It's pronounced "fort." (Unless, of course, you're talking about the musical term, pronounced "for-tay," meaning "loudly.")

Nirvana is not a place. It's a state (of bliss).

The memory of elephants isn't any better than that of many other mammals.

Do you think coupons save money? Studies have shown that frequent coupon users have higher grocery bills than those who shop without them—as much as 84% higher. Coupon shoppers tend to overlook equally good alternative brands that cost less than the name item, with or without the discount.

Despite what you might suspect, the Americans of 1776 had the highest standard of living and the lowest taxes in the Western World.

Turkey was not on the menu at the first Thanksgiving.

Here’s a widely held misconception. In truth, ship captains have no particular authority to perform weddings. Regulations in the U.S., British and Russian navies, as well as those of other nations, prohibit a commanding officer from performing marriage ceremonies.

"Shakers" isn't the name of that religious sect. The official name is United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing. "Shaker" refers to the involuntary movements of believers during moments of religious fervor.

It is a popular misconception that the chameleon changes its color to match that of its background. The change is actually determined by such environmental factors as light and temperature, as well as by emotions such as fright and those associated with victory or defeat in battle with another chameleon.

It is widely rumored that poinsettias are poisonous. It's not true.

Manhattan Island was not, as is widely believed, bought for $24. Peter Minuit gave the Manhattoe tribe a package of trinkets and cloth. (The items were valued at 60 guilders, roughly equivalent to $24.)

Shakespeare didn’t originate the saying, "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." Sir Walter Scott did.

Botticelli wasn't the painter's name. It was actually Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi. Botticelli was a nickname that meant, "little barrel," a reference to his girth.

Let's clear this up once and for all—cold weather doesn't cause colds. They're caused by germs.

Nathan Hale’s last words weren’t: "I only regret that I have but one life to live to lose for my country." His final declaration was actually, "It is the duty of every good officer to obey any orders given him by his commander in chief."

Brown eggs are no more nutritious than white eggs, no matter what you may have heard.

There’s no such thing as "Corinthian leather." That’s just a name Chrysler made up to describe the leather in its 1974 Cordoba, pitched by Ricardo Montalban.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say "Cleanliness is next to godliness." That sentiment was originated by John Wesley (1703-1791), a British theologian.

It is a fallacy that birds don't eat much, even though we describe someone who is a light eater as "eating like a bird." Because of their high metabolisms, birds eat a lot more in proportion to their body size than humans—specifically, one quarter to a half of their body weight each day.

No mummy of any Pharaoh was ever found in an Egyptian pyramid.

It’s a myth that midgets and dwarfs necessarily have offspring that are "vertically challenged." Actually, midgets and dwarfs almost always have normal-sized children, even if both parents are midgets or dwarfs.

The toga of ancient Rome was won only by freeborn men, not all men.

Most people mistakenly think the "original sin" in the Bible was eating from the tree of knowledge. Actually, it involved eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, something else entirely.

There are no true "yams" commercially marketed in the United States. Product labeled as yams are really sweeter varieties of sweet potato.

Most people figure pit bulls bite people most often. However, German Shepherds hold that distinction—they bite humans more than any other breed of dog.

Not all animals can vomit. Rats don’t have that ability.

During his midnight ride on April 18, 1775, Paul Revere did not shout "The British are coming." Instead, his call was "The regulars are coming." The regulars were the British Troops.

Double Bubble gum wasn’t always called that—it used to be called "Blibber Blubber."

Most people believe tigers have striped fur. That’s only partly true—they also have striped skin.

Antarctica is actually a desert.

Contrary to what most people believe, earthworms don’t come out of the ground when it rains to avoid drowning. They love the moisture. They come out of the ground to mate.

The tomato is actually a berry.

It’s widely held that insurance policies won’t pay if the cause of death is suicide. Untrue. While a common myth, perpetuated by TV murder mysteries, just about all insurance policies have a clause covering suicides—they state a policy must be held at least two years before the suicide for benefits to be paid. (Otherwise, it’s fraud.)

Studies show most people in America who own running shoes don’t run.

The Nazis didn’t start the practice of concentration camps. (Britain used them during the Boer War.)

American "green cards" aren’t. The last time they were actually green was 1964.

"Clay pigeons," used in skeet and trap shooting, aren’t made of clay. They are actually made from tar and pitch.

What ethnicity do you think Aladdin was? It’s unlikely your guess is correct. The original story from Tales of 1,001 Arabian Nights begins, "Aladdin was a little Chinese boy."


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Wet sand actually weighs less than dry sand.

There is no mention in the Bible’s story of the Nativity that there were three wise men. Also, the wise men—however many there may have been—mentioned in the story didn’t find Jesus in a manger. Matthew clearly states "they were come unto the house [inn]." It was the shepherds who are said to have found Jesus in a manger.

Betty Crocker was not a real person. She was invented in the 1920s by a PR guy.

Birds don’t fly by flapping their wings up and down as is popularly held. Their wings actually move forward and backward, in the shape of a figure eight.

Unlike the myth perpetuated in Hollywood movies, Romans didn’t give the thumbs up or thumbs down sign as an indication of whether they wanted a gladiator to live or die. If they wanted someone killed, they’d extend their thumb with fist clenched. If they wanted to spare someone, the clenched their thumbs in their fists, not showing them at all.

There’s no proof the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620 as the story goes. That story wasn’t told until 1741, told by a Pilgrim descendent born 26 years after the supposed event.

Most people think that when you snap your fingers, it’s the thumb and finger separating that makes the noise. Actually, it’s the finger hitting against the heel of the thumb.

Four-leaf clovers may still be seen as lucky, but they are no longer considered "rare."

Aunt Jemima was not a fictional character as many think. She was a real person.

Most people erroneously believe that the tulip is of Dutch origin. Actually, it originated in Central Asia.

It may come as a surprise, but despite the widespread belief otherwise, more people attend professional opera performances than attend pro football games. Truth is, ticket buyers spend about twice as much on the arts than on sports.

There wasn’t just one television Lassie, and none of the Lassies was female. The part was played by a series of male dogs.

Many believe the chopstick is a more primitive way of eating than the practice of using silverware. Actually, the Chinese once used metal utensils, specifically the knife, but felt using chopsticks "elevated man to a more civilized plane."

The majority of the world’s oil does not come from the Middle East, as is commonly believed.

Oil that comes out of the ground isn’t black. It’s dark green.

Sex, or lack thereof, has no relationship to outbreaks of acne.

Identical twins aren’t. For example, they do have different fingerprints.

There is no evidence that Lady Godiva ever rode through the Coventry naked. Accounts of the alleged event date from decades after the purported incident.

Contrary to what you may have heard, whole milk is not good for an ulcer. The fat content can irritate it. Skim milk is OK, however.

The English sparrow isn’t a sparrow—and it comes from Africa, not England.

Aspirin has never been approved by the FDA.

Fort Worth, Texas, was never a fort.

Wyoming Valley isn’t in Wyoming—it’s in Pennsylvania.

The battle of Waterloo wasn’t fought in Waterloo—it was fought in Pancenoit, four miles away.

Many believe that Mary was the most-mentioned woman in the Bible. Actually, it was Sarah (56 times).

According to anthropologists, prostitution isn’t the world oldest profession. What is? Witch doctor.

It’s not illegal for professional athletes in the U.S. to bet on themselves. However, horse jockeys are the only ones allowed to do it.

Contrary to what you might think, the typewriter was invented before the fountain pen.

Drawing rooms have nothing to do with art. They used to be called "withdrawing" rooms.

The Model T, known as the "tin Lizzie," wasn’t made of tin, it was made of steel.

Despite what you might have heard, Davy Crockett was a lousy shot.

It seems to defy logic, but plants actually get most of their nutrients from the air, not the soil.

It is a misconception that women change their minds more than men—research has shown that the opposite is true.

"Dixie," the famous southern anthem, was actually written by a northerner, Dan Emmett.

Cheddar cheese isn’t naturally orange. Natural cheddar is white.

There’s no such thing as a "fire truck." There are ladder trucks, tankers, tower trucks, rescue trucks and engines—but no fire trucks.

Escalators weren’t always called that. Originally, they were known as "inclined elevators."

Killer whales are not whales. They are dolphins.

Cracker Jacks didn’t always have a prize inside. The treat hit the market in 1872, but the prize didn’t come about until 1912.

Fortune cookies weren't invented in China. They were invented in the United States--as were egg foo young, chow mein and chop suey.

Penicillin doesn't kill bacteria. Technically, it keeps it from reproducing.

Despite what we might see in the movies, tomahawks were almost never thrown.

Might be difficult to believe, but Los Angeles isn't further west than Reno, Nevada--the opposite is true.

Flying fish don't fly. They glide.

Elephants do not fear mice. Nor do not drink through their trunk. They use their trunk like a straw, drawing up water into it, which they can then spray into their mouths.

The Statue of Liberty is actually in the territorial waters of New Jersey, not New York. New York took political control of it in 1834, but it is still in New Jersey's waters.

Abraham Lincoln did not write the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope. In fact, he worked on the address for two weeks.

Europe and Asia are not two continents. The ancients thought so because of the Bosporus straits, which connect the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Mapmakers popularized the error.

A cold does not turn into pneumonia as many believe. One is caused by a virus, the other bacteria.

Most black widow spiders, as a rule, do not eat their mates.

You don't get tetanus from rusty nails. Tetanus, or "lockjaw," is a bacterial disease associated with manure contaminated soil. It enters the body through cuts or bites.

Tomatoes aren't vegetables. A tomato is a large berry, in other words, a fruit.

Contrary to what we've been told, it's untrue that animal parents reject their offspring if humans handle them. It's a myth.

In a real jungle, you can't swing from a vine. Vines are attached to the ground.

Crystal goblets are not crystal but glass. Ornaments were carved from crystal at one time, and making a glass that resembled crystal prompted the name to be picked up.

It's not the mosquito's bite that causes you to itch, but rather the bug's saliva, which it uses to numb the point of insertion so you don't feel the bite.

Mike Wallace wasn’t always a reporter. He hosted seven TV game shows before beginning his full-time journalism career.

Despite what people think, a squirrel can't contract or carry the rabies virus.

St. Bernards, famous for their role as alpine rescue dogs, do not actually wear casks of brandy around their necks.

Because of his painting, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, many believe Vincent van Gogh cut off his right ear. Actually, his self-portrait was a mirror image--he damaged his left ear.

Most people think America is the largest English-speaking country on Earth. Nope. By population, that would be India.

Gulliver wasn't his full name--the character's first name was actually Lemuel.

The East Alligator River, in Australia's Northern Territory, was misnamed. It contains crocodiles not alligators.

Raindrops aren't actually teardrop shaped as is popularly believed. They are rounded at the top and flat on the bottom.

Translations of the Bible that include the phrase, "My cup runneth over," are in error. The original just says, "My cup is full."

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

Chicken Little never said, "The sky is falling." She said, "The sky has fallen."

The Jazz Singer is widely believed to have been the first "talkie." Nope. The first all-talking long film was actually Lights of New York (shown in 1928).

Remember that Dutch story about the little boy who saved the town by putting his finger in the dike? Well, it wasn’t Dutch. The story was American—appearing for the first time in Mary Mapes Dodge’s classic Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates, published in 1865.

Confucius wasn't the Chinese teacher's name. His family name was K'ung, and his personal name was Ch'iu. He was more commonly referred to as K'ung Tzu (which translates as Master K'ung).

Turkeys didn’t originate in Turkey. They’re American. When Europeans came to America, they mistook our native bird for one known in Europe since ancient times.

Mr. Miyagi was right. Karate was not a Japanese or Chinese invention. This form of self-defense began in Okinawa. Ironically, karate was originally used to fight the Japanese.

The guillotine was not invented by Dr. Joseph Guillotin as many believe. The device got his name because he was the one who recommended to the French National Assembly that it become the official method of execution for the country. (The inventors, by the way, were a German mechanic named Schmidt and a French doctor named Antonin Louise.)

India ink doesn’t come from India. It comes from China (and occasionally Japan).

The pony express wasn’t an American invention. By the time our version came about, pony express courier teams had been around for thousands of years, making their first appearance in Outer Mongolia. Another misconception about the American pony express—that it was a success. Actually, the venture was short-lived and financially disastrous for its promoters.

The rickshaw isn’t Chinese. It originally came from Japan, first appearing around 1870. (Most historians agree it was a Western missionary who first devised the vehicle.)


The Bible tells the story of the first man, Adam, but even if the story is true that was not his given name. The word "adham" in Hebrew means "man." It is meant to be a generic, not specific, name.

Don’t be the last person on Earth to believe Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag--it's not true. That misconception was created and perpetuated by her grandson William J. Canby.

It's not commonly known, but it is possible to drown and not die. Technically the term "drowning" refers to the process of taking water into the lungs, not to death caused by that process.

Leprosy isn't only an affliction of humans. Armadillos can get it, too.

Almonds aren't a member of the nut family--they're a member of the peach family.

Not all milk curdles when boiled, despite what you might think. Camel's milk doesn't.

Men didn't always get top billing in Hollywood. In 1920, 57% of Hollywood movies billed the female star above the leading man. In 1990, only 18% had the leading lady given top billing.

It's not true that Gilligan (of Gilligan's Island) only had one name. His first name was Willy. Also, the Skipper's name wasn't Skipper, of course. The Skipper's real name was Jonas Grumby. The Professor's real name was Roy Hinkley. Mary Ann's last name was Summers.

Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

Contrary to what might seem logical, Carson City, Nevada is actually west of Los Angeles, California (by about 100 miles or so).

It's a widely held misconception that the match was invented before the cigarette lighter. Actually, it was the other way around.

People didn't always throw rice at weddings. In the Middle Ages, you were supposed to throw eggs at the bride and groom.

Here's one that contradicts what you might suspect: Horses don't breathe through their mouths.

Mount Everest isn't really the tallest mountain in the world. If you start from the ocean floor, Mauna Kia in Hawaii is the tallest at 33,476 feet. (Everest is, however, the tallest above sea level at 29,028 feet.)

The truth is...Daniel Boone detested coonskin caps.

Contrary to what you see in movies, if you raise your legs slowly and lay on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.

Another misconception we get from the movies--the average meteoroid isn't some massive object rocketing through space. Actually, the average meteoroid is no larger than a grain of sand.

Most people would swear it's not true, but the average lightning bolt is only an inch in diameter.

Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.

Amazingly, hummingbirds can't walk.

For the most part, bears don't hibernate in caves. They prefer hollow stumps or logs.

You'd think it would have happened by now, but in actuality there has never been a President who was an only child.

The original Groundhog's Day didn't involve a groundhog. The tradition comes from a German legend, and the animal was a porcupine.

Diamonds have always been more valuable than pearls, right? Actually, that's only been true for about a century.


There is no bread in short bread, it's a cookie.

Contrary to what people think, only female mosquitoes bite.

Some find it surprising that only male nightingales sing.

Only 55 percent of all Americans know that the sun is a star.

A ten-gallon hat doesn't hold nearly that much—it holds about three-quarters of a gallon.

Polar bear fur isn't white as most believe, it's clear.

In truth, there's no mention of Adam and Eve eating an apple in the Bible.

When opossums "play 'possum," they aren't playing. They actually pass out from fear.

Sharks have a bad reputation, but in fact, you are more likely to get attacked by a cow than a shark.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not impossible to sell an Eskimo a refrigerator--some have been known to use refrigerators to keep their food from freezing.

"Getting our just deserts" has nothing to do with a desert, nor a dessert, for that matter. The expression comes from "deservir," French for "to deserve." So, the expression means you are simply getting what's coming to you.

A pig and a hog are not the same thing—not in the U.S., anyway. In England there is no difference between a pig and a hog, but in the U.S. if a pig is over 180 pounds, it is considered a hog.

Some people still hold the misconception that the "groundhog method" is an effective means of predicting the weather--actually, the groundhog is only accurate in predicting the weather 28% of the time.

Thanksgiving is not just an American holiday. Canada declared their Thanksgiving holiday in 1879. Now it's observed on the second Monday in October.

Turkeys haven't always been bred for their meat. Until the mid-'30s, it was their plumage people wanted most.

The expression "getting off scot free" has nothing to do with Scots. It refers to a medieval tax or fine called the scot, once pronounced "shot." The expression came into use around the 16th century to mean someone who was excused from making such a payment.

Contrary to what you might think, anteaters prefer termites to ants.

There is no provision in the U.S. Constitution that requires or refers to the fact that a president should appoint a cabinet.

Buttermilk does not contain a higher fat content than regular milk.

The Bunsen burner was not invented by Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (though he did popularize it in 1855). While it's not known for sure, it's likely the Bunsen burner was invented by Peter Desdega or Michael Farady.

Technically, there's no such thing as bullet-proof glass. The material is really "bullet-resistant laminated glass," but it's not the glass that provides the protection. It's the layers of strong, clear plastic sheets sandwiched between the layers of tempered glass.

Boats and ships aren't the same things. Ships are large, navigate on oceans (they include tankers, liners and aircraft carriers). Boats are smaller, cruise rivers and lakes and, most importantly, can be carried on a ship. (Most yachts, motorboats, ferries and tugs are boats.)

Humphrey Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca.

The boiling point of water is not a specific, absolute temperature. Most assume water boils at 212°F, but this is only true at sea level at a mean atmospheric pressure.

Human bones are not solid, dry, brittle and white. Bones are porous, pulsating, blood-soaked living tissues. They are soft, relatively lightweight and have a spongelike interior.

The Boston Tea Party was not a protest by colonial Americans against higher taxes on imported British tea. Actually, the price of tea was lowered by the British, and colonists reacted by throwing some of it into the harbor. Most American tea was smuggled Dutch tea, and as a result, British manufacturers accumulated 17 million pounds of surplus tea. To sell it, the Tea Act was passed, eliminating all duties on British tea (lowering its price significantly). The Americans at the Boston Tea Party were protesting the unloading of the cheaper tea.

The Bowie knife wasn't invented by James Bowie. The credit for the invention's design goes to his brother, Rezin Pleasant Bowie.

Boxing Day (celebrated in Canada) has nothing to do with fighting. It refers to the custom of giving gift boxes to employees the day after Christmas. (Originally, it was the day Christmas presents were given in England.)

"Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo roam," is technically incorrect. Buffalo roam in Asia and Africa. America is the home of the bison (often mistakenly referred to as buffalo).

The word "bug," as in "don't bug me," has nothing to do with insects. "Bug," to annoy or upset, is actually Black English slang, which was acquired from the West African word bagu, meaning "to annoy."

"Seeing Eye" is not a generic term for dogs trained to lead the blind. The Seeing Eye, a company in New Jersey is one of many companies devoted to training such dogs.

At no time in the four novels or 56 short stories Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Sherlock Holmes does the famous detective say "Elementary, my dear Watson."

The Magna Carta was never "signed." (Some doubt King John could even write.) It was, however, sealed.

"Original sin" has nothing to do with sex. It refers, rather, to disobedience (Adam and Eve's--and the resulting expulsion from Eden).

S.O.S. doesn't stand for "Save Our Ship." Actually, it doesn't stand for anything--it was selected because it was easy to remember and transmit. Three dots, three dashes and three dots.

You can't see steam. Steam is invisible. Only when it cools enough so minute droplets of water condense does it become visible.

Stonehenge wasn't erected by Druids. Stonehenge was a Bronze Age creation, going back to the second millenium B.C. The Druids in Britain were of the Iron Age (more than a thousand years later).

Truth be told, the suicide rate did not increase after the stock market crash of 1929.

Bamboo is not a tree, it is a grass. Some types of bamboo can grow a foot a day, making it the fastest growing plant in the world.

The banana does not grow on a tree--it is considered a very large herb. The fruit of the banana is actually classified by botanists as a berry.

It is a common misconception that the trademark on a wooden baseball bat should be on the opposite side of the bat from where the baseball is hit. The position of the trademark should be pointing straight up when the ball is hit (the strongest part of the bat is "against the grain").

Abner Doubleday didn't "invent" baseball. Baseball is clearly derived from the English game of rounders. The person credited by historians with creating modern American baseball is Alexander J. Cartwright.

The term "between the devil and the deep blue sea" does not refer to Satan. "Devil" was an early nautical term for the heavy plank used as a support beam used in the hull of a wooden ship--the expression meant to be in a confined location.

Schoolroom chalk contains no chalk. (It's made of a manufactured substance that contains no naturally occurring chalk.)

Boa constrictors don't crush their prey to death. They suffocate them.

More soldiers in World War I lost their lives as the direct result of diseases like influenza than on the battlefield, fighting for their country.

If someone is impatient or anxious, they're "champing at the bit," not "chomping."

Mustard gas isn't a gas--it's an atomized liquid. And what is an "atomized liquid," you ask? Well, it is something else, entirely.

Peacocks don't lay eggs--peahens do. Don't you just want to kick yourself sometimes?

There aren't 50 states in the U.S. There are 46 states. There are four commonwealths, if you want to be picky.

Bagpipes were invented in Iran, not Scotland.

The English horn is neither English, nor a horn. It's a woodwind, and it originated in the Near East. (No, not Long Island.)

Galileo didn't invent the telescope. It was a Dutch optician, Hans Lippershey.

The Immaculate Conception doesn't refer to Christ's having been born of a virgin. The Immaculate Conception is the dogma that holds that Mary was free from original sin from the moment of her conception. (This dogma did not become official until 1854, under Pope Pius IX.)

Big Ben is not the name of the famous clock in England. Big Ben is the clock's largest bell, in reality, which weighs over thirteen tons--much of that heft due to its frequent trips to a local all-you-can-eat fish and chips buffet.

Many believe, wrongly, that West Virginia is farther west than Virginia. Part of Virginia extends fifty miles farther west than West Virginia's westernmost parts. Say that five times fast.

Strawberries are not a berry at all. Strawberries are a fruit of a plant belonging to the rose family.

It is popularly believed that it's illegal to deface U.S. currency. Not true. What's illegal is defacing it and trying to spend it.

"Whistler's Mother" is not the name of that well-known painting. The proper name of this work by James McNeill Whistler is "Arrangement in Gray and Black: the Artist's Mother."

The name of Leonardo's famous work is "La Giaconda," not "Mona Lisa."

Henry Ford wasn't the one who introduced the assembly line to the production of automobiles. Actually, Ransom E. Olds did, in 1901--Ford just improved on the idea.

The famous phrase is not "Money is the root of all evil." It's "For the love of money is the root of all evil." (Found in 1 Tim, 6:10.)

The authors of the Bible did not write "...and they shall beat their swords into plowshares." The plowshare wasn't developed until 600 years after the birth of Jesus. The use of "plowshare" was the result of a quirk in translation. (The Hebrew word was "eth" pronounced, "ayth", which refers to a digging tool.)

There is no such coin as a "penny" in U.S. currency. It is a "cent."

That "black box" they find after air disasters is not black--it is actually orange.

It is untrue that different drinks, which contain identical amounts of absolute alcohol, will produce different kinds of intoxication. Thus, a martini has no special qualities of inebriation that a whiskey sour of the same potency does not have. The degree of inebriation is the result of how much absolute alcohol is taken into the blood stream and how fast.

The "Sermon on the Mount" isn't called that in the Bible—we've given it that name.

The Bible doesn’t say "Spare the rod and spoil the child." It's from Samuel Butler's 18th century poem "Hudibras." The book of Proverbs (13:24) does contain this line: "He that spareth his rod hateth his son."

Nothing in the Bill of Rights or the U.S. Constitution requires that a jury verdict be unanimous (in capital or any other cases). A jury also doesn't have to be made up of 12 people, as is commonly believed.

The Indians were not the attackers at the Battle of Little Big Horn—the Cavalry attacked the Indians and were defeated.

Lizzie Borden was acquitted of allegedly having killed her parents.

Libel and slander are often confused—legally, libel is printed and slander is spoken.

Thomas Edison didn't invent the lightbulb—he did, however, improve upon a principle others had discovered. As early as 1802, Sir Humphrey Davy produced an arc light—precursor to Edison's "discovery."

Sitting Bull did not participate in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Lloyd's of London is not, as is popularly believed, an insurance company. It is an association of carefully selected underwriters who act as individuals.

Baseball is not America's favorite pastime. According to researchers, eating is—among American adults, anyway.

Costa Rica hasn't got an army.

A solar eclipse cannot last longer that seven minutes and 58 seconds.

There are no bones in an elephant's trunk, just 40,000 muscles.

Most people would be surprised to discover that starfish have no brain.

The words "naked" and "nude" are not the same. "Naked" implies unprotected. "Nude" means unclothed.

Caesar salad has nothing to do with any of the Caesars. It was first concocted in a bar in Tijuana, Mexico, in the 1920s.



No clergyman attended the U.S. Constitutional Convention, and the Constitution itself contains no religious references, not even a mention of God.

The Bible makes no mention of a snake in the Garden of Eden. According to Genesis (3:2-14), it was a "serpent" that tempted Eve. A serpent in antiquity did not usually refer to a snake, but to any creeping thing that was especially noxious or venomous.

"Minutes," like those taken at meetings, don't refer to a measurement of time. The term "minutes" comes from the Latin minitus, or "small," since records of meetings are, in a way, taken down in miniature, to be transcribed later.

The phrase was not originally "Music has charms to soothe the savage beast," and the phrase was not Shakespeare's. William Congreve, in his play Mourning Bride, wrote "Music has charms to soothe a savage breast."

"Nightmare" has nothing to do with horses. The "mare" derives from the Old English mara, or a specter that perched itself on the chest of a sleeper, depriving them of motion and speech.

The Panama Canal does not cross the Isthmus east to west. Actually, it starts by going south, then takes a turn eastward. Its "western" or Pacific end is actually more than 20 miles east of its Atlantic beginnings.

No pearls of value are ever found in North American edible oysters.

Petrified wood does not turn to stone. The minerals in water that seeps into the wood, over a long period of time, replaces the wood cells—this acts as a kind of mold...but no organic material "turns to stone."

There is no such place as Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. It's Pittsburgh—the only one in the country.

Porcupines cannot shoot their quills.

Postcards and postal cards aren't the same thing. A postal card is one that has a stamp pre-printed on it. A postcard must be stamped by the user.

The term "re" (as commonly used in business correspondence) does not stand for "regarding" or "in reference to." It comes from the Latin res, meaning "thing" or "matter."

The abacus is not of Chinese origin. This kind of counting device was first used by the Egyptians around 2000 B.C.

B.C. stands for "before Christ," but A.D. doesn't stand for "after death." It's an abbreviation for anno Domini, meaning "in the year of the Lord."

You can't aggravate a person. "Aggravate" means to make a thing or condition worse. So, only a problem or situation an be aggravated.

"Alumni" doesn't mean the male and female former students of a college or university. Alumnus refers to a male. Alumni is plural of alumnus, and means more than one male former student. Alumna is a former female student, and alumnae is the plural.

Atlas did not hold the world on his shoulders. Atlas was condemned by Zeus to support the heavens on his shoulders.

There's no connection between the Baby Ruth candy bar and Babe Ruth, the baseball player. At least that's the claim of the folks that make Baby Ruths (the Curtiss Candy Company). The official company position is that the candy bar was named after the daughter of President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland, Ruth. (The official statement about the name has been that Ruth Cleveland "visited the Curtiss Candy Company...and this largely influenced the company's founder to name the candy bar Baby Ruth." Ruth Cleveland died in 1904. The Curtiss Candy Company wasn't even founded until 1916.) Thanks to Snopes.com for this item.

"Alas! poor Yorick. I knew him well" is not to be found in "Hamlet." The line is "Alas! poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.

Bats do not navigate by radar. It's sonar—which involves sound waves as opposed to radar which has to do with electronic waves.

Bees don't collect honey. They collect nectar, which is changed into honey within the bee's body.

"Brevity is the soul of wit," from "Hamlet," has nothing to do with being witty. In Shakespeare's time, "wit" meant "widsom." Polonius meant that brevity is the soul of wisdom (or that the wise know how to put things succinctly).

Britain and England do not refer to the same place. England is one of the three countries that share the island of Great Britain. Great Britain (or just Britain) is the largest of the British Isles (and includes England, Scotland and Wales). The British Isles include Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

It's a myth that bulls get agitated just because they see red. Bulls are color blind.

The Battle of Bunker was not fought on Bunker Hill. It took place on Breed's Hill. It's also a fallacy that the American's won the battle—they were driven off Breed's Hill with over 400 killed or wounded. The British, however, lost half their men (about 1,000), so the battle was a symbolic victory if not a tactical one.

Camel's hair brushes are made from the tails of squirrels. (I doubt this is still true.)

Lucifer, used as a name for the Devil, is not found in the Bible. There is only one reference to Lucifer in the Bible (Isa. 14:12), and it doesn't refer to Satan, but to the King of Babylon.

There is no Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But there is a Chief Justice of the United States.

Chop suey did not originate in China. Actually, it originated in a California mining camp when the Chinese cook threw together what he had left over and called it "chop suey," a phonetic translation of "tsa sui," meaning "various things."

Jesus Christ was not his name. "Christ" is a title, which is derived from a Hebrew word meaning "the anointed one." To be correct, he should be referred to as "Jesus the Christ."

Cinderella's slippers weren't glass. Not in the original story, anyway. The story is French, and her slippers were originally fur, or "vair" in the old French for "ermine." "Glass" in French is "verre." Same pronunciation, different meaning. Whoops.

Coffee beans aren't beans—they're the pits of a red, cherry-like fruit.



Many believe a condemned person goes free if the electric chair has a technical malfunction. That's an oldie but goodie, but not true. The law must be followed, faulty equipment or not.

Emerson never said "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." It was actually "A foolish consistency..."

"Cyclone" is not another word for hurricane (or tornado). In fact, it isn't even a wind. It is a pattern of winds circulating around a low-pressure area, clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the northern.

"Doomsday" doesn't refer to the day we're all doomed. The phrase comes from the Old English noun "dom," which meant "judgment," so doomsday is actually judgment day.

Prohibition, or the Eighteenth Amendment, doesn't prohibited the consumption of alcohol. In fact, it outlawed its manufacture, sale or transportation...not its consumption.

Electric fans do not cool the air. That effect is created by the increased evaporation of moisture from the skin resulting from greater air circulation.

Charles Lindbergh wasn't the first to fly across the Atlantic non-stop. He was the 67th. He was, however, the first to make the flight solo.

The fish symbol for Christians and Christianity is not a reference to the miracle of the loaves and fish. The symbol began as a Greek rebus. The letters in the Greek word for fish form the first letters of the Greek words "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior."

The main character in "Around the World in 80 Days" is not Phineas Fogg. It's Phileas.

Frankenstein wasn't a monster (per se). Frakenstein was not the name of the monster, but the person who created the monster. And it's not Doctor Frankenstein. He wasn't a doctor.

French generals do not "kiss" soldiers when they present them an honor. It only appears that way. In actuality, they're touching cheeks—the medieval ritual for knighting someone.

A "gendarme" isn't a generic term for any French police officer. Gendarmes are soldiers on police duty. The term for police in France is...police.

German silver contains copper, zinc and nickel—but not silver.

"Get thee to a nunnery" did not refer to a place where there are nuns. Hamlet's rejection of Ophelia meant something different back then. A "nunnery" was a whorehouse.

Goats don't eat tin cans.

Canada isn't wholly north of the United States. Actually, 27 of our states lie to some degree north of our northern neighbor's southernmost part, Middle Island which lies west of Toledo in Lake Erie.

If you sing "God rest you, merry gentlemen," the comma is in the wrong place. Originally, the phrase was "God rest you merry, gentlemen."

The Hundred Year War lasted 116 years—from 1337 to 1453.

The purple finch is, in reality, crimson.

People are surprised to learn that Chinese gooseberries come from New Zealand.

A Jerusalem artichoke is not an artichoke, it is a sunflower.

Arabic numerals are not Arabic—they were invented in India.

Seems a bit illogical, but the Speaker of the House in Great Britain is not allowed to speak.

In England, corn means wheat. In the Bible, corn means grain.

When sailors speak of sheets (as in "three sheets to the wind"), they are not talking about sails. A sheet in nautical terminology is a rope or chain.

"Catgut" has nothing to do with cats—it is made of sheep intestines. (They're used to make musical instruments, and produce sounds similar to a cat's. Hence, the name.)

The new millennium began on January 1, 2001, not January 1, 2000.

"Wherefore," as in "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" means "why," not "where."

The breed of dog we call the Great Dane originated in Germany, not Denmark.

Hitler was never a house painter or paperhanger—he painted pictures, not houses.

Humble pie has nothing to do with "being humble." The word was originally "umble," and is related to "umbilical." The poor often ate the umbilical cords of animals, food scorned by those better off. So, to "eat umble pie," signified poverty, not humiliation.

Ice cream doesn't make us cooler. Because of its high caloric content, it makes one hotter, not cooler.

The French fry wasn't invented in France. (Its origin is probably Belgian.) "French," in this case, refers to the way in which French fries are prepared. Food cut into strips is said to be "Frenched." French fries are strips of potato that have been fried, so they became known as French fried potatoes, or "French fries."