Common Myths

zitothebrave

zitothebrave

Connoisseur of Minors
What are some common myths that people think are true but are not?

One I read recently that people still believe is that absinthe makes you hallucinate. Reality is that absinthe is high in alcohol which is why it has a whole drinking process. The hallucinogenic properties of wormwood are so small you'd die of alcohol poisoning before you'd hallucinate.

Another is Napoleon being short. Don't ask I've seen lots of documentaries mentioning Napoleon and he was actually of average height, and the short thing was started by some British person (don't care to use the old googler now)

Last one is the idea that penny dropped from the Empire State building will kill someone. I forget how this came up at work but someone mentioned it, when I told thme it wouldn't work because the penny had a pretty low terminal velocity it couldn't kill a normal person. They Googled it and I walked away with Bragging rights.
 
myth - Toilet seats are dirty. They're actually one of the cleanest surfaces in your home.

Dirtiest - the rag in your kitchen sink, which often sits on the counter where you prepare food.

myth - Beer is a less sophisticated drink than wine. Beer actually has a much longer history with more complex and varied productions. For much of its history it was the healthiest drink available, healthier than even water. The history of man and civilization is essentially the history of beer (ale, lager, grog, barley wine, etc.)
 
Here's 2 to start with.
1.) The Magna Carta was the world's first Bill of Rights for the common man.
2.) The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves during the Civil War.
 
Oklahomahawk said:
Here's 2 to start with.
1.) The Magna Carta was the world's first Bill of Rights for the common man.
2.) The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves during the Civil War.
Click to expand...

It did free the slaves, just in the non-Union states. Emancipation proclamation was a stroke of political/military genius as it insured the British couldn't put Troops on the ground.
 
zitothebrave said:
It did free the slaves, just in the non-Union states. Emancipation proclamation was a stroke of political/military genius as it insured the British couldn't put Troops on the ground.
Click to expand...

Well legally speaking it didn't free anyone anywhere. Lincoln didn't the authority to order lunch in the non-union states (ie the Confederacy) so he definitely wouldn't have the legal authority to free anyone. But you are correct in part 2, it did do exactly what Lincoln meant for it to do, which is keep Britain and France out of the war, which would eventually lead to all slavery being done away with (which only an amendment to the Constitution could do), except of course for wage/socioeconomic slavery, which the North practiced for decades before the war and still practices in various forms today.

Nothing on the Magna Carta?
 
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