Debunking Day!
An entire day dedicated to fact checking old wives’ tales and common misconceptions? Sign me up!
I don’t know why, but I find it so amusing when something I’ve casually accepted as ‘common sense’ turns out to be dead wrong- especially if it’s something I can link back to learning in school or from a relative. Do I then pay it forward? Of course! I can’t even count how many times I’ve laid in bed and randomly mentioned a fact I learned (my partner is usually already aware, but that’s neither here nor there).
Below are a few I found particularly interesting:
i. The Great Wall of China is not visible with the naked eye from space.
ii. Bananas do not grow on trees, but very large herbs (that look very similar to trees).
iii. Earth does not orbit the Sun, instead orbiting the barycenter (common center of mass between the two).
iv. Absinthe does not cause hallucinations, there simply isn’t enough thujone.
v. SOS in Morse Code does not stand for anything.
SIDE NOTE: I ran through this list with my partner and they were visibly annoyed by the third one.
Photo by Max Chen on Unsplash
11 March