Ever believe something that someone told you in casual conversation just to find out, years later, it wasn't true? Well, here are a few famous false facts and misnomers that might surprise you.
"The average person eats 8 spiders per year in their sleep."This is, perhaps, one of the most famous recent examples of intentional misinformation. The number of spiders is completely erroneous and changes slightly in various retellings, as does the time period. This "fact" was made up by a journalist to demonstrate the ease of disseminating false information in the computer age.
No study has ever been done on the nocturnal consumption of spiders, to anyone's knowledge. However, one recent random sampling of whole foods by research students figured most Americans eat slightly more than 3 pounds of spider parts per year.
"Dark roast coffee has more caffeine than light roast coffee."In fact, quite the opposite is true. Darker roasted coffees actually have less caffeine than do their lesser-roasted cousins. The longer the bean is roasted, the more of the bean that is oxidized, or burnt off -- including the sugars, the water, and the caffeine. This is why it takes more French-roasted beans to make a pound than the standard light-roasted beans of a "house" coffee.
The difference in caffeine is slight however, so choose your coffee according to taste and add part decaf if you are concerned with jittery nerves or restless nights.
"Irregardless is not a word."This word has found its way into dictionaries due to the shear volume of usage -- or misusage, as the case may be. Though it is still widely unaccepted for publishing and academic uses, it now appears as an entry in nearly every single modern dictionary. It may be repugnant, lowbrow, and in some circles, verboten -- but it is, technically, a word.
First appearing in American usage in the early 1900s, it is probably a fusion of the words "irrespective" and "regardless."
As Merriam-Webster points out, "The most frequently repeated remark about (irregardless) is that 'there is no such word.' However, there is such a word."
"The U.S. government owns the Federal Reserve banks."The U.S. government does not actually own the 12 Federal Reserve Banks that make up the Federal Reserve. The banks are organized much like a private corporation, with shares of ownership going to member banks. These member banks are actually required to buy-in to the Fed banks for membership in the system.
While the Federal Reserve was begun by an act of Congress and the President of the United States appoints its governing board, there is no actual public ownership. There are tight laws, however, which govern the trade and dividend percentages associated with Federal Reserve Bank stocks.
"Wear your jacket or you'll catch a cold."Recent studies have proved that being cold has nothing to do with your chances of catching a cold. The predominance of colds and the flu in the winter has much more to do with staying huddled inside, away from the cold.
It's the general proximity to others and the concentration of public groups in the winter that really raises our chances of catching a bug. Next time someone tells you to come inside before you catch your death of cold, perhaps you should tell them, "no thanks, I'll take my chances out here."
The vast majority of medical professionals agree the best prevention against catching a cold is washing your hands regularly. So, put on that coat for comfort but wash your hands for good health.
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