--- title: "Myths & misconceptions" url: https://erroneo.us/myths/ description: "Popular myths about science, history, nutrition and money checked against primary sources: NASA, the FDA, the USDA, the CFPB and peer-reviewed research." type: section section: "Myths" date_modified: 2026-10-20 publisher: erroneo.us license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link. --- # Myths & misconceptions > Things “everybody knows” that the evidence doesn’t support — each one traced back to a primary source. - [Myths Science myths that refuse to die Do we use 10% of our brains? Is the Great Wall visible from space? Is glass a liquid? 13 common science myths, the real answers, and the studies behind them.](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/) - [Myths History myths: what really happened Was Napoleon short? Did Vikings wear horned helmets? Did Marie Antoinette say 'let them eat cake'? 11 popular history myths and what the record shows.](https://erroneo.us/myths/history-myths/) - [Myths Nutrition myths: what the evidence actually says Eggs and cholesterol, MSG, detoxes, eight glasses of water, the five-second rule, best-by dates: 13 food myths, checked against FDA, USDA and research.](https://erroneo.us/myths/nutrition-myths/) - [Myths Money mistakes and personal-finance myths Minimum payments, credit-check myths, skipped 401(k) matches, fee drag, market timing, forgotten subscriptions and scams: 13 money mistakes, with sources.](https://erroneo.us/myths/money-mistakes/) ## Myth or Fact? Swipe right for **fact**, left for **myth** (or use the buttons, or your arrow keys). Every verdict links to a cited source. **All 22 claims with verdicts and sources** 1. We only use 10% of our brains. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH Over a day, virtually all of the brain is used. It is about 3% of body weight but consumes about 20% of the body's energy. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/#1-we-only-use-10-of-our-brains) · Source: [Scientific American, Do People Only Use 10 Percent of Their Brains?](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/) 2. The Great Wall of China is easy to see from space, even from the Moon. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei, said in 2003 that he had not seen the wall. It is narrow and blends with the surrounding terrain; the Moon version dates at least to a 1932 Ripley's cartoon. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/#2-the-great-wall-of-china-is-visible-from-space) · Source: [Scientific American (2008), Is China's Great Wall Visible from Space?](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-chinas-great-wall-visible-from-space/) 3. Goldfish have a three-second memory. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH In a 1994 study, goldfish learned to press a lever for food only during a one-hour daily window, kept that schedule over four weeks, and kept anticipating it for several days after food stopped. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/#3-goldfish-have-a-three-second-memory) · Source: [Gee, Stephenson & Wright (1994), Temporal discrimination learning of operant feeding in goldfish, JEAB](https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1994.62-1) 4. Different zones of the tongue taste sweet, sour, salty and bitter. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH Taste receptor cells for each basic quality are found in taste buds throughout the tongue and mouth. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/#6-different-parts-of-the-tongue-taste-different-things) · Source: [Chandrashekar et al. (2006), The receptors and cells for mammalian taste, Nature](https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05401) 5. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH A 2011 case-control study of 215 people found osteoarthritis in 18.1% of knuckle crackers and 21.5% of non-crackers, not a significant difference. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/#8-cracking-your-knuckles-causes-arthritis) · Source: [deWeber, Olszewski & Ortolano (2011), Knuckle cracking and hand osteoarthritis, JABFM](https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2011.02.100156) 6. Lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly. **Reveal the verdict** FACT The US National Weather Service says lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly, especially tall, pointy, isolated objects. The Empire State Building is hit an average of 23 times a year. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/#5-lightning-never-strikes-the-same-place-twice) · Source: [National Weather Service, Lightning Myths](https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-myths) 7. Earth is closest to the Sun in January. **Reveal the verdict** FACT Earth reaches perihelion, about 91.4 million miles, in January and aphelion, about 94.5 million miles, in July. The seasons come from Earth's tilted axis, not its distance from the Sun. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/#9-summer-happens-when-earth-is-closest-to-the-sun) · Source: [NASA Space Place, What Causes the Seasons?](https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/seasons/en/) 8. Napoleon was unusually short for his time. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH Three sources, including his physician, put him at about 1.67 m, just under 5 ft 6 in, which was slightly above average for a Frenchman of the period. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/history-myths/#1-napoleon-was-unusually-short) · Source: [History.com, Was Napoleon Short? Origins of the 'Napoleon Complex'](https://www.history.com/articles/napoleon-complex-short) 9. Vikings wore horned helmets into battle. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH The National Museum of Denmark calls the image a myth, partly because no such headgear of a Viking Age date has ever been found. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/history-myths/#2-vikings-wore-horned-helmets) · Source: [National Museum of Denmark, Berserkers (on horned helmets)](https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/weapons/berserkers/) 10. Albert Einstein failed mathematics at school. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH Shown a 1935 Ripley's clipping claiming he failed, Einstein said he never failed in mathematics and had mastered differential and integral calculus before he was fifteen. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/history-myths/#4-einstein-failed-mathematics) · Source: [TIME, Did Einstein flunk math?](https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1936731_1936743_1936758,00.html) 11. Marie Antoinette said 'Let them eat cake.' **Reveal the verdict** MYTH Britannica says there is absolutely no historical evidence she said it. A version of the line appears in Rousseau's Confessions, written when she was still a child in Austria. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/history-myths/#5-marie-antoinette-said-let-them-eat-cake) · Source: [Britannica, Did Marie-Antoinette Really Say 'Let Them Eat Cake'?](https://www.britannica.com/story/did-marie-antoinette-really-say-let-them-eat-cake) 12. The Salem 'witches' were hanged, not burned. **Reveal the verdict** FACT None of those executed at Salem in 1692 was burned. In accordance with English law, 19 were hanged. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/history-myths/#7-the-salem-witches-were-burned-at-the-stake) · Source: [History.com, Were Witches Burned at the Stake During the Salem Witch Trials?](https://www.history.com/articles/were-witches-burned-at-the-stake-during-the-salem-witch-trials) 13. The first known iron maidens were built in the 19th century, not the Middle Ages. **Reveal the verdict** FACT The story was likely spread by Johann Philipp Siebenkees in the late 18th century; the first known iron maidens were constructed in the 19th century and passed off in museums as medieval. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/history-myths/#8-the-iron-maiden-was-a-medieval-torture-device) · Source: [History.com, 7 Famous Torture Devices, Real and Mythical](https://www.history.com/articles/7-famous-torture-devices-medieval-iron) 14. Sugar makes kids hyperactive. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH A 1995 JAMA meta-analysis of 23 blinded, placebo-controlled studies concluded that sugar does not affect the behavior or cognitive performance of children. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/nutrition-myths/#3-sugar-makes-kids-hyperactive) · Source: [Wolraich, Wilson & White (1995), The effect of sugar on behavior or cognition in children: a meta-analysis, JAMA (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7474248/) 15. Searing meat seals in the juices. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH America's Test Kitchen seared one batch of rib-eyes before roasting and another after; both lost around 22 percent of their weight. Searing builds flavor, not juiciness. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/nutrition-myths/#7-searing-meat-seals-in-the-juices) · Source: [America's Test Kitchen: Searing steak](https://www.americastestkitchen.com/how_tos/5699-searing-steak) 16. Cooking always burns off all the alcohol in a wine sauce. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH USDA retention data show a flamed dish keeps about 75% of its alcohol, and even simmering for 2.5 hours leaves about 5%. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/nutrition-myths/#10-the-alcohol-cooks-off) · Source: [USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) (PDF)](https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/retn/retn06.pdf) 17. Brown eggs are healthier than white eggs. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH The USDA's Egg-Grading Manual says shell color does not affect the quality of the egg. Shell color comes from the hen's breed. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/nutrition-myths/#11-brown-eggs-are-healthier-than-white) · Source: [USDA AMS Egg-Grading Manual (PDF)](https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/EggGradingManual.pdf) 18. Microwaving is one of the gentlest ways to cook when it comes to nutrients. **Reveal the verdict** FACT Harvard Health calls microwave cooking one of the least likely forms of cooking to damage nutrients, because cooking times are short. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/nutrition-myths/#8-microwaving-destroys-nutrients) · Source: [Harvard Health Publishing: Microwave cooking and nutrition](https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/microwave-cooking-and-nutrition) 19. Food dropped on the floor can pick up bacteria in less than a second. **Reveal the verdict** FACT Rutgers researchers testing 128 scenarios found that some transfer takes place 'instantaneously', at times under one second. Longer contact meant more bacteria. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/nutrition-myths/#9-the-five-second-rule) · Source: [Miranda & Schaffner (2016), Longer Contact Times Increase Cross-Contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from Surfaces to Food, Appl Environ Microbiol (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27590818/) 20. Checking your own credit report does not lower your credit score. **Reveal the verdict** FACT The CFPB lists your requests for your own credit reports as soft inquiries, which will not affect your credit scores. Hard inquiries, from applying for credit, can. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/money-mistakes/#5-checking-your-credit-hurts-your-score) · Source: [CFPB: What is a credit inquiry?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-credit-inquiry-en-1317/) 21. Closing old credit cards improves your credit score. **Reveal the verdict** MYTH In the FICO model, amounts owed make up 30% of the score. Closing an unused card lowers your total available credit, so the same balances push your utilization higher. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/money-mistakes/#6-closing-old-cards-improves-your-credit) · Source: [myFICO: What's in my FICO Scores?](https://www.myfico.com/credit-education/whats-in-your-credit-score) 22. On a $100,000 portfolio over 20 years, a 1% annual fee instead of 0.25% can cost tens of thousands of dollars. **Reveal the verdict** FACT Investor.gov's illustration of a $100,000 portfolio growing 4% a year shows about $208,000 after 20 years at a 0.25% fee versus about $179,000 at 1.00%, a gap of roughly $29,000. [Read more](https://erroneo.us/myths/money-mistakes/#8-ignoring-fees-because-they-look-small) · Source: [SEC Investor.gov: Understanding Fees](https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/getting-started/understanding-fees) ## How a myth survives Misconceptions spread for understandable reasons. Many began as a simplification that got repeated without its caveats. Others started as a real finding that was later revised, while the old version lived on in textbooks, packaging and family advice. A few were simply made up and became true-by-repetition. That is why every myth in this section is paired with **where the correction comes from**: a space agency, a food-safety regulator, a national museum, a consumer-finance agency or the original study. If we can’t point at evidence, the claim doesn’t go on the page. ## What’s in this section - [Science myths](https://erroneo.us/myths/science-myths/) — from the “10% of your brain” claim to the cause of the seasons. - [History myths](https://erroneo.us/myths/history-myths/) — horned Viking helmets, a short Napoleon and other durable stories. - [Nutrition & food myths](https://erroneo.us/myths/nutrition-myths/) — eggs, MSG, water, sugar and “best by” dates. - [Money mistakes & myths](https://erroneo.us/myths/money-mistakes/) — credit scores, fees, emergency funds and scams. > **Not personal advice.** Health and money pages summarize published guidance for general readers. For decisions about your own diet, medication or finances, talk to a qualified professional. --- Source page: https://erroneo.us/myths/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt