A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World

51 Favorite Facts You’ve Always Believed That Are Actually False

Napoleon wasn't short? Bananas don't grow on trees? Here, the world's most contagious myths and misconceptions debunked.

1 / 51
napoleon was short
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about Napoleon

Check out these nine famous moments in history that never actually happened.

2 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about swimming after eating

These real facts about our world are so impressive they’re unbelievable.

3 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about water boiling

4 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about unsticking pasta

5 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about left brain and right brain

Here are more interesting facts about the human body.

6 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about the danger of a dropped penny

7 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about the three wise men

8 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about MSG and headaches

Check out these fascinating facts about the history of food.

9 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about how dogs sweat

10 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about the Great Wall of China

11 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about water rotation in toilets

12 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about Einstein

13 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about humans and dinosaurs

These are the science facts you never learned about in school.

14 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about black holes

15 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about the five senses

16 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about vaccines and autism

17 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about baby birds

Check out these random trivia facts you’ll wish you had known sooner.

18 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about alcohol and brain cells

19 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about a missing-person report

20 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about your tongue

21 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about that whole “10 percent of your brain” thing

Here are more facts you never knew about your brain.

22 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about iron maidens

23 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about body heat and your head

24 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about sleepwalkers

25 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about bananas

26 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about milk and mucus

27 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about bats

28 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about caffeine

29 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about goldfish

30 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about shaving

31 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about gum

For more details on this busted myth, here’s the science behind what happens when you swallow gum.

32 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about vikings

33 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about alcohol keeping you warm

34 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about the vomitorium

35 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about sugar

36 / 51
InformationIsBeautiful.net

The truth about bulls

37 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about bagpipes

38 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about hair, nails, and death

39 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about toads

Don’t miss these other facts about animals you might have all wrong.

40 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about SOS

41 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about Adam and Eve

42 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about celebrity deaths

43 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about swallowing spiders

44 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about Everest

45 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about Van Gogh

46 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about Pilgrims

Check out these other fascinating facts about America.

47 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about “breaking” the internet

48 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about the Egpytian pyramids

Here are the historical facts you didn’t learn in school.

49 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about Benjamin Franklin

50 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about your fingernails

51 / 51
Anders Wenngren for Reader's Digest

The truth about ninjas

Next, check out these other interesting facts about practically everything.