Millions of kids are returning back to school today after their holiday break but did you know that what you’re being taught or have been taught in school may be a lie? Scandalous. I know. Check out these 10 lies you were taught in school:
10. There is no gravity in space. | Though weaker, gravity is responsible for holding the moon in orbit. Objects that appear weightless are actually in a state of free fall. (Source: Nasa.Gov)
9. Diamonds are formed from compressed coal. | Carbon trapped inside the earth at the planet’s formation is the most likely source. Most diamonds are dated older than the plants that went on to form coal. (Source: Geology.com)
8. Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb. | Edision BOUGHT the patent for Heinrich Goebel’s incandescent bulb from the inventor’s widow. 22 others had already experimented with incandescent light, including Nikola Tesla. (Source: Business Insider/Whose Choice Is It? By Dawill Estimable)
7. Van Gogh sliced off his ear while suffering mental illness. | Fellow artist Paul Gauguin cut it off with a sword during a fight. The truth only surfaced after his death because the pair swore apact of silence. (Source: The Telegraph)
6. Chameleons hide by changing color to camouflage with their surroundings. | Color change is a method of communicating threats or mating behavior. Also used to regulate temperature – they become darker to absorb more heat. (Source: Live Science/Wired)
5. Columbus proved the world was round rather than flat. | Ancient Greek mathematicians had found that the world was round 2000 years earlier. Columbus didn’t discover America either, it was founded by viking Leif Erikson in 1000AD (Source: Live Science/BBC)
4. Sweet, salt, bitter, and sour are detected on different parts of tongue. | The entire surface equally detects 5 tastes, including Umami – the taste of glutamate. A protein living on the tongue detects sourness, warning us of rotten food.
3. Abraham Lincoln was strongly opposed to slavery. | In 1862 he wrote, “If I could save the union without freeing any salve I would do it.” His proclamation that all slaves should be free applied only to those in confederate states.
2. Newton discovered gravity after an apple fell on his head. | Newton devised his theory after witnessing an apple falling from a tree. He had already realized objefcts could not move unless affected by some force. (Source: The Independent)
1. Humans are descended from chimpanzees. | We share a common ancestor with chimpanzees, however the 2 species diverged into 2 lineages. The 2 species began to form separately up to 6 million years ago. (Source: LiveScience/Science Mag)
Crazy, right? It’s scary what we really don’t know, especially when we’re taught lies from such a young age. What are your thoughts on these lies you were probably taught in grade school?
