So much of what we take for granted as being true, upon greater scrutiny, ends up being just plain false. Collected here are some of our favorite punctured myths, misinformation and fallacies:
1) Sauerkraut didn’t originate in Germany. It got its start in China about 1,000 years before it became popular in Germany.
2) Lenin wasn’t Lenin’s real name. It was one of 151 pseudonyms Vladimir Ilyich Ulanov used during his lifetime.
3) Venetian blinds were invented in Japan, not Venice.
4) It might surprise you to find out men are far more likely to be moved to tears by music than women.
5) Most precious gems are actually colorless. Their color comes from impurities in the stone that act as pigmenting agents.
6) Smokey the Bear didn’t always have that famous name. Originally, he was Hot Foot Teddy.
7) Although people think otherwise, a newborn baby can’t shed tears.
8) Buttermilk doesn’t contain butter.
9) Tennessee Williams wasn’t born in Tennessee. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi.
10) Shooting stars aren’t stars, of course. They’re meteors.