this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2025
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Half Life of Facts (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 4 days ago by Stamets@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/whitepeopletwitter@sh.itjust.works
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[–] egrets@lemmy.world 90 points 4 days ago (7 children)

There's no date bracketing, but Wikipedia's list of lists of misconceptions is excellent and often covers things taught in some schools, e.g.

  • the dodo primarily went extinct from the induction of invasive species, not hunting
  • urinating on jelly fish stings doesn't help
  • fossil fuels are primarily fossilized plant matter, not prehistoric animal remains
  • apes are monkeys
  • stretching before exercise doesn't help later muscle soreness
  • Western civilizations haven't generally thought the world is flat at any time in the Common Era
  • the pyramids weren't made by slaves
  • the story of Marie Antoinette declaring, "let them eat cake" is apocryphal, and predates her reign
[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 11 points 4 days ago

Relevant XKCD.

Ever since I read that, I try to review that page every few years and there's always something I am wrong about. It's fantastic!

[–] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 4 days ago (2 children)
  • the story of Marie Antoinette declaring, "let them eat cake" is apocryphal, and predates her reign

How does it predate her reign? Most wrong quotes come after the alleged author's death

[–] egrets@lemmy.world 27 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I already provided the link for you to check this, but it's on the history list, under "Early Modern".

Marie Antoinette did not say "let them eat cake" when she heard that the French peasantry were starving due to a shortage of bread. The phrase was first published in Rousseau's Confessions, written when Marie Antoinette was only nine years old and not attributed to her, just to "a great princess". It was first attributed to her in 1843.

The citation is this HowStuffWorks page.

[–] bingrazer@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

This does not answer your question at all, but your confusion reminded me of this, which you might find amusing

https://youtu.be/FvfoS9tGYCU&t=550

[–] AbsolutelyClawless@piefed.social 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I've always thought that (dynamic?) stretching helps prevent or minimizes the chance of injury, but after reading this, I did a quick internet search, and there doesn't seem to be that much evidence to support it. It just depends on other factors, I guess?

[–] Skyline969@lemmy.ca 6 points 4 days ago

This is possibly the greatest Wikipedia article to ever exist.

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 days ago

As a pedant, that's my favorite page on Wikipedia

[–] undergroundoverground@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

Yup, regarding flat earth, people saw the mast coming over the horizon before the ship. They could also see the very globe-like moon in the sky.

Only idiots thought the world was flat.

[–] DrFunkenstein@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Apes being monkeys scientifically is the best news I've heard all year. It has been a banable offense in my home for years to correct someone for saying monkey when referring to gorillas, orangutans, etc., despite the fact that I genuinely thought scientists did not classify them as such.

Monge.

[–] egrets@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I think it's still useful to have informal words that distinguish smaller, typically less intelligent primates from larger and typically smarter ones, but I agree that using it as a gotcha is pointless.

It's like people using the botanical distinction about berries, legumes, etc to argue that some savory plant part isn't a vegetable (e.g. tomatoes as fruits, bananas as berries, etc). What's scientifically correct comes second to clear mutual communication, and no one likes a smart-ass.

Besides, we as mammals are really just all confused fish.

[–] piccolo@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago

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