35 False 'Facts' That You Wrongly Believe (And 1 That You Should)

29. Christopher Columbus Discovered America

No, actually he didn't. Over the course of four voyages, Christopher Columbus made landfall mostly on islands of the Caribbean. Its true that he was one of the earliest European explorers to chart part of the Americas - undoubtedly he was instrumental in starting a chain of events that lead to further European exploration and, ultimately, the colonisation of North America. But it's also true that Columbus never once set foot on the North American continent. In fact, the northernmost region of the Americas was first 'discovered' by its indigenous people, then by Viking seafarers during the 11th century. So even if Columbus had actually made physical contact with mainland North America with the intention of claiming he was the first European who'd ever been there, he still would've been three hundred years too late to the party. Despite this, Americans joyously celebrate Columbus Day on the second Monday of every October, commemorating his first arrival in the Americas on 12 October 1492. Of the numerous states, cities and other districts choose not to observe Columbus Day, some have either a generic 'indigenous persons' holiday or a day celebrating local peoples in its place, while others choosing not to observe anything at all.

28. Eating Less Than An Hour Before Swimming Increases The Risk Of Muscle Cramps And Drowning

No, actually it doesn't. During our formative years, most of us would've been warned of the dire consequences of swimming within an hour of eating. We'll get cramps, we were forewarned, and we'll surely drown as a result. It was as if no alternative outcome was possible. If we went into the water without waiting a full sixty minutes from the moment we'd swallowed that last mouthful of the half a cheese sandwich we'd inhaled for lunch, we would die. It was a guaranteed death trap, a watery hangman's noose, a vast ocean of peril dragging us beneath the waves to our certain death, with no chance of escape or survival...what kind of hideously awful children must we have been, if our parents had to tell us such terrifying horror stories just to make us behave? There were at least a couple of schools of thought supporting the myth. The most common thinking seems to have been that the act of digestion took blood flow away from limbs and muscles used in swimming. The volume of blood diverted away from arms and legs during digestion was thought to be so significant that the inevitable result would be cramping which, in turn, would lead to drowning. Thing is, as much research over the years has shown, you'd virtually have to be swimming at an Olympic level immediately after consuming a three course meal for there to be any real chance of developing cramps in either the legs, the arms or the stomach, to say nothing of actually drowning. In fact, research has found that less than 1% of drowning victims die shortly after eating. Of course it's always warranted to be cautious where kids and water are concerned. But when Scouting For Boys set out this warning in 1908, it was perhaps a tad over the top: "First, there is the danger of cramp. If you bathe within an hour and a half after taking a meal, that is, before your food is digested, you are very likely to get cramp. Cramp doubles you up in extreme pain so that you cannot move your arms or legs €” and down you go. You may drown €” and it will be your own fault."