Newsflash: Everything you’ve ever known is a total lie.
OK, maybe not everything.
But there are a number of “facts” that you’ve probably repeated to other people that are actually incorrect. And because everyone loves a pedant, I’ve decided to share them with you here.
So if you’re looking for a morning pick-me-up, your best bet is to get a cup of coffee.
Or several shots of espresso.
Not so!
Napoleon was 5’7″ — actually above average compared to his fellow Frenchmen!
The confusion surrounding Napoleon’s height comes from the fact that after his death, his height was recorded as 5’2″ — but that was in French feet.
That’s equivalent to — you guessed it — 5’7″ in Imperial measurements.
There’s also the fact that Napoleon was often surrounded by members of his imperial guard, all of whom had been chosen specifically for their height. Naturally, he was shorter by comparison.
In fact, they’re allowed to straight-up lie to you.
Entrapment law is actually more concerned with law enforcement officers coercing people into committing crimes which they wouldn’t otherwise have committed.
Some people like to get fancy and say things like “ye olde tavern” and pronounce that first word with a Y sound.
But that’s simply not correct.
The confusion comes from the Middle English character þ (called a thorn). It makes the “th” sound and was often used as an abbreviation for the word “the.” When written out, it kind of resembles the word “ye.” But rest assured. The word “the” has always been “the.”
The “chubby Buddha” or “laughing Buddha” statues don’t depict the Buddha at all. Rather, they’re statues of a 10th-century folk hero named Budai. He’s considered by some to be an incarnation of the Bodhisattva who will become a Buddha after the teachings of the historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) are forgotten.
And while we’re talking about the Buddha, you should probably also know that he’s not a god.
(Although some followers of Pure Land Buddhism do consider the Buddha to be a savior.)
In fact, the word “Xmas” goes back pretty far in history — it started well before the perceived “war on Christmas.”
The earliest recorded use of “Xmas” to mean “Christmas” is from 1551.
No, they didn’t.
The image of Vikings in horned helmets is actually based on an 1876 production of Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle by Richard Wagner.
Putting metal in microwaves doesn’t have any effect on the oven’s electronics — that’s why certain pieces of metal (like Hot Pocket sleeves and pizza-cooking platforms) are totally fine to microwave.
However, you might notice electrical arcing that could damage your skin or the actual interior of the oven. So you probably shouldn’t go sticking forks into microwaves all willy-nilly.