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32 “Now-False Facts” That Were Really Taught In Schools, But Did Not Stand The Test Of Time
There are some things we learn at school that are accurate at the time yet are found to be false later. At the same time, some things are already incorrect, but we are taught them regardless because the teacher lacks knowledge or their information is outdated.
Most people will likely have had this experience. And because it’s always fun to share and read about these things, when one Reddit user raised such a question online, the post blew up, with people bombarding the comment section with replies. Scroll down to see what they wrote. And if this list doesn't satisfy your hunger, have no worries because we have two more of these for seconds and dessert!
More info: Reddit
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#1
I was told theres no such fish as an alligator gar when I chose it for a report. The teacher refused to let me look it up on the internet(very early at the time and "untrustworthy") or encyclopedia(would take too long). So she asked the kid in the room who was known for being into animals. He had never heard of it, so it couldn't possibly exist.
I will NEVER not be salty about this
RELATED:
#2
When I was in junior high in the mid 80s, our Earth Science textbooks had continental drift, and our teacher said, "Okay, so I need you to ignore all of Chapter 4" (or whatever it was). "Plate tectonics has been the accepted theory taught in colleges for 10 years now, but K-8 textbooks haven't caught up yet."
I feel like the version of plate tectonics I learned was a tiny bit garbled compared to what kids learned 10 years later, but my teacher was directly pulling from college texts and published scientific papers and distilling it down for 6th graders, so more power to her!
#3
“Just ignore the bullies and they’ll go away” “You can be anything you want to be when you grow up”
#4
We were taught that Rosa Parks didn't get up from her seat because "she just got tired one day"; that the entire action was the spontaneous action of a lone woman.
In fact, the entire thing was scripted and choreographed. While Parks was a seamstress, she was also the secretary to the president of the local NAACP chapter.
She was recreating the protest done by Claudette Colvin. The NAACP wanted Parks to recreate it because Colvin was very dark complected, and a single mother.
The NAACP thought Parks, who was lighter skinned, would appeal to white audiences seeing this on TV
David 2 years ago
It was a planned stunt, she tried 3 buses before one had a driver who reacted. It is also why they were able to respond so fast. But sometimes you need to force events to bring progress for a very real issue. And Parks had to be brave, because given the south back then, she is lucky she was not violently assaulted. She was brave even if it was a planned stunt
#5
Komodo dragon bites were deadly due to high concentrations of bacteria, not venom. Turns out that they are, in fact, venemous
#6
I’m now under the impression that we did not, in fact, have a nice friendly thanksgiving dinner with the native Americans
#8
In the early 80’s we were told that soon we would soon use the metric system in the US.
Still waiting .
UpQuarkDownQuark (he/hey you) 2 years ago (edited)
The metric system is the tool of the Devil! My car gets forty rods to the hogshead, and that’s the way I likes it!
bigoldthor 2 years ago
Gen X US citizen here. I know the metric system pretty well and use it regularly in business. But my mind always wants to convert it to an imperial unit of measure so I can picture/imagine what it "really means". Can't help it...it's just been baked in since birth. If we started now with young children and that's all they knew, it would eventually, over decades, work itself out.
geezeronthehill 2 years ago
I use it. My first wrench set was metric so I repair and assemble derailleur bicycles and my German car. Later filled in with the sizes I needed for SAE work. If you want to learn Celsius temperatures, just convert one of your weather apps to centigrade scale. Almost all tape measures are dual scale anyway. Don't wait for the damn gummint!
rorschach-penguin 2 years ago (edited)
It's because units are like languages. People learn one and then that's their language; they see things in terms of however many inches it is and don't have the same instinctive grasp of the metric system or how long ten centimeters is. And no generation wants to be the one dealing with a new world with unnatural measurements where they constantly have to try and convert in their head between imperial and metric units. We all know the metric system is better. That's not the problem. The problem is that it's not as easy as declaring "we're using the metric system now!!" They tried that back in the eighties, including with kids, and there's a reason why it didn't work. It was too late and there wasn't enough metric immersion.
Jeremy Bolanos 2 years ago
A lot of people use the metric system without realizing it. A lot of professionals are required to use it for uniformity.
Stephen Cohoon 2 years ago
In 1963 my 3rd grade teacher promised us we would be the last generation of Americans to have to deal with stupid inches and ounces. Liars, all of them. GO METRIC!
Ur_Fav_Lazy_Panda🫶 1 year ago
As an American, I wish to too. But, that would include adults, learning all of the basic things they were taught in life, like Celsius, centimeters, and kilometers instead of Fahrenheit , inches/feet, and miles.
Terry Fergusson 2 years ago
Actually a large chunk of the US population uses it all the time (military, NASA, scientists, athletes). It's just the unwashed masses that can't figure it out.
Dawnieangel76 2 years ago (edited)
I am 47. I am NOT learning an entirely new measuring system. I don't plan on leaving the country... unfortunately...and my job doesn't consist of international purchasing , so I'm good.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I don't know how I would have survived cooking for myself pre-internet because I have to google conversions for recipes so often!
TwirlyGirly 2 years ago
The United States, Liberia, and Myanmar are the only three countries that haven't switched to the metric system.
lawrence Andrew 2 years ago
They added metric system to some highway signs for a while but when they needed to be replaced, the metric was not.
TMoxraaaar 2 years ago
My husband teaches high school science. Every year when he spends the first few days teaching the metric system the exchange students look astounded.
A_UserHere 2 years ago
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StumblingThroughLife 2 years ago
We (UK) have inches on one side and Centimetres on the other. Best of both. :D
David Zeller 2 years ago
It is used a lot in the US by people who are into mechanical/techy type hobbies: 3D printing, CNC, electronics, modern cars, etc.
John Savage 2 years ago
Most of US industry has quietly shifted to metric over the years. No one will buy or resell a product that's a pain to maintain. My last 3 'cars were manufactured in the US and are metric.
Awesome At Being Autistic 2 years ago
Nah, we were told that in the early 70s. They even put up speed limit signs in kilometers on the freeways. The signs were promptly shot full of holes by irritated people with shotguns. Good times.
Stannous Flouride 2 years ago
Maintaining two systems, even when not causing the loss of an $80million Mars satellite, is estimated to be OVER $1,500,000,000,000 (that's trillions) per year!
Papa 2 years ago
Quite a few of the US State Department of Transportations tried to go metric in the 1990's. They finally gave up because their material suppliers didn't follow suit. A large number of problems were caused by soft conversions between Imperial and metric. Converting one inch to twenty-five millimeters doesn't work well if you extend it out to several meters (or yards).
Dogcat vet (retired) 2 years ago
As a vet, I have to use the metric system every day...its so much easier to convert lbs to kg though when the pet weighs 22 lbs.
Haywood Jablome 2 years ago
You euros can sit on my 3 inch middle finger and spin til you draw a pint of blood. Then go 3000 miles back where you came from
#9
We had lessons on how to get out of quicksand at school.
I have no doubt that the method is valid - but the ‘disproven’ bit for me is the need to know how to get out of quicksand. It really isn’t an issue.
In a similar vein, we had a lot of education about stranger danger. Again - not disproven. But much more valid would have been education about how much child abuse and abduction is committed by someone known to the victim. Australia’s Most Wanted had me petrified to look out the window at night. Turns out the dangerous person wasn’t lurking outside waiting to get in. He was a member of my family.
Bored Batgirl 2 years ago
Quicksand, spontaneous combustion and the Bermuda Triangle all seemed like things I was going to need to be concerned about in life.
#11
That as a kid, strangers were going to constantly offer you [illegal substances] . Thank you, D.A.R.E. program.
#12
"putting aboriginal children in schools was okay at the time (I was taught ) and they wanted their children to go. The aboriginals were treated with respect and their traditions and values were protected." - Canada in the 90's, more specifically my social teacher in grade 6 or 7.
Pretty sure now that's not how it went down.
#13
When I was little, I was taught about the brontosaurus, mighty long-necked plant eater of the dinosaurs.
Later, I was taught that, whoops! They accidentally stuck some random bones together and there was never any such animal.
Later still, I recall hearing that, oh, actually, there was a brontosaurus after all!
Or was there?
To this day, I am still, as a 42-year-old man, unclear on whether or not there was ever such a thing as a brontosaurus.
Donkey boi 2 years ago
To clarify for those wanting to know if it is a Dino or not, (in the simplest terms possible): It was actually Apatosaurus that was mixed up. With the Apatosaurus, they had previously never found a head/skull with rest of it (same with the brontosaurus), so when they found one just metres away, they assumed it was for the same Dino (Spoiler alert: It was not). Because of the mix up, they thought it was a type of Brontosaurus. However some people did not agree and put the head of another completely different Dino on it. They eventually worked it out (in 2015), found the right head, and established that it was not a type of Brontosaurus. So while we've never found a head, the Bronto IS a Dino
#14
Eggs are bad because of cholesterol.
Stephanie Did It 2 years ago
My poor Grandma was restricted to one egg per week by her cardiologist in the 70s, and it was pitiful how much she cherished that egg.
#15
Respect those in authority.
The government, your company, your boss have your best interest at heart.
If you work hard and play by the rules, you'll get ahead.
sofacushionfort 2 years ago
Feign respect for those in authority. They may be totally incompetent at running things, but they have a well-crafted chamber of horrors for anyone who displeases them
#16
I remember learning that MSG (sodium glutamate) was really bad for you. It was one of those things I heard both at school and in my family to the point where we wouldn’t buy any product that had MSG in the ingredients.
There have been multiple studies showing no evidence of adverse health effects from MSG. There is a subset of people that report hypersensitivity to it. But in double blind experiments, their symptoms tend not to show up when they don’t know they’ve eaten it. Conversely the symptoms DO show up when they think they’ve eaten it but haven’t actually.
Conclusion: MSG is literally just salt and glutamate protein, which is separately in just about everything you eat anyway.
#17
the food pyramid
#18
I've got 2 good ones.
I had a social studies teacher tell me that Asian eyes were slanty because it was a defense mechanism for sand blowing in the wind. This was who taught topics like history and geography. She also said some other racist stuff against Asians that I won't repeat here.
That same teacher told us that the city of Buffalo was named by taking the original native American name for the land Belle Fleuve (which is French for beautiful river or something) and "mucking it up". I never questioned why native Americans were giving things French names.
Anyways, in hindsight I now realize she was a terrible teacher.
Pedantic Panda 2 years ago
I don't think the eyes theory is that far wrong. Current scientific theories point to protection for desert environments and/or high levels of UV light.
#20
Margarine is better for you than butter
#21
That you should tilt your head back when you have a nosebleed
Charlie the Cat 2 years ago
I suffered from nose bleeds as a kid. The school nurse would ask me to tip my head back. I remember the taste of blood & the horrible feeling of it pouring down my throat. This was in the 80's.
#22
Where did we end up on “you can see the Great Wall from space”? Because at different points that was both true and definitely disproven in various textbooks I had.
#24
God damn, I'm gen x. We learned that given then-current rates of productivity, we'd all be working 3 day weeks by 2010. Without being told we'd be *paid* for 3 day weeks, or that our labour would be offshored to Chinese prison camps.
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
I'm a boomer. We were told that we'd have met aliens by 2010, and all be driving hover-cars while wearing silver lycra suits.
#26
I was taught that in college you will spend all of your study time in a library reading and researching using books and reference catalogs. The internet was evil and full of lies and not a valid resource for academic research.
WindySwede 2 years ago (edited)
The last part is not wrong, you just need to know where to find the real facts. Not on Youtube were someone says the moon is bigger than the earth... 😅
#27
That the teachers in the next grade up “Will not slow down” I remember hearing that in middle school. High school teachers and college professors were super chill and helpful most of the time.
WindySwede 2 years ago
5th or 6th grade math teacher. "Math will only be getting more difficult" 😐
#28
That carrots make your eyesight better. This was in the early 90s.
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
That's WWII propaganda to hide the existence of radar - although I understand that there is a minor improvement to night vision, which is enhanced by chemicals that go into the eye (hence how your eyes "adjust" to the dark).
#30
Dinosaurs are cold blooded.
geezeronthehill 2 years ago
Early paleozoologists equated dinosaurs with lizards, so they assumed they were exothermic (cold blooded) but science keeps increasing knowledge, and now we know they were endothelial. It's in the bones.
#31
My mom used to always say that muscle soreness from exercise was due to lactic acid. Now it's because of micro tears in the muscle.
Tiramisu 2 years ago (edited)
Not entirely true. If you have acute muscle soreness, meaning you feel the soreness during and immediately after for about 24 hours, it's lactic acid buildup. If it's delayed onset muscle soreness, meaning you start feeling it a while after doing exercise and it lasts about 3 or so days, it's micro tears from the exercise.
#32
That only you can prevent forest fires
What do you think ?
A S 2 years ago
I got "most slave owners were actually very caring of their slaves" when i went to school in Texas. Even as a little kid my reaction was ssuuurrreee they were
Sleepy children love Moon 2 years ago
I got the same teachings from Oklahoma in elementary and earlier middle school. except my history teacher in middle school was actually awesome and decided to teach us about the KKK and those things even though he wasn't supposed to.
Load More Replies...
DrKimball 2 years ago
Some lies taught in American schools: Columbus discovered America (not even close); many slave owners were benevolent and kind (laughably false); America was founded by devout Christians (Jefferson was mostly an atheist); America was founded as a Christian nation (nope it was all for the almighty dollar); the early Middle Ages were "dark" (absolutely the f uck not, not even kind of)
liam newton-harding 2 years ago
It’s called, “the half-life of facts”. Knowledge is always advancing, one theory replacing another. One fact replacing another. It’s why doctors HAVE to keep learning, keep studying, going to conferences, because medical knowledge is changing constantly.
malleymac84_1 2 years ago
As I understand it, the brontosaurus did exist, it just was renamed when they learned more about it. Now it's an apatosaurus.
Cydney Golden 2 years ago
When kids commented that it looked like the continents fitted together in the 50s we were told it was just coincidence.
A S 2 years ago
I got "most slave owners were actually very caring of their slaves" when i went to school in Texas. Even as a little kid my reaction was ssuuurrreee they were
Sleepy children love Moon 2 years ago
I got the same teachings from Oklahoma in elementary and earlier middle school. except my history teacher in middle school was actually awesome and decided to teach us about the KKK and those things even though he wasn't supposed to.
Load More Replies... DrKimball 2 years ago
Some lies taught in American schools: Columbus discovered America (not even close); many slave owners were benevolent and kind (laughably false); America was founded by devout Christians (Jefferson was mostly an atheist); America was founded as a Christian nation (nope it was all for the almighty dollar); the early Middle Ages were "dark" (absolutely the f uck not, not even kind of)
liam newton-harding 2 years ago
It’s called, “the half-life of facts”. Knowledge is always advancing, one theory replacing another. One fact replacing another. It’s why doctors HAVE to keep learning, keep studying, going to conferences, because medical knowledge is changing constantly.
malleymac84_1 2 years ago
As I understand it, the brontosaurus did exist, it just was renamed when they learned more about it. Now it's an apatosaurus.
Cydney Golden 2 years ago
When kids commented that it looked like the continents fitted together in the 50s we were told it was just coincidence.
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