Myth busters

Things “everybody knows” that turn out to be wrong, or at least shakier than you'd think.

Myth“Archaeologists found edible honey in ancient Egyptian tombs”This 'fact' is all over the internet, but no edible honey has been found in Egyptian tombs. Myth“Bulls charge because they hate the color red”Bulls are dichromatic, a kind of color blindness, so the red of the cape is irrelevant to them. Myth“Marie Antoinette said 'Let them eat cake'”There's no evidence she ever said it. The phrase appears in Rousseau's Confessions from when she was nine. Myth“Roman soldiers were paid in salt, which is why we say 'salary'”'Salary' does come from the Latin for salt, but the idea that soldiers were paid in salt has no basis. Myth“Lightning never strikes the same place twice”Lightning often hits the same spot again and again. The Empire State Building gets hit about 23 times a year. Disputed“A falling apple inspired Newton's theory of gravity”Newton told the story himself, but the apple hitting his head is a later invention. Myth“Humans use only 10% of their brains”Brain mapping suggests every area of the brain has a job and is used nearly all the time. Myth“Vikings wore horned helmets”No preserved Viking helmet has horns. The look first appeared in the 19th century. Myth“Napoleon was unusually short”At about 5 ft 6 in (168 cm), Napoleon was of average height for his time. Myth“Goldfish have a three-second memory”Goldfish remember things for months, not seconds. Disputed“The Great Wall of China is visible from space with the naked eye”Not the way the legend says. It's too narrow and blends into the land, and astronauts disagree about whether they've seen it.