這20個我們深信不疑的事情其實都是錯的
Napoleon Was Short
拿破崙很矮
A tall tale. At five six, he was slightly above average height for a Frenchman of the time.
一個被誇大的故事。他的身高爲5英尺6英寸（約1.67米），略高過當時法國男子的平均身高。
Dropped Pennies Kill
掉落的硬幣會砸死人
Terminal velocity of a penny is 30 to 50 mph. not fast enough to kill—but it sure would sting.
硬幣的自由下落速度爲每小時30至50英里，不夠快，砸不死人——但是可以肯定的是，被砸到會疼。
Dogs Sweat by Salivating
狗通過流口水排汗
No—they regulate temperature through panting. They actually sweat through their footpads.
不——它們通過喘氣來調節體溫。實際上，它們通過腳墊來排汗。
Einstein Failed Math
愛因斯坦數學不及格
Nope. He failed an entrance exam for a school but still excelled in math.
這是錯的。他只是沒通過某間學校的入學考試，他數學成績還是很優秀的。
Humans and Dinosaurs
人類和恐龍
Despite 41% of U.S. adults thinking we coexisted, we actually missed each other by 64 million years.
儘管美國有41%的成年人認爲人類曾和恐龍共存過，其實我們和恐龍前後差了6,400萬年。
Missing-Persons Reports
失蹤人口報案
Police don’t require a 24-hour waiting period before accepting missing-persons report.
警察在接案前不需要等待24小時。
Wake Sleepwalkers?
喚醒夢遊的人？
They’ll be really confused, but it’s OK. They’re more likely to hurt themselves if they’re not awoken.
喚醒他們後他們會非常困惑，但是這是沒問題的。如果不把他們叫醒，他們更有可能傷害到自己。
Bats Are Blind
蝙蝠是瞎的
Not only can bats see, but they also use echolocation. That’s why they’re so awesome!
蝙蝠不僅能看見，還會回聲定位。所以它們才那麼厲害！
Goldfish’s 3-Second Memory
金魚只有3秒鐘的記憶
While not the smartest creatures, goldfish boast a memory span of three months.
雖然不是最聰明的動物，但是金魚的記憶時長有3個月。
Shaving Thickens Hair
刮毛會讓毛髮更濃密
Regrown hair isn’t thicker, coarser, or darker; it just appears so because it grows back with a blunt tip.
新長出的毛髮不會更濃密、更粗或更黑；它們之所以看起來這樣是因爲它們的末端是尖的。
Viking’s Horns
維京人的角
The helmets were created by a costume designer for a 19th-century Wagner opera.
這些帶角頭盔是19世紀瓦格納歌劇院的服裝設計師爲一部劇設計的。
Bulls Hate Red
公牛不喜歡紅色
Bulls are color-bind. They actually perceive the motions of the bullfighter’s cloth as a threat.
公牛是色盲。實際上，它們是將鬥牛士抖動紅布這個動作視作威脅。
Bagpipes Are Scottish
風笛是蘇格蘭的
Sorry, Braveheart fans: They were prevalent in the Middle East centuries before Western Europe.
《勇敢的心》的粉絲們，很抱歉告訴你們：早在西歐之前的幾個世紀，風笛就已經在中東盛行了。
Your Hair and Nails Keep Growing After Death
你死了之後頭髮和指甲還會繼續生長
Wrong—but your skin tissue does recede, making them appear longer.
這是錯的——你的皮膚組織會萎縮，才讓頭髮和指甲看起來變長了。
SOS=“Save Our Ship”
SOS=“救救我們的船”
It doesn’t stand for anything. SOS became a Morse code distress signal because it’s so easy to transmit: three dots, three dashes, three dots.
SOS不代表任何意思。它之所以成爲摩斯密碼求救信號是因爲它很容易轉換：三個點、三個橫杆、三個點。
Adam and Eve Ate an Apple
亞當和夏娃吃了蘋果
They ate the forbidden “fruit” of the tree of knowledge—nowhere in Genesis does it say it was an apple.
他們確實吃了智慧樹上的禁果，但是書裏並沒有說那是蘋果。
Everest Is the Tallest Mountain
珠穆朗瑪峯是最高山峯
Only above sea level. If you measure Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano from its underwater base, it stands more than 33,000 feet tall—4,000 above Everest.
只是海拔高度（海平面以上高度）最高。如果你從夏威夷莫納克亞火山的水下山腳開始測量，你會發現它有3,3000英尺（約10058.4米）——比珠穆朗瑪峯高了4,000英尺（約1219.2米）。
Van Gogh Cut Off His Ear for a Lover
梵高爲了愛人割了自己的耳朵
It was just a small piece of lobe, and he did it during a violent spat with Paul Gauguin. Whether Van Gogh then gave it to a local call girl remains unknown.
只是割了一小塊耳朵。和保羅•高更激烈爭吵時割的。梵高後來有沒有把那一小塊耳朵送給當地一個女孩，沒有人知道。
Slaves Built the Pyramids
金字塔是奴隸建造的
Egyptologists says this ancient construction job was a great honor granted only to respected laborers, who remain entombed near the site today.
埃及考古學家說這項古代建造工程是無比榮耀的，只有受尊敬的勞動者才能參與。他們至今還埋葬在金字塔旁邊。
Ninjas Wore Black
忍者穿黑衣服
This “uniform” comes from years of fiction and folklore. Real ninjas wore anything that would help the blend into daily life.
忍者黑色的“制服”起源於多年的小說和民間傳說。真正的忍者穿的是能讓他們融入日常生活的各類衣服。
