50 Fun Facts About Old Wives' Tales

In the phrase 'old wives' tale', what did the word 'wife' originally mean?

The same old sense survives in 'midwife' and 'fishwife'.

The 1611 King James Bible warns against 'profane and old wives' fables' in which book?

The tales were passed on orally, often to scare children away from doing something dangerous.

Cracking your knuckles is blamed for arthritis. What has research found?

The pop comes from nitrogen bubbles forming and collapsing in the joint fluid, which is why you have to wait about 20 minutes to do it again.

What gas, dissolved in joint fluid, forms the bubbles that make a knuckle crack?

It takes roughly 20 minutes for the gas to redissolve, which is why a joint cannot be cracked twice in quick succession.

According to the myth science rejects, how long does swallowed gum sit in your stomach?

The gum base is indigestible, but it simply passes through like anything else.

The wartime carrots-help-you-see-in-the-dark story was propaganda hiding which technology?

Beta carotene only improves night vision in people who are actually deficient in vitamin A.

For a well-nourished person, does eating carrots improve night vision?

The RAF encouraged the tale in the Second World War to disguise its new radar.

Going out with wet hair or getting chilled is said to give you a cold. What actually causes colds?

Colds do spread more in winter, but because of dry air, closed windows and more time indoors.

Which of these is NOT among Wikipedia's reasons that colds spread more easily in winter?

Low temperatures may somewhat weaken the immune system, but they do not create the infection.

You catch warts from toads, says the tale. What really causes them?

The bumps on a toad are glands, not warts, and the virus that causes human warts affects only humans.

Shaving is said to make hair grow back thicker and darker. Why does regrowth feel coarser?

Short hairs are also less flexible than long ones, adding to the stubbly feel.

Sugar makes children hyperactive, parents say. What have double-blind trials found?

A 2019 meta-analysis did find lower alertness and more fatigue within an hour of eating sugar, the 'sugar crash'.

How long does the unsupported classic tale say to wait after eating before swimming?

One study did find a link between drowning and something else entirely: alcohol.

Turkey's tryptophan is blamed for Thanksgiving drowsiness. What is more likely to blame?

Turkey's tryptophan content is typical of poultry; chocolate, oats and cheese are all richer sources.

How does the tryptophan content of turkey compare with other meats?

A 100-gram serving of turkey breast has about 279 mg of tryptophan, low compared with its other amino acids.

Reading in dim light will ruin your eyes, the tale goes. What does it actually cause?

The strain is temporary and goes away with rest.

Roughly what share of the body's surface is the head?

A hat is no more effective than covering any other equally sized patch of skin.

Milk makes you produce more mucus when you have a cold, says the tale. What is the truth?

Milk mixed with saliva does briefly coat the mouth and throat, which is probably where the feeling comes from.

You must drink eight glasses of water a day, according to the rule. What does the evidence say?

Tea, juice, soup, fruit and vegetables all count toward what you need.

Coffee dehydrates you, says the tale. For whom, if anyone, is that true?

Neither coffee nor spicy food has any significant effect on peptic ulcers, another old belief.

Despite the tale that brandy warms you, what does alcohol do to core body temperature in the cold?

Alcohol dilates blood vessels near the skin, so you feel warm while actually losing heat faster.

'Beer before liquor, never sicker.' What effect does the order of drinks have on a hangover?

The total amount drunk is what counts.

The tale says chocolate and greasy food give you spots. What does Wikipedia say causes acne?

A carbohydrate-rich diet or certain medications can make it worse, but grease on the skin is not the cause.

Hair and fingernails keep growing after death, says the tale. What creates that impression?

Growth needs a living blood supply, which stops at death.

According to science, not the internet, how many spiders does the average sleeper swallow a year?

The 'eight spiders a year' figure was itself a hoax about how easily false facts spread.

Which nutrient, taken as tablets, is widely believed to prevent colds despite the evidence?

Taken daily it may slightly shorten a cold, but it does nothing once the cold has started; echinacea fares no better in trials.

Chicken soup for a cold is nicknamed what?

A University of Nebraska study found it slowed the movement of some white blood cells, but the New York Times concluded none of the research was conclusive.

A fever from infection is widely feared for causing what, which it does not do by itself?

Febrile seizures look alarming but are usually harmless.

Popeye's spinach was 'packed with iron'. What does Wikipedia say of spinach as an iron source?

The plant's non-heme iron is also absorbed less readily than the iron in meat and fish.

In the German Candlemas lore behind Groundhog Day, which animal did the Germans watch?

In Hungary the bear did the forecasting, and badgers were consulted only when no bear was about.

'Red sky at morning, sailor's warning' works at middle latitudes because prevailing winds blow which way?

In the tropics, where winds run east to west, the rhyme generally fails; Jesus quotes the saying in Matthew 16.

What did a 2000 BMJ study find happened to dog-bite admissions in England at full moon?

An Australian study in the same issue found the opposite, which is why the 'lunar effect' remains unproven.

Bulls charge at red capes because red enrages them, says the tale. Why is that wrong?

It is the movement of the cape, not its colour, that draws the charge.

Which ancient writer probably popularised the tale of ostriches burying their heads in sand?

Pliny had them hiding in a bush, not the sand; either way, they don't.

Which animal is the one real exception to the 'touch a baby and its mother abandons it' tale?

Most birds have a poor sense of smell and will not notice a human scent.

A goldfish's memory lasts three seconds, they say. What is the truth?

Goldfish can be trained to respond to sounds and remember feeding routines for months.

About how many times a year does lightning hit the Empire State Building?

Tall, conductive objects are hit again and again; 'heat lightning' is just ordinary lightning too far away to hear.

Mice love cheese, says every cartoon. What do mice actually prefer?

The link probably arose because, before refrigeration, cheese was stored where mice could reach it.

One dog year equals seven human years, says the rule of thumb. What does the science say?

Most dogs hit adolescence by one year old, then smaller breeds age more slowly in adulthood than giants.

Which Disney film staged the 'lemmings jump off cliffs' myth by shoving the animals over the edge?

The 1958 film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

What is the correct response to someone having a seizure?

Putting anything in the mouth risks broken teeth and choking.

Never wake a sleepwalker, says the tale. What is the real risk of doing so?

The dangers of sleepwalking come from falls and lack of sleep, not from being woken.

In which country was it traditionally believed that sleeping in a closed room with a fan running could kill you?

Fans there were long sold with timers so they would switch off overnight.

You get tetanus from a rusty nail, says the tale. What actually introduces the tetanus spores?

The bacterium lives in soil and dust; rust is just a sign the nail has been lying around in it.

Toads aside, which of these animal beliefs is actually TRUE according to Wikipedia's misconceptions list?

Bats all have working eyes, camel humps hold fat, and cockroaches are no more radiation-proof than many other insects.

Absinthe makes you hallucinate, drinkers were warned. What does authentic absinthe actually do?

The reputation came from cheap knock-offs coloured with copper salts and sometimes laced with antimony.

Which philosopher was traditionally credited with naming the five senses?

Depending on how you count, humans have anywhere from five to more than twenty senses.

A camel's hump is said to store water. What does it actually hold?

The fat is a calorie reserve; the water a camel carries is held in its bloodstream.

Why do veins look blue from the outside if the blood inside is actually red?

Venous blood is deep red and arterial blood cherry red; medical diagrams colouring veins blue have kept the myth alive.

Who built a forerunner of the flush toilet in the 16th century, long before Thomas Crapper?

Alexander Cumming patented the S-trap in 1775; Crapper held nine patents, including the floating ballcock, and popularised the device.