cute factoids/trivia that you used to accept as truth but (oops) later found to be 100% false and a little bonkers: post them here

cauliflower is just broccoli that has been deprived of sun while growing

While thats not the case, you do deprive cauli of sun when it is growing to ensure it is nice and white (the leaves are grown up and covered over the cauli florets). If you dont do this it grows kind of a brown or greyish colour I think.

bond fans: you shouldn't order your martini "shaken not stirred" if it's made with gin. shaken gin gets bruised. vodka is ok.

it takes you 10,000 hours of practice to learn a skill/it takes 10 years to learn a skill

From what I remember I'm pretty sure one or both of those is supposed to be mastering a skill, not just learning it. Obviously it takes less time to learn a skill.

that drinking Kool Aid makes your cock bigger

shaken gin gets bruised

Did not know this (not that ive ever asked for a shaken martini)

how can you bruise a liquid?

I, for one, have gotten cramps/upset stomach from swimming after eating.

I knew that cold+dry weather didn't cause colds but still believed until recently that getting drenched + wearing wet clothes was a bad idea

actually I still sorta believe this even though I have now been berated for clinging on to this old wives' tale, cz being rain-soaked and not having a chance to dry off is not nice and makes you feel shitty and headcoldy IME, can't quite convince myself that in fact you may as well just tell yrself you're perfectly comfortable because there's nothing wrong with staying like that all day

that drinking Kool Aid makes your cock bigger

― Phoenix in Flight (Cattle Grind), Thursday, April 8, 2010 6:13 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

that drinking Kool Aid doesn't make your cock bigger

how can you bruise a liquid? Yeah I did wonder.

http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/hourwait.asp

my dad used to tell me that I shouldn't take showers after eating, because it was bad for digestion.

the swimming after food thing, i thought it was true that any intense form of physical activity after a meal would give you cramp?

so many respectable people have told me this, christ now i don't know who i should believe ever EVER

resurrection of a messiah

"You know, a dog's mouth is cleaner than a person's mouth."

I do not know how many times in my life I have been told this, by people who were utterly sincere in their belief in its truth. Somehow, in my heart, I never fully accepted this as a fact, no matter how often I am told.

on "bruising" gin:

http://www.ardenstone.com/2007/08/27/please-dont-bruise-the-gin/

iiijjjj preys on ilx posts for ideas for his lucrative domain-squatting biz

"You know, a dog's mouth is cleaner than a person's mouth."

There was some comedian or author I encountered long ago who pointed out that the truth of this statement is belied by the fact that dogs often have actual dirt on their tongues.

lol zvookster

That "Kool-Ade makes your dick bigger" thing sounds like a veiled racial slur, given that KA is supposedly popular with black people.

huh, I've never heard of the kool-aid/black people thing, and I thought I had a good working knowledge of racial food stereotypes.

white ppl drink koolaid too

ah

I've heard that connection a number of places.

I tried googling "kool aid penis bigger" but was left with more questions than answers. also this:

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3102/koolaid.png

Incredible.

^ Yeah, I've read that the reason cold/flu season correlates with cold weather is because cold weather makes people stay indoors more, thereby causing one to be in contact with infected people.

I remember reading that this was once thought to be true, but nowadays scientists aren't so sure about it anymore, so there's no definite theory on the correlation between winter and flu. The idea that staying indoors more causes flu to spread during winter wouldn't make a lot of sense in an urban environment, where people spend most of their time indoors throughout the year.

hahaha barely 24 hrs ago I watched "Barry Lyndon", and when the kid tells Barry that he liked his pony just fine but what he REALLY wanted was a horse of his own, I was like "WTF, just wait for the pony to grow, you little brat!"

pwni3d

Umm..."horse throat from laughter"

Re: the cold and cold weather thing. I always thought it was because viruses are able to survive longer in colder weather. Can't remember where I read/heard that though.

daddy longlegs are some of the most venomous spiders in the world but their fangs aren't strong enough to pierce human skin

An urban legend states that Pholcidae are the most venomous spiders in the world, but because their fangs are unable to penetrate human skin, they are harmless to humans. However, recent research has shown that pholcid venom has a relatively weak effect on insects. In the MythBusters episode "Daddy Long-Legs" it was shown that the spider's fangs (0.25mm) could penetrate human skin (0.1mm) but that only a very mild burning feeling was felt for a few seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWASwBWyUXI&feature=fvw

"to this day, it's illegal to carve Benedict Arnold's name into stone or metal bcuz of what he did to our country" ~ my 8th grade history teacher

where did this rumor come from!? I found a couple people repeating it online:

jamisonshuck answered 7 years ago
he is known as the most infamous traitor in the history of the United States and everybody hates him. It is actually illegal to carve his name into stone or metal because he is so disgraced.

yahoo answers

What happens if you live in the US and you carve Benedict Arnold's name into wood or metal?

wiki answers

and this teacher guide:

. Although a stone memorial at Saratoga pays tribute to Benedict Arnold’s wounded leg and "the most gallant warrior in the Continental Army," a law mandates that Arnold’s name cannot be chiseled or molded into metal, therefore a lonely wooden plaque marks that the memorial is in honor of Benedict Arnold.

www.alleytheatre.org/images/alley/GENERAL TG.pdf

and this travel guide:

There is a marker in front of a patriotically decorated home behind the marker. The marker is on a metal plate embedded in stone and is very close to violating a supposed Federal Law. The law forbids the etching of Arnold's name in stone. This, of course, is due to Arnold's traitorous acts.

http://revolutionaryday.com/usroute7/castleton/default.htm

and this sermon:

After Arnold betrayed the continentals, it was determined that his name should not be engraved in stone or cast in metal because of his traitorous acts during the Revolutionary War. George Washington even decreed that his name should “never be mentioned again” in connection with our country or our military. The U.S. Congress passed a law stating that his name should never again be “chiseled or engraved” on any plaque or monument. As a matter of fact, a large monument erected at Saratoga is glaringly devoid of any mention of Arnold and his gallant efforts in the battle. Benedict Arnold was so disliked that his father and brother’s headstones were removed from their final resting places in Old Norwich Town cemetery. Every effort was made to remove his name from the face of the Earth.

http://www.sycamorechapelcoc.org/11152013.html

The bit about the headstones is apparently true, and efforts were indeed made to keep Benedict Arnold's name off of records and monuments, but I can't find any sources that substantiate the blatantly unconstitutional federal law.

to be fair, the same history teacher marked me wrong on a quiz when I answered that the state of Massachusetts was named after the Massachusett Indian tribe (she thought it was named after Chief Massasoit: I called bullshit and got the points back)

We continued our tour through the large park, stopping at various monuments including one to Ten Broeck and the Albany militia, before finally reaching what I really wanted to see ­ The Boot Monument. The Boot Monument is a marble monument to Benedict Arnold. The interesting thing about this monument is that is doesn't mention Arnold by name. There is a law in the U.S. that prohibits carving the name "Benedict Arnold" in stone or casting it in metal. So instead, there is a painted sign nearby that basically says, "that monument over there is for Benedict Arnold."

http://www.outwatersmilitia.com/news2.html

huh, I found this in a biography of Arnold published in 2001 (right around the time my teacher repeated the factoid):

In modern-day Showhagen, a papermill town in the midst of rugged terrain, there is a radical piece of historical record. The United States is almost devoid of references to Benedict Arnold by name. At one time, any such references were forbidden by law. The gravestones of the four preceeding Benedict Arnolds were destroyed two centuries ago by citizens angry at the memory of the traitor, Benedict [the fifth]. Yet in one pub in the middle of town, there is a painting celebrating the fact that Arnold had passed through.

Benedict Arnold: A Traitor in Our Midst

it doesn't provide a source for the information, nor does it get into greater detail about the supposed law. it seems like this rumor is strongly attached to tourist attractions (the pub painting, The Boot Monument, and the memorial in Saratoga) so maybe it's something tour guides repeat to gullible tourists to keep them interested. but I still wonder where the idea comes from and how long it's been around.

Historical sites associated with Arnold have many monuments and markers but none have Arnold's name: Continental Congress was so disgusted by Arnold's treachery that it made it illegal to engrave his name. The law still stands.

more yahoo answers

Americans showed contempt for Arnold by trashing his family's grave stones. Washington ordered that the words never be said again. A law was passed making it illegal to have his name in rock or in metal.

American Revolution slideshow, Port Clinton (Ohio) City Schools, 2001

Banana answered 2 years ago
Yes. I've heard that it's even illegal today to name a child Benedict Arnold in the United States

yahoo answers

feel like fucking Snopes here

My daughter is quite a history buff, and in particular a fan of the Arnolds. [...] She tells me that there is an old Federal law which prohibits the the name of Benedict Arnold from being 'cut in stone or cast in iron'. Benedict Arnold was actually Benedict Arnold V and the graves of his father and grandfather were razed in response to this law. This is also, in part, why monuments to Arnold's victories do not bear his name. The only citation to the law she could give me was from an A & E documentary though. Perhaps someone with a legal background, or access to a legal database could check to see if this fellow is in violation of the law.
16 posted on 4/1/2004, 12:38:05 PM by cephalopod

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1109343/posts

There are few names as reviled in American history as that of General Benedict Arnold. However, through much of the Revolutionary War, Arnold was considered one of the fledgling country's greatest heroes, with a number of successful campaigns against the British under his belt and the unparalleled devotion of his men to his credit. This biopic takes a look at what caused this man to betray his country in such a brazen manner that Congress ordered that his name never be carved in stone or metal.

from a review of the A&E biopic Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (2003)

Smoking marijuana seeds will leave you sterile, unable to have children. I remember when I high school friend and I wouldn't take the time to clean the seeds out, we would both feel a little stress out after smoking.

did you know that we only use about 10% of our brains? makes you think, huh?

(bafflingly enough, I heard this from a philosophy professor, of all people, years after I learned what utter crock it was)

― broa super (unregistered), Wednesday, April 7, 2010 3:48 AM (4 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Obviousy Luc Bresson believes it or he'd have no story for Lucy.
Bet I'm not the first person to say that.

I think one fits here..

I read one time (I feel sure) that in rape trials, the judge is obliged to say that female defendants 'may lie'. I mentioned this many years ago here on ILX, but it seems it's complete bol.

.. The judge is obliged during summing up to the jury, to say (etc)

A law was passed making it illegal to have his name in rock or in metal.

lazy ilm zing here