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

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