Some mammoths were smaller than children. Owls are the dumbest birds in the world. Very few people with Tourette's syndrome swear. King Arthur's sword wasn't called Excalibur. Milk doesn't make your bones strong. There's no muscles in your fingers. It's impossible to slide down a bannister. Nobody knows how many muscles the human body has. Doctors don't know how anaesthetics work. There are not three states of matter. At a wedding, the bride doesn't walk down the aisle. Ties were invented for war, not fashion. Most Disney classics made almost no money. Slavery has only been illegal in the UK since 2010. George Washington wasn't the first American President. Velcro doesn’t exist. Lie detectors don't exist. Nobody knows why we sleep.
These types of books are usually a lot of fun. For example, he notes that lemmings go not jump off cliffs (despite what the videogame shows.) He also says that cryptozoology (the study of very strange animals) should be taken seriously.
Some of the topics he covers are history, tardigrades, movies, people, places, pregnancy and presidents. He notes that Abraham Lincoln did make some anti-black statements.He talks about how hard it is for actors to do voice-overs (which is something I saw on Running Man once.)
It's amazing how much we think we know - until much of what we actually "know" is not in fact true! If you think YOU know (almost) everything, I suggest that you read this absolutely incredible book. You'll soon realise - as I have - that we still have much to learn. Enjoy your journey of discovery into about what you assumed was real factually, and learn the actual truth. You'll be truly flabberghasted 😲🙄🤭!!
I really loved this book. It showed me things that I did not know. Putting them into categories will make it easier to find different facts in a hurry. The best part was he uses humor so the book is not a dry read of facts
I learned a lot, but the author injected some humor so it was not just a list of dry facts. It was a fast, easy read. I would enjoy reading his other books.
Moved by reading the author’s “500 things people believe that aren’t true” I get to re read at least 10% of the same book with a typo and an error. Ripped off! James Egan rename your book at once - one of them at least! Nevertheless the novel material in this book was as entertaining and engaging as his other offering - well researched and very stimulating.