Stupid Fails: 20+ idiotic things people genuinely believed once upon a time

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Dec 2, 2022 4:00 PM EST

People once believed the dumbest things. In this r/AskReddit thread, various Redditors shared what they thought were the silliest things everyone took as facts at one point in time that have since been proven to be woefully incorrect. If you want to put a positive spin on this, you could say that humanity and society have progressed and we know so much more these days. If you want to be realistic, however, you could just laugh at how dumb we humans can be. Keep scrolling below to see what people had to say. For more, check out these relatable memes and fails.

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01
Here we go...

via u/Salsa_Amigo
02
Mad Men says otherwise!

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03
Literally why would they be crying all the time then?

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04
Oh, I bit straight into that Tootsie Pop

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05
Ok but what about a REALLY bad smell?

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06
Who actually thought this though?

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07
Only gullible parents believed this.

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08
They're still gross though!

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09
This explains quite a bit.

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10
Don't shame, me @Dangerous_Ahole!

via u/Salsa_Amigo
11
I definitely told many people this.

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12
Oh hey, Columbus!

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13
Wow, people really are dumb.

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14
It doesn't?

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15
Be right back. Calling my Mom to tell her she's a liar.

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16
Never believed this one.

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17
Hippocrates was savage, though.

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18
Fewer* teeth. Consider Grammarly when talking about people's stupidity.

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19
Cersei and Jaime are screaming somewhere under those rocks

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20
Well, now we have screens everywhere so that's unavoidable.

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21
And THAT, folks, is branding

via u/Salsa_Amigo
22
Simple, clear, and to the point

via u/Salsa_Amigo