'The internet was evil and full of lies': 20+ so-called 'facts' everyone was taught in school that have since been disproven

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Nov 15, 2023 4:00 PM EST

We all had a teacher back in the day who claimed something was true that occasionally made you suspicious. As you have gotten older, you have learned that your skepticism was not unwarranted and that you were absolutely right to question some of the nonsense this so-called educator was spewing. 

Over the years, we have all collected these bizarre "facts" that we have since disproven. They're often fun anecdotes to share at a party. For instance, did you know I was taught that I was taught that I was going to go blind just because I didn't eat carrots? That kind of ridiculous over-exaggeration is evidently very common in grade school. These folks shared the ridiculous concepts they were taught via this r/AskReddit thread. Keep scrolling below to see what they had to say. When you're finished, feel free to take a look at more lists like this, such as this collection of shady industries. 

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  • 01
    r/AskReddit. Posted by u/Educationalplankto 14 hours ago What is a fact that you learned in grade school that has been disproven? Need Bacon 14 hr. ago the we wont be walking around with a calculator in our pockets ↑ 3.7k 4 Reply Share CharmyFrog 12 hr. ago You'll use cursive forever. 627 Reply Share
    via Taylor Flowe
  • 02
    r/AskReddit . Posted by u/Educationalplankto 14 hours ago What is a fact that you learned in grade school that has been disproven?
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 03
    sosomething 13 hr. ago When I was little, I was taught about the brontosaurus, mighty long-necked plant eater of the dinosaurs. Later, I was taught that, whoops! They accidentally stuck some random bones together and there was never any such animal. Later still, I recall hearing that, oh, actually, there was a brontosaurus after all! Or was there? To this day, I am still, as a 42-year- old man, unclear on whether or not there was ever such a thing as a brontosaurus. 7.6k ↓ Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 04
    Ma 88988988988 14 hr. ago Back in my day, Pluto was still a planet. 4.8k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 05
    god Need Bacon 14 hr. ago the we wont be walking around with a calculator in our pockets 3.7k ↓ Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 06
    Purple_Information41. 13 hr. ago Gum doesn't sit in your system for 7 years 3.5k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 07
    keepinitrealzs - 12 hr. ago The tastebud zones thing. 3.3k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 08
    Octopus GoesSquish 14 hr. ago Tongue maps 3.0k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 09
    Begany11 13 hr. ago I was taught that in college you will spend all of your study time in a library reading and researching using books and reference catalogs. The internet was evil and full of lies and not a valid resource for academic research. 2.7k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 10
    Twours1944 Regardless of the source, anything on the internet was considered to not be a valid reference. 2.6k ↓ 13 hr. ago Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 11
    anthonystank. 13 hr. ago Where did we end up on "you can see the Great Wall from space"? Because at different points that was both true and definitely disproven in various textbooks I had. 2.2k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 12
    show_pleasure. 14 hr. ago That carrots make your eyesight better. This was in the early 90s. 2.2k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 13
    Low-Argument3170 12 hr. ago In the early 80's we were told that soon we would soon use the metric system in the US. Still waiting. 2.1k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 14
    loquacious_avenger 14 hr. ago the food pyramid ↑ 1.9k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 15
    tiddysprinkle 13 hr. ago Blood is blue in your veins and only turns red when you bleed bc of oxygen 1.7k Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 16
    AliMcGraw 12 hr. ago When I was in junior high in the mid 80s, our Earth Science textbooks had continental drift, and our teacher said, "Okay, so I need you to ignore all of Chapter 4" (or whatever it was). "Plate tectonics has been the accepted theory taught in colleges for 10 years now, but K-8 textbooks haven't caught up yet." I feel like the version of plate tectonics I learned was a tiny bit garbled compared to what kids learned 10 years later, but my teacher was directly pulling from colle
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 17
    bullet_proof_smile. 12 hr. ago Humans are the only animals that use tools. 947 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 18
    elpinguinosensual 12 hr. ago If you work very hard you will make money and have a nice life. 684 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 19
    CharmyFrog 12 hr. ago You'll use cursive forever. 627 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 20
    Crane_Train 13 hr. ago My mom used to always say that muscle soreness from exercise was due to lactic acid. Now it's because of micro tears in the muscle. 498 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 21
    LordVolcanon 13 hr. ago edited 10 hr. ago That men have one less rib than women 460 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 22
    Upper-Trip-8857. 14 hr. ago Christopher Columbus knew his s ↑ 424 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 23
    HugeAnalBeads 13 hr. ago The food triangle recommended 10 to 12 servings of bread and grains a day 426 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 24
    Pour_me_one_more. 12 hr. ago Respect those in authority. The government, your company, your boss have your best interest at heart. If you work hard and play by the rules, you'll get ahead. 323 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 25
    witwebolte41 10 hr. ago I'm now under the impression that we did not, in fact, have a nice friendly thanksgiving dinner with the native Americans 323 Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 26
    Lucius_Funk 12 hr. ago Eggs are bad because of cholesterol. 293 ↓ Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto
  • 27
    drgrd 12 hr. ago . You have 5 senses. It's closer to 23. Your skin alone has 9 distinct types of sensation, not to mention proprioception, sense of the passage of time, etc. 121 ↓ Reply Share
    via u/Educationalplankto

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FAILS school students askreddit teacher parenting School of FAIL high school reddit thread Reddit Terrible Teacher funny parents
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