If you have kids in school, be prepared to be schooled, too. Back then, we were taught a lot of information that is now considered outdated school facts. While some things they got wrong are that school can be hard to accept, it’s about time we learn the truth. Education and learning is a continuous process. Unsurprisingly, learning new truths is an accepted part of academia, which is excellent! However, it can be shocking to unlearn “facts” that were thought to be true. Here are some of those debunked facts you should know about. So the next time your kid tells you a fun fact they learned in school, your jaw won’t drop to the floor:
1. Shocking Outdated School Facts: Dinosaurs are NOT Extinct, and They Don’t Look Reptilian
Yes, dinosaurs aren’t entirely extinct. Pigeons, chickens, seagulls, and other birds are the genetic descendants of dinosaurs. The birds we see flying today are just evolved dinosaurs, which means they are the present-day T-rex. Speaking of birds, it’s also false that dinosaurs closely resembled large lizards when they walked the earth. Paleontologists recently discovered fossils showing dinosaurs were covered with feathers either all over their bodies or with small tufts down their bodies. Now it’s not too shocking to learn that debunked science facts say the birds today were the dinosaurs of the past.
2. What’s The Truth? George Washington’s Teeth Weren’t Wooden
We are all familiar with George Washington’s teeth being made of wood. That is now considered a historical misconception. He had a lot of dental issues, and by the time he gave his inaugural address in 1789, he only had one natural tooth left, but his dentures weren’t wooden. They were a complex contraption made using gold, ivory, and lead. Historians believe the misrepresented facts might be from the stained ivory teeth that looked like wood.
3. Learn Something New: Diamonds are NOT the Hardest Material
Diamonds have been praised for their beauty, sparkle, price tag, and long-standing reputation of being the hardest material on earth. Unfortunately, changing knowledge has led to the 2009 discovery of two other substances on earth that are harder than diamond: wurtzite boron nitride and lonsdaleite. While these two materials are harder than the diamond, they don’t come close to the beauty and elegance of this prized rock.
4. Surprise! Neanderthals Weren’t Dumb
It was pretty common to refer to someone unintelligent as a Neanderthal, but that insult is now considered part of the false school facts list. New research says Neanderthals are more intelligent than they were given credit for. The Neanderthals were not dumb cavemen who died out because of inbreeding. They were more sophisticated and intelligent than that. They had cave paintings that told stories of their lives and journeys, and they were even capable of making jewelry using their handcrafted tools. Perhaps the only reason why the Neanderthals stopped existing was due to Homo sapiens outnumbering them, leading to resource competition and eventual extinction.
5. Outdated History Lessons: The Salem Witch Trials Happened Differently
The image of a witch burning at the stake is very prevalent when talking about the infamous Salem Witch Trials. The burning of witches is one of the most famous historical misconceptions. In fact, no one was burned in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for being accused as a witch. Some accused witches were burned in Europe. However, in Salem, out of the nearly 200 accused, 19 were hanged, and one poor person was crushed using the weight of stones. Another common “fact” in this time of outdated history lessons is the gender of people convicted of being witches. They were not only women. Men were also executed, and the scare made victims of people from all backgrounds and social classes.
6. Correcting Scientific Inaccuracies: There are More Planets in the Solar System
One of the most famous and shocking outdated school facts is Pluto’s planetary status. Is it a planet? Is it not? How many planets are actually in our solar system? Be thankful that back in our day, we only had to memorize 8 or 9 if you counted Pluto. Today, as debunked science facts are becoming the norm, there might be 13 planets in our solar system. While the status of Pluto as a planet (dwarf planet, now!) has been reinstated, there is more to discover in space. So be prepared for your kids to point out more false school facts in the future.
7. Debunked Science Facts: Right-Brain, Left-Brain, It’s All Nonsense
Are you more analytical than artistic? Then you must be a left-brain person, but probably not. Scientific inaccuracies of the past made us believe the right-brain and left-brain nature of a person’s personality. That is now proven to be false because brain activity varies from one person to another. The different parts of the brain play various roles that help us think and function like human beings. No one is more right-brained or left-brained dominant, our brain is one cohesive organ just doing its job!
8. It’s True: Deoxygenated Blood Doesn’t Turn Blue
Take a quick look at your veins. They look blue, don’t they? That doesn’t mean the blood running through them is blue. It is, in fact, still red. One misrepresented fact is that blood is blue when it runs inside our body and only turns red when it touches oxygen outside the body. While oxygen-rich blood is bright red and depleted of oxygen is a darker shade, it is still red and never blue. Forget these outdated school facts because blue blood can only be found in animals like squid and horseshoe crabs.
9. Wait, There’s No Taste Map on the Tongue?
We all learned the “taste map” back in school. We were taught that certain areas in the tongue held tastebuds that could only detect specific tastes, such as sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. This map was published by a German scientist in the 1900’s. This is very imprecise, but it was a fact that the world accepted for a century. This fact is officially debunked after educational revisions and acceptance that what we learned in school is wrong.
Correcting False School Facts
There are some other outdated school facts we all need to unlearn. It doesn’t take a genius to do all that. While at first, it’s shocking to accept that common knowledge is wrong, there is room for learning new truths. The best thing about learning and education is that it constantly evolves, and there’s something new to discover thanks to changing knowledge. The key is to accept that not all facts remain as facts!