When Pluto lost its planetary status, many of us were genuinely shocked—and maybe a little disappointed. While it’s mildly satisfying to know our teachers were wrong, it doesn’t really ease the sting of losing a beloved “ninth planet.”

Asking questions should always be encouraged—it shows curiosity and a desire to learn. That said, there’s a fine line between genuine inquiry and questions meant to provoke, mislead, or invade personal space. Not every question deserves an answer.

Before smartphones and instant access to Google, it was easy for adults to say things that kids wouldn’t question. Take joint cracking, for instance—despite warnings, it doesn’t cause arthritis. The sound you hear isn’t your bones grinding, and science confirms it’s harmless.

It’s a common mistake to think Shakespeare wrote in Old English, but that’s far from the truth. His works were written in Early Modern English, which, while poetic, is still recognizable to us today. And the word “Ye”? That’s actually “the,” a quirky printing habit rather than old pronunciation.

Cursive writing started its slow fade with the invention of the ballpoint pen, which made fast, messy handwriting easier to read. Since then, teachers have found it harder to convince students of cursive’s importance—especially in a world increasingly reliant on digital communication.

Textbooks often show Isaac Newton being bonked on the head by an apple, but that’s more storytelling than fact. While falling apples may have inspired his thoughts on gravity, there’s no actual record of one striking him.

We’ve heard plenty of exaggerated tales about the Founding Fathers, but one that’s clearly false is the idea that George Washington had wooden teeth. He did have dentures—but they were made from a mix of ivory, metal, and other materials, not wood.

Despite popular depictions, the Salem witch trials did not involve any burnings at the stake. Historical records show that while some women were jailed and a few died, none were executed in that way. Still, it remains a tragic reminder of fear-driven injustice.

Memorizing facts has its place, but many students struggle with how heavily schools rely on rote learning. With search engines just a tap away, knowing how to think critically and apply knowledge often proves far more useful than simply reciting facts.

Remember being warned that acting silly would haunt you for life? Turns out, puffing your cheeks or sticking out your tongue doesn’t have long-term consequences. It might be impolite, but it’s hardly life-defining behavior.

Napoleon is often remembered as being unusually short, but he was actually of average height for his era—around 5’7”. However, he did play a part in popularizing food preservation, helping develop early canning methods that are still used today.

The horned Viking helmet is one of history’s most enduring myths, thanks largely to theatrical costumes in 19th-century operas. In reality, Viking warriors wouldn’t have worn impractical headgear that made them easier to grab in battle.

The tale of the Trojan Horse has become a legendary symbol of clever deception. However, the original story from The Iliad has been modified and romanticized through centuries of storytelling. It’s likely the “horse” was never literal—possibly a ship or siege device instead.

Some still like to believe that we can live independently of technology, but the truth is, it’s deeply woven into our daily routines. While our basic survival doesn’t hinge on it, we rely on tech in almost every aspect of modern life. Educators should acknowledge and adapt to that reality.

The “i before e except after c” rule is one of those spelling tips that sounds helpful in theory but falls apart in practice. While it’s meant to simplify things, there are actually more exceptions than cases where it applies, leaving many students confused and better off just memorizing word patterns instead.

It’s a common misconception that hair and nails keep growing after death. In reality, what happens is the skin dehydrates and recedes, exposing more of the nail or hair and creating the illusion of growth. The truth is, once a person dies, these processes stop entirely.

Fire drills play an important role in school safety, and one or two are usually enough to teach the basics: exit calmly and know where to gather. After that, most drills are just brief interruptions where students line up outside for attendance—a small inconvenience for a worthwhile safety precaution.

By the time you’re applying for jobs in adulthood, no one’s going to be checking on your behavior from second grade. Unless your elementary school record includes arson or violent incidents, your professional future isn’t hinging on how well-behaved you were in Miss Robinson’s class.

The U.S. uses a unique mix of measurement systems, combining elements from both imperial and metric. While this blend can seem confusing at times, it reflects a practical approach—whether it’s using miles for distance or grams in recipes, most people adapt to using both depending on the task.

If someone tells you high school is the best time of your life, don’t believe them. Life doesn’t peak at 17—it keeps evolving. There’s plenty of room for personal growth, meaningful relationships, and new adventures well into adulthood and beyond.

Sure, being able to run several miles could be useful in some wild, hypothetical situation. But realistically, most emergencies won’t demand Olympic-level cardio. Staying active and being able to walk briskly or react quickly is usually enough for day-to-day fitness and safety.

Some of history’s most well-known explorers were, ironically, lost when they made their greatest discoveries—even with maps and experts at their side. So if you ever find yourself without GPS, just remember: understanding your surroundings is often more useful than struggling with a complicated, outdated map.

The myth that carrots improve night vision dates back to WWII, when British military success at night was attributed to eating carrots. In truth, the real advantage was secret radar technology. The carrot story was a clever cover, but nutritionally, they don’t do anything special for your eyesight after dark.

It’s often claimed that Columbus discovered America, but that’s historically inaccurate. He never set foot on what is now the United States; instead, his journeys took him to the Caribbean and parts of Central and South America. These regions were already home to thriving civilizations long before his arrival.

The Iron Maiden is often cited as one of the most horrifying torture devices from Medieval times, but its infamous reputation is mostly fiction. References to it didn’t appear until centuries later, and there’s no evidence that it was ever actually used as a widespread method of torture.

You may have heard that Orson Welles caused mass panic with his War of the Worlds radio broadcast in 1938, but that story has been greatly exaggerated. There’s little evidence of widespread hysteria—most listeners knew it was a performance, and the drama was likely fueled by newspaper headlines rather than real public reaction.

Thomas Edison is often credited with inventing the lightbulb, but the truth is more nuanced. He was the 24th person to develop a version of it. His true genius lay in refining the design and creating a system to produce and distribute it on a large scale.

Contrary to popular belief, people in the Middle Ages didn’t widely believe the Earth was flat. Scholars as far back as ancient Greece had proposed a spherical Earth, with surprisingly accurate calculations of its size. The flat-Earth myth is largely a modern misunderstanding of medieval knowledge.

To spark student interest, some music teachers repeat the dramatic claim that the tritone—a specific dissonant musical interval—was banned by the Church. While it’s a colorful tale, it’s not true. The so-called “devil in music” was used in sacred compositions, proving it was never officially outlawed.

We often hear that dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago when a massive asteroid wiped them out. While that event did cause the downfall of many species, the story doesn’t end there. Today’s birds actually share a surprising amount of genetic material with dinosaurs, making them the living descendants of those ancient creatures.

You may have heard that toilets flush in different directions depending on which hemisphere you’re in, thanks to the Coriolis effect. While the Coriolis force does influence large weather systems like hurricanes, it’s far too weak to affect the small-scale movement of water in a toilet bowl. So, this bit of bathroom trivia is just plain wrong.

The brain is astonishing in its capabilities, from solving cosmic puzzles to producing cinematic masterpieces. But the popular notion that people are strictly “left-brained” or “right-brained” is overly simplistic. While certain areas of the brain do specialize in specific tasks, the two hemispheres constantly work together, making the theory more fiction than fact.

School is full of unexpected comedy—from a witty comment to someone tripping in the hallway. These moments can genuinely be funny, and there’s no shame in enjoying them. Teachers likely find the humor just as entertaining, even if they’re often required to keep a straight face for the sake of classroom order.

Blood may appear different under certain conditions, but it never actually turns blue. The color variation comes from how oxygen-rich it is—oxygenated blood is bright red, while deoxygenated blood is darker. Veins look blue because of how light interacts with your skin, not because of the actual color of the blood inside.

You might remember those colorful diagrams of the tongue split into flavor zones—sweet in the front, bitter at the back—but they’re outdated. In reality, taste buds capable of detecting all major tastes are scattered across your tongue, not confined to specific sections.

Many kids were warned that swallowing gum would leave it sitting in their stomachs for years. The truth is far less dramatic—although gum isn’t digestible, it doesn’t stick around for long. Your body will simply pass it through your system within a few days like most other things it can’t break down.

The idea that we only use 10% of our brains has been repeated for decades, but modern science proves otherwise. Brain scans show that even routine tasks engage multiple areas of the brain at once. It turns out that your brain is far more active—and efficient—than that old myth gives it credit for.

It’s often said that you can’t fold a piece of paper more than seven times, but that’s not entirely true. While it becomes increasingly difficult due to exponential thickness, it’s not impossible. In fact, in 2002, a high school student named Britney Gallivan proved the myth wrong by folding a sheet 12 times, setting a world record in the process.

When the school bell rings, it marks the official end of class—not just a suggestion. Regardless of whether there’s more to say, students have schedules to follow, buses to catch, and lives beyond that extra minute. Time management is part of the job, and the bell isn’t up for debate.