Believe it or Not

Many years ago, a friend strolled over to where my family was standing in the hygiene section. Lowering her eyes toward my two-year-old daughter, she stated, “Your daughter is so cute. I really like her blonde hair.”

I can’t imagine what kind of facial expression I gave in return. It had to be a combination of being perplexed with an element of control and a start of a smile. The reason I say this is because I was visually impaired and believed my daughter had black hair. I didn’t want to show confusion or shock, but rather, appreciation for the compliment.

Naturally, I confirmed this fact with my husband after she strode away. I was pretty sure I had the right child, but all kinds of thoughts go through your head when you’re thrown whammies like that one.

He was as surprised as I was, except his surprise was in the fact I didn’t know she was blonde. “How did you not know?”

I reminded him she had black hair when she was born and no one had told me it changed. The way light shone when giving her baths, her hair still had a darkness to it. We both laughed. From then on, I made a habit of trying to ask if her hair color had changed shades, or anything. I never wanted to get caught off-guard again.

If I told you the sky was blue or gray, you would believe me. If I said it was green, you would think I was crazy. What about a known truth later becoming false? Remember, the world was flat to mankind for a long, long time. There are many WRONG things we believe that we’ve never stopped to consider.

Sometimes, information is given to us as “fact.”, Later, further research shows otherwise. Have you ever heard eggs or coffee was bad for you? Now, one to two cups of coffee is heart-healthy. You’re getting the idea.

Research doesn’t have to disprove “facts” anymore. They can be changed by giving words a different definition. Pluto was a planet when I was growing up and marriage was between a man and a woman. Sad, but obviously true.

In all of these instances, our beliefs may or may not change with newer research or with words being redefined. Today, you’re going to get to.

When listening to an issue of Reader’s Digest I enjoyed thinking about some tales that are true and some facts that are not. I want to share some from both categories. You may want to read the article for more details and the complete list.

Assumed Myths that are Really Facts

• There was bubble-gum flavored broccoli. McDonald’s created this for kids – didn’t last long. Imagine that!
• You have a greater chance of dying on your birthday than any other time of year, especially children.
• The American flag was designed by a high school boy as a history project (updated version). No one really knows if Betsy Ross had anything to do with the original 13 -state flag.
• The sloth can hold its breath underwater longer than a dolphin. Do you ever wonder how they measure such things? Well, the sloth holds its breath 40 minutes compared to a dolphin’s ten.
• Chicago isn’t called the “Windy City” because of their extremely high winds. It was meant as an insult to the city’s windbags who were full of hot air. Read the 1858 Chicago Daily Tribune to find an article on this.
• A woman was elected to Congress before Woman Suffrage. Look up her name and state. She was elected in 1917 and women earned the right to vote in 1920. Pretty amazing! Wish that would’ve been in my history books.
• Dorothy’s slippers in the “Wizard of Oz” weren’t always red. In the novel, they were referred to as silver shoes with pointy toes. However, a new technicolor technique was being used when filming in 1939. Guess which color they believed would be more eye-catching?
• There is really a thing called “wet water.” Firefighters use a chemical that allows water to spread and soak into objects easier, thus earning the name “wet water.”
• Movie trailers originally trailed the movie. Being played at the end meant most viewers left before watching these advertisements so they moved them to before the film.
• The lighter was invented before the stick match. A German scientist invented the first lighter for industrial use. Three years later, an English chemist created the first friction match.
• You can’t hum while holding your nose – at least not long. Don’t tell me – you’re trying it now.

Assumed Facts that are Actually Myths

 

• Blood is blue inside your body. Not true. It’s still red. The covering tissue changes the way colors are absorbed and scattered, giving us a blue impression.
• The Sahara Desert isn’t the largest. Technically, Antarctica is. Confused? A desert is defined by the U.S. Geological Survey as “arid land with meager rainfall, usually less than 10 inches a year, that supports only sparse vegetation, and minimal population of people and animals. Antarctica has an average of 6 inches of precipitation (mostly snow) and spans 5.5 million square miles. Poor Sahara – it only covers 3.3 million.
• A factoid is a fun mini-fact. Nope. It’s the opposite. Norman Mailers coined the phrase in 1973 to describe “facts” that were invented by gossipy reporters. The suffix “-oid,” means “to appear to be something else.” I wonder what term he’d use for today’s news.
• Who has the largest vocabulary for snow? It’s probably not who you think. Some groups in Canada and Sweden have 40 and 50 words for snow, but the Scotts win by a landslide. They have 421 words for snow. Is that really necessary?
• Citronella candles help get rid of mosquitos. False. They work as well as any candle, which isn’t much. Try planting catnip if you want a natural remedy, and believe it will work.
• Ostriches bury their heads in the sand. Wrong again. Ever heard of a mirage? The ostrich flattens its neck and white head to deceive predators. It’s purely a camouflage technique. If their heads were buried, they’d suffocate.
• Minnesota might be known as “The Land of 10,000 Lakes,” but they actually have almost 12,000. Even then, Alaska actually has more. They have over 3,000,000. Aren’t you thankful you didn’t have to count them?
• Tetanus doesn’t come from a rusty nail. This harmful bacteria grows in dirt that might surround a nail, though.
• Water actually is an insulator from electricity; not a conductor. I only thought I got that right on my grade school test.

Here’s the deal, I can word some of these to be misleading like the one reporter thought most journalists did. You see, in the last item, I used the word “water.” What I didn’t say was “pure water.” The truth is pure water insulates, but rarely is seen in our environment so the ionic make-up of most water conducts electricity, so don’t play a radio in the shower.

Now, it’s up to you to decide, or research if you believe the “facts” I shared. I did this to have fun, but I wanted to change your focus. Every day in life, we are presented with information that could be facts, or not, regardless of how they were presented. People define words differently. Ever heard of semantics? People remember things differently, perceptions play a part, as well as not seeing.

Whether you or anyone else believes it or not, there is one Truth that will never change. His name is Jesus. He is the Truth (John 14). It doesn’t matter if we believe He is or isn’t, God’s Word says it, so it is true.

 

 

Have you ever believed something in the Bible, then years later, through a teaching or when studying, learned your perception of what you thought was the truth was wrong? If you’re human and have gone to church very long, you have. Get to know the Truth, Jesus Christ, by reading His Word, the Bible. It NEVER CHANGES Perceptions do – just ask the lady with vision loss!

Let’s Talk. Please share something you have read, heard, or believed once upon a time you later learned was false.

Thanks for stopping in and reading my thoughts and sharing this article with friends and family.

© 2021, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.