Some of the things we learned in school were unforgettable—but not always because they were true. Teachers, often unknowingly, passed down myths that sounded plausible at the time but have since been debunked. Let’s take a nostalgic (and humorous) look back at 17 myths that made us wide-eyed in the classroom, only for us to later realize they were more fiction than fact.
1. You’ll Go Blind if You Sit Too Close to the TV
Teachers and parents alike told us to scoot back from the TV, or risk poor eyesight. Modern optometry says the worst it’ll do is strain your eyes temporarily, but no permanent damage occurs.
2. Touching a Toad Will Give You Warts
Every playground had that one brave kid daring everyone to touch a toad. But teachers doubled down on the wart warning, keeping us squeamish about amphibians. Turns out, warts are caused by viruses, not toads.
3. You’ll Get Arthritis if You Crack Your Knuckles
Teachers often shook their heads as kids popped their knuckles, claiming it would lead to arthritis in old age. Decades later, science proved that knuckle-cracking isn’t harmful—though it might still annoy people around you.
4. George Washington Had Wooden Teeth
The idea of the nation’s first president sporting wooden chompers was drilled into us in history class. The truth? His dentures were made from materials like ivory, gold, and even human teeth—not wood.
5. If You Don’t Wait an Hour After Eating, You’ll Cramp and Drown While Swimming
This was every kid’s nightmare during pool parties. Teachers would insist on this “rule,” but research shows there’s no evidence that eating and swimming is a dangerous combo.
6. Humans Only Use 10% of Their Brain
This myth led us to believe we were all sitting on untapped genius potential, as if the other 90% just needed a wake-up call. Neuroscience has debunked this thoroughly—we use all of our brain, just not all at once.
7. If You Swallow Gum, It Stays in Your Stomach for Seven Years
This myth had kids terrified of chewing gum at all, lest they accidentally swallow it and carry it around like a hidden shame for most of their childhood. While gum doesn’t digest, it simply passes through your system like everything else.
8. Einstein Failed Math in School
This “inspiring” anecdote was thrown around to reassure struggling students, but it’s completely false. Einstein excelled at math from a young age and had no trouble calculating his way into genius status.
9. Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice
This myth was tossed around to comfort nervous kids during storms. But any park ranger at the top of a hill (or the Empire State Building) can tell you lightning definitely revisits the same spots.
10. The Great Wall of China Is Visible from Space
Teachers loved this fun fact to illustrate the scale of the Great Wall, but it’s a myth. Astronauts have confirmed it’s not easily visible from orbit without aid, unlike larger features like cities or deserts.
11. Your Hair and Nails Keep Growing After You Die
This morbid tidbit fascinated (and creeped out) us as kids. But it’s just an illusion—the skin around the hair and nails retracts as the body dehydrates, making them look longer.
12. The Five-Second Rule Makes Dropped Food Safe to Eat
Who hasn’t invoked the five-second rule as a kid? Some teachers even winked at it like a legitimate hygiene practice. Science tells us bacteria doesn’t work on a timer—food’s either safe or it’s not.
13. Columbus Proved the Earth Was Round
One of history class’s most persistent myths was that Columbus bravely sailed off to prove the Earth wasn’t flat. But ancient Greeks knew the Earth was round centuries before Columbus set sail.
14. Shaving Makes Your Hair Grow Back Thicker
When kids started shaving for the first time, teachers warned about becoming a human cactus. The truth? Shaving doesn’t change hair thickness—it just feels different as it grows back blunt-ended.
15. You’ll Catch a Cold if You Go Outside with Wet Hair
Every teacher seemed to pass this along as gospel truth, and yet science has confirmed colds are caused by viruses, not damp heads or chilly weather.
16. Bananas Are Going Extinct
Teachers warned us to cherish bananas because they’d be gone in a few decades. While certain varieties are at risk, bananas remain widely available, with scientists working to preserve their future.
17. The Color Red Makes Bulls Angry
Teachers loved to tie this tidbit into science lessons about animals, but bulls are colorblind to red. It’s the movement of the matador’s cape that gets their attention, not the color.
Looking back, these myths may have been more entertaining than factual, but they shaped the way we saw the world as kids. What other tall tales did your teachers tell you?
