List of common misconceptions

This incomplete list is not intended to be exhaustive.

This list corrects erroneous beliefs that are currently widely held about notable topics. Each misconception and the corresponding facts have been discussed in published literature. Note that each entry is formatted as a correction; the misconceptions themselves are implied rather than stated.

George Washington did not have wooden teeth.

 Napoleon Bonaparte (pictured) was not short.

 The popular image of Santa Claus was not created by The Coca-Cola Company as an advertising gimmick.

 There was no widespread outbreak of panic across the United States in response to Orson Welles' 1938 radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.

 It is rarely necessary to wait 24 hours before filing a missing person's report.

 Microwave ovens do not cook food from the inside out.

 The Twinkie does not have an infinite shelf life.

 The word "crap" did not originate as a back-formation of British plumber Thomas Crapper's surname.

 "Golf" did not originate as an acronym of "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden".

 Meteorites are not necessarily hot when they reach the Earth.

 Bulls are not enraged by the colour red.

--more at Wikipedia--