Castillo Rancon
Snapple bottle caps have served up “Real Facts” for decades, but a few of those fun tidbits fall flat under closer inspection. Some came from outdated ideas, while others were just clever-sounding myths. It’s still good trivia, just not always good information, and these 10 fact-flubs prove even Snapple can get it wrong.
“A Sneeze Travels Out Of Your Mouth At Over 100 Mph”
People used to say sneezes zoom out of your mouth at +100 miles per hour. It felt believable since sneezes can feel super powerful. However, when scientists measured real sneezes, most only flew at speeds of around 20 to 30 miles per hour. A good cough might go even further.
“You Swallow An Average Of Eight Spiders A Year In Your Sleep”
You may have heard that we swallow eight spiders a year while we sleep. The story spreads easily because it sounds creepy and oddly specific. It has been found that spiders actually avoid humans and won’t crawl into mouths. Someone fabricated this fact to illustrate how quickly lies can spread.
“Thomas Jefferson Invented The Coat Hanger”
Some folks say Thomas Jefferson made the first coat hanger. People believed it because he invented many clever things. It turns out that coat hangers weren’t even around until 1903, and Jefferson passed away almost 80 years earlier. A man named Albert Parkhouse made one when people ran out of hooks.
“The Statue Of Liberty Was The First Lighthouse To Use Electricity”
Snapple once said the Statue of Liberty was the first electric lighthouse. Folks connected the idea because she held a big torch in the sky. Her light, however, was so weak that ships couldn’t even see it. She stopped being a lighthouse just two years after getting that fancy bulb.
“A Duck’s Quack Doesn’t Echo”
People believed a duck’s quack didn’t echo. But recordings taken in echo-y places proved that duck sounds bounce back just like anything else. The idea stuck around because it was fun and sounded different. It’s just hard to notice unless you’re really listening to it.
“Goldfish Have A Three-Second Memory”
It was thought that goldfish could remember things for three seconds. That concept made them seem kinda dopey and easy to forget things. But goldfish can actually learn tricks and remember stuff for months, way longer than most people guessed.
“Humans Use Only 10% Of Their Brains”
The claim that people only use 10% of their brains sounded intriguing as if we had secret superpowers waiting to be tapped. Brain scans showed every part of the brain works together, even when we’re chilling. And no, Einstein didn’t say that either.
“Lightning Never Strikes The Same Place Twice”
You’ve probably heard that lightning never strikes the same place twice. The idea seems true. However, in real life, lightning usually strikes tall things many times. The Empire State Building gets struck more than 20 times a year, and one man has even survived being hit seven times.
“Bananas Grow On Trees”
Some people often say bananas grow on trees. The plants do look tall and leafy, just like real trees. Banana “trees” are actually giant herbs with trunks made of rolled-up leaves. Once they bear fruit, the whole plant dies and regrows from the ground again.
“Coffee Is Made From Beans”
Snapple once claimed coffee comes from beans, but that’s a bit misleading. What we call “coffee beans” are actually seeds from a red fruit known as a coffee cherry. In some luxury brews, these seeds pass through the digestive system of a civet, making for a surprisingly pricey cup.
