The institute was already hard enough, with so many games and nonsense that we are not allowed to finish their homework. But what is screws to be "unlearn" many of the things they told us that in primary and the result is a lie.
5: Columbus discovered that the earth was round
The story told us:
In 1492 a Spanish named Christopher Columbus brought together the necessary support between the monarchy and clergy to make a trip to east Asia. Everyone assumed that would not succeed because they believed that the earth was a flat disc, and if Columbus sailed westward, eventually falling to the precipice of the end of the world, falling on top of which stood a large turtle on the disc earth.
Columbus, as they told us, not failed to reach its destination, but not because the world was flat, but because they ran into the American continent.
The truth:
In the fifteenth century, the theory of flat land had so much credibility as today is the theory of "Cubic Time", or perhaps less. The shape of the land is determined at the time that the philosopher Pythagoras proposed the theory of orbits, some 2000 years before the existence of Spain.
In fact, the navigation techniques used by Columbus were based on the fact that the earth is a sphere. Trying to make the trip assuming that the earth is flat would have screwed the traveling more than they already are nuisance.
That the Spanish government refused to pay the trip to Columbus did not have anything to do with misconceptions about the shape of the world. Ironically, it was thanks to Columbus was discovered that the land was larger than previously thought. The distance that he thought not let him walk around Asia. Anyway, got sufficient funds for the trip, and since enonces both in America and in Spain is celebrated on the day of the discovery of America.
But where it comes from the myth? Every part of a historian called Washington Irving, who wrote a novel about Columbus in 1838. The novel is fiction, but somehow came up the texts of textbooks, probably because some editor decided to give him something to vidilla history. Who wants to read history books boring?
4: Einstein suspended in mathematics
The story told us:
A teacher who likes to motivate his students love this story of a small German boy who was just like you!. Despite their efforts was not able to take exams mates, and struggled with despair while working as a physicist at the patent office.
The boy grew up and became thanks to his effort in the fucking Albert Einstein! And if he could, you too!
The truth:
Well ... no, you can not. It seems that Einstein was a prodigy in mathematics, and before reaching age 12, was already better in math computation and what you are now. Einstein was so fucking smart that he believed the school was holding him and his parents bought him books to study for advanced computation. Not only passed his exams with a note, it is possible that at the end of the quarter knew more than his teacher.
The idea that Eisntein was bad at math part of a question in a game of Trivial of the journal "Believe It or Not!" By Robert Ripley.
This is one of many reasons not to include Robert Ripley between the literature of your doctoral thesis. The famous "expert" on trivial never cited its sources, and a number of facts that were presented to the Scab sleeve.
When his wife told him this myth to Einstein himself, it was laughable, and probably resolved a dozen mysteries of the cosmos before dinner.
Of course, this only reinforces what we have always suspected, at the bottom: the success was really decided at birth, and your life will never be better than it is now. Sorry.
3: Newton and the apple
The story told us:
You have probably heard of Isaac Newton. It is something like the Jesus of physics. At the end of the seventeenth century, Newton was practically invented the science. Among his discoveries include the laws of motion, the visible spectrum, the speed of sound, the laws of the cool and calculating. If the entire calculation. One wonders if anyone really used his head before Newton.
Probably his most famous discovery is the law of gravity. The story is that Newton, a modest mathematician and professor of physics, was sitting in the shade of an apple a sunny day, when a manzaca a branch fell and struck her head.
When most people just would have thought "Oh! Hijoputa! "And would have remained alert for 10 minutes, the first attempt to Newton was formulating a set of universal laws that govern the movement of gravitational forces, a theory that lasted unchanged for 200 years.
The truth:
Newton never mentioned the story of the apple, in fact, forces another person, a certain John Conduitt who recounted 60 years later. Even then, the explanations are very vague on whether it was really an apple or the apple was a metaphor he used to illustrate the idea of gravity for the less privileged minds (or worldwide)
"While I was passing the time in a garden, he came to the thought of the idea that the strength of the gracedad (which makes an apple fall to the ground from the tree) was not limited to a distance of the land but had spread beyond. "
You may have noticed that there was no mention that the apple to hit Newtom, this fact was added later to give an element of animated pictures to life's genius.
We like to think that the discoveries complexes occur in this way, with a bulb that lights up suddenly over our heads. This makes us think that we could also happen to us one day, the next big idea will happen while we're strolling through the park. In fact, Newton spent most of his life his discurriendo and refine theories.
When we have children, let's tell the truth, man!. Newton who spent his life buried among piles of paper covered with small numbers and formulas. Only years of tedious and lonely work, before having several crises nerve and eventually die years later, crazy about mercury poisoning. Welcome to the real world, Tomasito.
2: Whasington and cherry. (not seen in Europe.)
[machine translation, when you have a while the review]
The story:
It is a parable that resonates across every primary school student recount the life and times of the man who is both the first president of America, and the only president who has also been a superhero.
As a child, we were told, George Washington came into possession of an ax, and went about their day to cut the shit out of everything he saw. One day his father came to prize cherry tree, and without so much as a second thought of fools that he chopped down, presumably because he was a monarchist. As for his father questions about the event, Washington proudly admitted that he had been the culprit, because of their inability to lie. The story was later adapted for film with Jim Carrey in the lead role.
The truth:
In a culture quite cynical, George Washington has yet been upgraded to a kind of deity, thanks in part to a man named Mason Locke Weems. He was the author of the biography titled, unfortunately, "Life of George Washington, with Curious Anecdotes commendable himself and his COUNTRYMAN Copy." This was the title of his short publishers could be persuaded to agree with him.
Weems recalls many fantastic stories about Washington, with special emphasis on its immense moral strength and steadfastness. The cherry tree story is of particular importance because it demonstrates that Washington can easily destroy things, and just decided not to.
According to Weems, "in view of it, even blessed the spirits appear [ed] to feel Rapture again." That's when the Angels learned of the existence of George Washington, began to think of his second loyalty to their leader and much less powerful, God. Curiously, Weems waited until Washington was dead before the publication of his anecdotes.
It happens, indeed, if Washington was incapable of lying, then Mason Weems was certainly true of his nemesis, seeing that their tally of Washington about as historically accurate as exploiting the Civil War of 1999 documentary Wild Wild West.
However, Weems' pack of lies taught as fact in school textbooks of America for more than a century, probably because they are much more fascinating that the true story of a man who, by most reliable accounts, it was actually a bland, boring and other uncharismatic That has become higher than the average, and quite good at fighting. The story still resonates today, handed over to their children impressionable minds through reliable media, such as Sesame Street.
Why is this story of shit survive? Perhaps because the central message still resonates: "It's much easier to tell the truth when you are holding a hatchet."
1: Benjamin Franklin, the kite and the storm
The story:
Another great American hero who has almost super-mutant is Ben Franklin, a scientist and statesman whose inventions include bifocal lenses, the urinary catheter and freedom. I was particularly interested in electricity, and his colleagues ran into skeptics who doubted that the rays were an electrical phenomenon, which led him to experiment to prove to be wrong.
Franklin came in the midst of a storm and dropped a kite in a lightning rod at the top and a key metal on the end. When the kite he touched noses God, he launched a lightning and cargo passed through the key, went down by the rope and went up the key. When Franklin touched the key, jumped a spark of static electricity, which enabled him to discover electricity.
The truth:
It is true that Franklin proposed the experiment of the kite. But no longer seems so certain that it take place, and many sources suguieren that he did not. What is certain is that the experiment had nothing to do with lightning. If someone holding a kite in a thunderstorm and was hit by a thunderbolt, it is quite likely that the person was seriously damaged.
A lot of people who believe in this story grew up with drawings of Disney sonbre history, in which the chapter "Ben and Me" in which he mentioned the history of the comet. There is no lack of testimony from people on the basis of a an animated mouse, have tried to repeat the experiment. The reality of Franklin's experiment is that when you fly the kite through the roof, it collects harmless ions and proves that the atmosphere is charged with electricity. It is believed that the discoveries of Franklin led him to infer, later, the lightning that probably were related to electricity.
The story of the comet in the storm that is an exaggeration still present in textbooks U.S. which suggests to children that Americans storms are not dangerous and that science is fun. Also, the igial that Newton with his apple, portrays a scientist doing experiments for children, as if everyone who lived before the twentieth century had the mentality of a child.
Author: Peter S Davies
Text originates: cracked.com
Illustrations: Netroid.com
