The more I find out the less I know, said someone once. Maybe it was you.

After all, there is a lot of stuff you thought you knew but didn’t really. If you don’t believe me then keep reading and you’ll learn something new.

People Didn’t All Die Before 30 in the Middle Ages

Those poor sods in the middle ages didn’t even normally live long enough to grow a proper beard, to enjoy the full gray hair experience or to appreciate jazz music, did they? Didn’t they all die at 30 or before? Actually, it is thought that many people lived comfortably into their 60s back then. The figures for life expectancy in this time are distorted by much higher infant mortality rates than those seen in modern times.

Shaving Hair Doesn’t Make It Grow Back Thicker

Have you ever held back from shaving a patch of hair because you don’t want it to grow back all horrible and thick? Hey, don’t worry so much; you probably won’t end up looking like a grizzly bear, Tom Selleck or David Hasselhoff. This is because shaving hair just makes it appear coarser and thicker when it grows back rather than actually causing it to be like this.

They Didn’t Actually Think That the Earth Was Flat In Medieval Times

Why do you think that Christopher Columbus set up on his voyages? Was it to find out whether or not the Earth was really flat? The truth is that our happy sailor wanted to reach Asia by an alternative route, which shows that people already accepted that the planet was just a giant freaking ball. Plato and Aristotle are among the early dudes who understood the shape of the planet long before medieval times. Conversely, some people still believe that the planet is as flat as a particularly flat pancake.

A Duck’s Quack Does Echo

Many people believe that a duck’s quack doesn’t echo. I believe that some ducks believe this too. The truth is that they do have an echo. The reason for the long-standing and widespread confusion is rather technical but I’ll explain it as simply as I can; it sounds like there’s no echo but there is. Does that make sense?

Goldfish Can Remember More Than You Think

How long do you think a goldfish’s memory span covers? If you said just a few seconds then it is time to learn another new fact today. Goldfish can remember things for weeks and possibly months. Of course, if all of your memories involved going round in circles in a glass bowl you wouldn’t be all that bothered about how long your memories lasted for.

Napoleon Wasn’t a Midget

Dinky old Napoleon Bonaparte was so small you could have picked him up and put him in your pocket, couldn’t you? It makes you wonder why a diminutive, half pint little short arse ever managed to become one of the most powerful military leaders in history. The truth of the matter is that as 5 feet 7 inches Napoleon was slightly taller than the average Frenchman of his time. One theory suggests that the height of his imperial guards made him seem smaller than he was.