52 Common Myths Explained

It turns out that pretty much everything you thought you knew is wrong.

This brilliant infographic created by London-based data journalist and information designer David McCandless gleefully debunks a host of myths that, despite absolutely not being true, have continued to propogate, becoming almost immovable pieces of wisdom. Wisdom, that is, that is nonsense.

McCandless and his fellow researches James Kennedy, Miriam Quick, Ella Hollowood and Pearl Doughty-White have even provided a spreadsheet of their data to prove that they are actually correct. We're absolutely sure this won't change people still believing them though.

These are taken from an even bigger infographic found in McCandless' book Knowledge is Beautiful; you can also buy a high-res pdf to print your own version, or buy an art print here. Click on the image to zoom in.

(Images: Shutterstock/David McCandless)