People Share Common 'Facts' That Are Actually Incorrect

Bring a Shield and it's Safe and Sound

"It's not dangerous to wake a sleepwalker. They won't have a heart attack or be put into a coma. They'll just be confused and it won't be pleasant for them, that's it." -- calathea1

"And depending on what kind of dream they're in, they might hit you." -- Fantastic-Mrs-Fox

Gotta Cut Corners Somewhere

"The beverage used by Jim Jones to kill all of those people was not Kool-aid, it was another brand called 'Flavor-aid.' " -- FloralBison

"When you're making enough fruit-flavored beverage to serve a thousand people, the savings from using a generic brand can really add up." -- brberg

Better Odds, but Still Bad

"Gladiator games in ancient Rome were not 'two men go in, one comes out.'"

"The figure I've seen in most studies is a chance of 1:9 for a gladiator to die during a munus that he took part in."

"That's huge, of course... but still means that, in most cases, it wasn't a fight to the death."

-- slacker25

Work Smarter, Not Harder

"You most probably weren't the fastest sperm cell. The egg has an outer protective layer that takes several sperm to wear down before fertilization."

"Honestly, you were probably one of the slowest sperm cells who arrived too late to do any work but still won the race of life."

"Also, the egg actually has a number of chemical barriers that select sperm with certain attractive chemical markers. The egg actually chooses which packet of DNA makes it to fertilization."

-- TinCupTan

Don't Flatter Yourselves

"Humans eat 8 spiders a year in their sleep."

"Spiders generally like cool, dry places. The inside of your mouth is not an appealing place for them."

-- VanillaSkittlez

Brian Power--About Three AA Batteries

"'We only use 10% of our brainpower.'"

"You always use 12 watts. That is the total power of the brain." -- DjDisingenius

"More specifically, you use all of your brain, but use different parts at different times, rather than all at once."

"This is why you never hear doctors saying, 'Thank god, he got shot in the 90% of the brain that doesn't do anything.'" -- Kakyoins_Egg

WHAT.

"'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day...'"

"Kelloggs payed researchers to create studies confirming that statement and started using it as a slogan to sell more cereal."

-- ValentinerX

Standard Measurement Strikes Again

"Napoleon wasn't short, he was actually 5'7" which was considered average-to-tall height for the time."

"Apparently the only way we can surmise that the urban legend started that he was short was because of the difference between English and French Imperial units, which led to his height seeming small by British figures."

-- Mayfair_Heir

And How do you Account for the Lungs Hmmmm?

"That the blood in your body is blue until it hits oxygen." -- StrikingWeb3

"I got onto a debate about this last year and dropped the 'blood literally carry's oxygen through your body' and they shut up." -- onionswithrubber

Would Have Run Out of Places a LONG Time Ago

"It's commonly said that 'lightning never strikes twice in the same place. In fact, it does - and frequently.'" -- Back2Bach

"Otherwise lightening rods would not be a thing." -- otter_pickles

"Or the one guy that has about 7 lightning strikes in his medical history." -- redbetweenlines