Contrary to Popular Belief: More Than 250 False Facts Revealed

What exactly is a "false fact"? It's a bit of knowledge that the world at large is absolutely, positively convinced to be true--"conventional wisdom, if you will--but isn't. In this fun book, which readers will want to dip into again and again, bests... Read more

What exactly is a "false fact"? It's a bit of knowledge that the world at large is absolutely, positively convinced to be true--"conventional wisdom, if you will--but isn't. In this fun book, which readers will want to dip into again and again, bestselling author Joey Green unburdens the world of all kinds of misinformation with the truth about history, entertainment, science, religion, and more. His revelations range from perplexing (strawberries are not berries) to practical (you have the right to make more than one phone call), but all of the 250 debunked facts collected here are fascinating.
Facts he reveals--and explains in lighthearted but irrefutable fashion--include:
- George Washington was not the first president of the United States.
- Leap year does not occur every four years.
- The ostrich does not bury its head in the sand.
- Thomas Edison did not invent the lightbulb.
- Ship's captains cannot perform marriages at sea.
- Sound does not travel at the speed of sound.
- Monica Lewinsky did not perform oral sex in the Oval Office.
- The needle of a compass does not point to the North Pole.
- Leonardo da Vinci did not paint the "Mona Lisa.
With these and hundreds of other entertaining facts, "Contrary to Popular Belief helps readers everywhere master their cocktail party banter. Less