Historical Events  Science
Historical Events  Science
Nazi video call

Alternate:
AT&T made the first public video call in the 1970's

Current:
The Nazis made the first public video call in 1936

Who made the first public video call?

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a massive boost in the use of video conferencing technology.

This is because the social distancing rules mean most people are advised to work from home. Video conferencing helps with this tremendously, and like every technology, it has a history.

The idea itself first emerged in the 1870's, and was in the realm of science fiction. There was even a recognisable term for it: videotelephony. Various research projects made some progress alongside the invention of the television, but most involved just two transmitters and receivers, so weren't switchable in the way the term "public" meant. The first actual public one which could be described this way, because each party could connect to any of several different parties on the same network, was actually created in 1936 and known as the Gegensehn-Fernsprechanlagen system, It connected the cities of Berlin and Leipzig, and the governing party of the day was indeed the Nazi party.

Historical Events  Science
Defibrillator

Alternate:
Defibrillators can revive flatlined patients

Current:
Defibrillators can't revive flatlined patients

Defibrillators on flatlined patients?

We've all seen the scenes in movies and TV shows where a patient is lying still, and a monitor beside them makes a constant tone as the activity line remains flat. Then a doctor or nurse calls "Clear!" and the electric pads are applied, only for the patient to stir back to life as the monitor shows the line has peaks again.

The problem? Medical experts will confirm this doesn't happen. The electric shock is to stabilise a heart which isn't beating correctly, not to revive one which has stopped. This myth is so widespread in the media because it contains so much drama. There's nothing better to move a story along, or give one a happy ending, than a character being brought back to life. Unfortunately, that's just not how it is in this case.

Historical Events  Science
Ben Franklin's kite experiment

Alternate:
Ben Franklin was struck by lightning

Current:
Ben Franklin was not struck by lightning

Was Ben Franklin struck by lighting during his kite experiment?

Ben Franklin is famous for many things, not least of which beimg so many people remembering him being President when he wasn't, but that's for another day. 

He was one of the 8 founding fathers of the United States and helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Perhaps he's equally as well-known for his kite experiments, because this is taught in school so children get an impression of him flying a kite in a thunderstorm at an early age. This is likely to stick with them because it's so dramatic. However, there's a part of this story which seems to be ingrained in most people's minds which just isn't true, and that's the idea that he was struck by lightning during a storm.

It's easy to see how the dramatic idea that he was struck by lightning is given, especially because the famous painting of the experiment almost gives that impression. However, it's simply not the case as a little thought and research would uncover. Had he in fact been struck by lightning, he would likely been injured or killed since he was holding the line carrying the electricity. This is not the case when people are struck by it in open fields etc, and survive the brief bolt.

Historical Events  Science
Lemmings

Alternate:
Yes

Current:
No

Do lemmings deliberately kill themselves?

Picture the idea of lemmings "killing themselves" and there's always one thing that's present but never thought about. That is, they are always jumping off a cliff into water.

The popular misconception of them deliberately killing themselves ignores this fact, and focuses on the cliff. This is the key to their behaviour, where it turns out they are not committing suicide at all. In fact, they are migrating, which also explains why you always hear of large groups doing this at once, rather than individual ones at different times.

The herd is aware it has outgrown it's current location, in terms of resources and habitat, so instinct kicks in and collectively they know it's time to move on. They have been living near rivers and streams, so are used to crossing by swimming and always, until now, got to the other side safely, if a little tired. Unfortunately, all this combines to them thinking they just need to keep swimming to migrate, but don't realise how different the ocean is, but do know it's the one place they haven't been before.

Historical Events  Science

Alternate:
Thousands

Current:
One

Number of humans officially killed by piranhas?

Everyone is familiar with the idea that when some unfortunate victim falls into piranha-infested waters, they don't have long to live.

The image of them being turned into a skeleton in a bubbling, screaming frenzy has appeared in countless movies from exploring the Amazon to the lairs of James Bond's most fearsome villains

Despite appearing many times in this form, the truth nowadays is that this has only officially happened once.

This MMDE is similar to the one regarding great white sharks, where again the actual number killed is far lower than popularly believed.

Historical Events  Science
Veins

Alternate:
Blood in the veins is colored blue

Current:
Blood in the veins is colored red

The color of blood

Many people remember being taught at school that the blood inside the human veins is colored blue, and only turns red when it comes into contact with air. The fact that it looks that way when checking is out on your arms, legs etc appears to only reinforce this idea.

In fact it's not true, and this is coming as a big surprise to many people, who in turn have been telling their children this is the case and so perpetuating the myth. It's red because the way it carries oxygen around the body is in the form of hemoglobin, which is rich in iron and gives it the red shade.

There is a clue this is the case without having to conduct some elaborate experiment. When blood is drawn into a tube via a syringe, it usually goes into a vacuum in the tube, not air. This prevents contamination, yet it's still always red.

Historical Events  Science
Tongue taste map

Alternate:
 The tongue has separate areas for taste

Current:
All the tongue can taste all tastes

Unpalatable

Remember being taught at school that different areas of the tongue is responsible for different tastes? That is, there's a region for sweet which can't taste bitter, and so on. There were "maps" made showing these regions.

Well, it turns out to be baloney. All taste buds can taste all tastes. An easy proof comes from people with damages tongues. Say one lost the area which was supposed to taste salt. When tests were done, they still could but with a different area.

Its not beyond the realms of possibility to test this yourself with a healthy tongue and a pippet.

So where did this idea come from - and how way the map created?