51 favourite facts you’ve always believed that are actually false

A tall tale. At five six, he was actually slightly above average height for a Frenchman of the time.

Just as his military genius has been studied throughout the years, we’ve also been fascinated with the life – and quirks – of the first emperor of France.

Here are 15 things you probably didn’t know about Napoleon.

This doesn’t increase the risk of cramps; alcohol is the biggest risk increaser. But a full stomach will make you short of breath.

A grumbly tummy can help you make better decisions or improve your sex life, but an empty stomach is not so helpful for shopping or exercise.

Adding a sprinkle of salt to water makes no difference.

It can actually make boiling take longer.

It is important for dishes that need to cook for a long time, that your pot or pan has a good-quality heavy base to distribute the heat evenly. So which pot should you use to cook?

Nope. It’ll only make it greasy. Stirring prevents sticking.

Did you know floating a few tablespoons of vegetable oil on the surface of the water of a bird bath will help keep mosquitoes from using it?

There’s no solid division between the talents of each hemisphere; the left brain can learn “right-brain skills” and vice versa.

Trying to give your brain a bit of exercise? Here’s 6 simple games to build a happy and healthy brain.

Terminal velocity of a standard penny is 18 to 30 kilometres per hour. Not fast enough to kill – but it sure would sting.

Back in the day, putting a coin or other hard, flat object on a baby’s belly to help to heal an umbilical hernia was a common practice. Take a look at these other home remedies that will only make you worse.

Nowhere in the Bible does it specify that there were three.

Want to know something freaky? In the Bible, it is significant that Noah led seven pairs of all clean animals, one pair of every unclean animal and seven pairs of birds into the ark.

When the flood subsided, God, who had created the world in seven days, sent a redeeming rainbow with seven colours.

Here’s some other origins of superstitions and lucky charms.

There’s no scientific proof—just anecdotal evidence implicating monosodium glutamate. But here’s how to tell what kind of headache you have, and also how to survive the 8 different types of migraine.

No—they regulate temperature through panting. They actually sweat through their footpads.

And if you’ve ever wondered which is the best dog breed in the world, you’ll surely find out here.

It’s not visible from space. No single human structure is visible from orbit, but you can see cities at night.