Misconceptions

There are a lot of things we don't quite get right about the Renaissance, including when it actually took place.

U.S. soldiers in an M24 Chaffee light tank driving through Bologna, Italy, in 1945.

Did kamikaze pilots really volunteer? Did the U.S. really declare war against the Axis powers directly after Pearl Harbor? We're debunking some of the most common misconceptions about World War II.

An illustration from Hunefer's Book of the Dead.

Did Napoleon really shoot off the Great Sphinx’s nose? Was King Tut murdered? Those answers and more on this ‘Misconceptions.’

We're nosediving into all things flight-related and debunking several widespread myths about the (very safe) mode of travel.

The white stuff isn’t a sign that your carrots have gone bad—but they might appreciate a little water.

He may look fierce, but his name is probably "Ragnar the Snoring Softie" or something.

If all your Viking information comes from ‘Hägar the Horrible’ comics and the ‘Vikings’ TV show, you should probably watch this video.

No, William Shakespeare probably wasn't secretly the Earl of Oxford.

Even devout bibliophiles might believe some of these misconceptions about Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, and William Shakespeare.

Can cheese really give you nightmares? And why do you keep dreaming that you're back in high school? We get to the bottom of eight misconceptions about dreams.