The best articles on myths and misconceptions in 2021 on Lifehacker

12 myths about melee weapons and swordsmanship that wander from film to film

Think the rapiers that the musketeers swing are as light as a feather? Or maybe they are convinced that the groove on the sword, the so-called bloodstream, helps to inflict more dangerous wounds? Well, what about a glaive with two blades - what do you think should be used to smear it with poison?

In this article, we will tell you why the battles with melee weapons, which we are shown in movies, books and games, are completely unrealistic, and compare them with real medieval battles.

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8 myths about life in the USSR

For many of us, Soviet times seem extremely attractive. Then, after all, the grass was greener, and the sun was shining brighter, and ice cream was nowhere better. And also education with medicine were at their best and rockets with ballet were ahead of the rest. And now it’s not right. Or not? Is it true that everything "Soviet means excellent", you will find out in our material.

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8 misconceptions about assassins we believe in movies and video games

The Assassins, or hashishins, are mysterious assassins from the east who brought fear and horror to their enemies and bravely fought the Templars (at least in Ubisoft games). Modern culture ascribes to them many qualities that the real Nizari hardly possessed.

Self-extending blades and mental preparation in imitation of the "Garden of Eden with Hurias" - how close are these images to the truth? In the article at the link below, we have debunked all these misconceptions.

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12 popular snake myths you shouldn't believe

Snakes are frightening, but at the same time attractive creatures that are shrouded in an aura of mystery, despite all the achievements of modern herpetology. Someone still thinks that these animals are slippery and sticky to the touch.

Others are convinced that reptiles love milk and crawl into barns at night to drink it straight from a cow's udder. Well, everyone has heard about fakirs-spellcasters and their ability to control cobras with the help of music. We tell you what is true and what is not, in our article.

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8 myths about Mikhail Lomonosov that everyone around believes in

Mikhailo Lomonosov is an encyclopedic scientist who laid the foundations of natural science in Russia. He was a physicist, a chemist, an astronomer, a geologist, and a historian, and he wrote good poetry.

Naturally, such an outstanding personality is shrouded in a whole host of myths and misconceptions. We will find out if Mikhailo really reached Moscow in the snow barefoot, what discoveries he made, and which ones are only attributed to him, and what actually connects him with Emperor Peter the Great.

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9 misconceptions about ancient Rome that we believe in completely in vain

Ancient Rome is an incredibly interesting place. Patricians there wore stylish togas, were pushed around by crowds of disenfranchised slaves, and participated in countless feasts. Even a horse could become a senator in those days, and gladiators died in the arenas by the thousands. And the emperor Nero did not let him get bored - he would start a fire, then he would play the harp. Or was it really not the case in Rome? Read in our material.

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10 misconceptions about primitive people you are ashamed to believe in

In this material we will tell the whole truth about the prehistoric ancestors of our species - not those that rode dinosaurs in the animated series "The Flintstones", but the real ones. What weapons did they use, what they thought about physical activity and the paleo diet, and whether it is correct to call them "cavemen" at all. And also we will find out whether it is true that at the end of his life Darwin renounced his theory of evolution and refuted the origin of man from ape.

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8 myths about the Middle Ages from Game of Thrones

Despite the fact that "Game of Thrones" ended long ago, it still remains one of the most notable films in the fantasy genre. The filmmakers tried to make the world of "Ice and Fire" as realistic as possible - well, with a few exceptions like dragons and White Walkers.

However, how much does the show really relate to the real Middle Ages? We will tell you how gloomy Winterfell differs from the real castles of English monarchs, is it worth lighting dungeons with torches, how far does the ballista shoot and who is cooler - Khal Drogo with his Dothraki or Mongol Empire.

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11 myths about Leonardo da Vinci you shouldn't believe in

Despite the fact that da Vinci is one of the most popular figures of art and painting in world culture, many people completely misunderstand his figure. Some are convinced that Leo is the first vegan in history, others believe that the artist possessed secret knowledge, which he encrypted in his diaries using a still unsolved code.

Someone assures that da Vinci, on principle, did not read books, while others call him a genius of organization and replicate the productivity techniques that he allegedly invented. We will find out for sure what is true from this and what is not, and we will tell you what kind of person is depicted in the painting "Mona Lisa".

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10 historical myths that are long overdue to debunk

Many of the most varied misconceptions from history have steadfastly become entrenched in the heads of people. For example, most of us know how Captain Cook was eaten by Hawaiian cannibals from Vysotsky's song. But in reality, the body of the navigator suffered an even stranger fate.

Yes, and the Livonian knights in the battle with Alexander Nevsky under the ice of Lake Peipsi did not fail, no matter what lovers of the "historical truth" may tell us. The true purpose of the voyage of Columbus, the results of counting the legs of insects by Aristotle, the passage of ships between the legs of the Colossus of Rhodes - all this and much more in our material.

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