Fascinating Facts That Are False!

25 tall tales that are impossibly true …… and 25 facts that are actually myths

- Marissa Laliberte, Ashley Lewis, and Jacopo della Quercia

1 Dinosaurs had feathers. That’s what archaeologists have found in the fossil evidence of some species, including velociraptors. Whether bigger species such as Tyrannosaurus rex had them is under debate, but some scientists believe they had light feathering. In fact, researchers have long noted that chickens and other birds share skeletal similarities with T. rex and are its probable descendants.

2 McDonald’s once created bubblegum-flavored broccoli. Not surprisingly, the bizarre attempt to get kids to eat healthier did not go over well with the child testers.

3 You have a greater chance of dying on your birthday than on any other day of the year. In fact, the younger you are, the more likely you are to bite the bullet on your big day. So go ahead and party— but not too hard.

4 The current American flag was designed by a high school student. Betsy Ross, make way for Bob Heft. He sewed the prototype for a history project in 1958, the year before Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union. (His teacher gave him a B− because no one knew for certain that the flag would ever need updating.) Heavens to Betsy— there’s no proof that Ms. Ross even had anything to do with the original 13-star version of the flag.

5 Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins can. Dolphins need air after ten minutes, but a swimming sloth can hold its breath for up to 40 minutes. Their secret: Sloths can slow their heart rate at will, reducing the need for fresh oxygen.