Sunday 8 March 2009

Home Truths

I have recently been reading a book entitled "Actually Factually: Mind-Blowing Myths, Muddles and Misconceptions", by Guy Campbell. I have to say that I can't put the damn thing down. It is full of all the old wives tales you have heard since childhood and the book sets out to tell you if they are true or not.

Carrots help you to see in the dark. Is a deliberate lie from World War Two. British pilots were shooting down more German planes than usual thanks to a new long-distance radar system. To keep the radar secret, the Government spread a rumour that pilots had been put on a high-carrot diet to improve their night vision.

Heinz have 57 varieties. In truth there are thousands. The labels boast of 57 because founder Henry Heinz thought the numbers five and seven were lucky.

However the most disturbing one concerns whether Lemmings actually jump off cliffs or not. It turns out that this event was "captured" on camera in a 1958 Disney film called; "White Wilderness". Further investigation found the film crew took the animals there and herded them off the cliff to provide a sad ending to the film.

I shall never think of Mr Disney in the same light ever again.