# Common Misconceptions Many Reasonably Intelligent People Have and Your Corrections **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226 "2011-05-09T02:24:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/161 "2011-05-11T13:18:45Z")
Days (ie. hours of daylight) get longer during the Summer. Actually they get shorter. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/162 "2011-05-11T13:20:32Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > According to both the Enyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia, there _are_ crocodiles in Florida. According to the scientific definition, alligators are order _Crocodylia_, family _Alligatoridae_. Crocodiles are order _Crocodylia_, family _Crocodylidae_. ([Cite](http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-crocodile.html)) I suppose you could argue that it’s okay to use the term “crocodile” colloquially to refer to anything in order _Crocodylia_, in which case there would be crocodiles in Florida. But if we draw a distinction between alligators and crocodiles, then there are only alligators in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/163 "2011-05-11T13:37:11Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > According to the scientific definition, alligators are order _Crocodylia_, family _Alligatoridae_. Crocodiles are order _Crocodylia_, family _Crocodylidae_. ([Cite](http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-crocodile.html)) I suppose you could argue that it’s okay to use the term “crocodile” colloquially to refer to anything in order _Crocodylia_, in which case there would be crocodiles in Florida. But if we draw a distinction between alligators and crocodiles, then there are only alligators in Florida. I think he may be referring to American crocodiles. They are rare (about 2000 in the wild) but they do exist in Florida. > **[American crocodile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_crocodile)** > > The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas, with populations present from South Florida, the Caribbean islands of Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola, and the coasts of Mexico to as far south as Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. > The habitat of the American crocodile consists largely of coastal areas. It is also found in river systems, but tends to prefer sal... ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/164 "2011-05-11T13:38:07Z")
I call them all crocogators, and don’t worry about it. The people who know the difference, know the difference. The people who are confused still know approximately what I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/165 "2011-05-11T13:39:27Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Actually, until that night, I was totally unaware of the idea that blue, red, and yellow were the primary colors. > > I never took an elementary school art class, so I guess I was not exposed to it. That was why it so shocked me when they declared my answer wrong. You’ve never seen a pigment color wheel? I wouldn’t have known about additive and subtractive primaries if it hadn’t been for a game called Zork: Nemesis. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/166 "2011-05-11T13:39:29Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > ^ Isn’t the only ‘other country’ that calls it ‘Canadian bacon’ the USA? Probably, because we call it that because the Canadians consumed it commonly, and we’re in very close proximity to Canada. I always thought it was completely obvious that “Canadian bacon” wasn’t “bacon that they eat in Canada,” but rather “a ham-like substance that’s called peameal bacon” in Ontario. Maybe my border proximity influenced me (e.g., I also have no objection to homo milk). Can any American, non-border Dopers confirm whether at some point in their lives, “Canadian bacon” was thought to be “the type of bacon instead of real bacon that’s eaten in Canada”? ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/167 "2011-05-11T13:44:19Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > According to the scientific definition, alligators are order _Crocodylia_, family _Alligatoridae_. Crocodiles are order _Crocodylia_, family _Crocodylidae_. ([Cite](http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-crocodile.html)) I suppose you could argue that it’s okay to use the term “crocodile” colloquially to refer to anything in order _Crocodylia_, in which case there would be crocodiles in Florida. But if we draw a distinction between alligators and crocodiles, then there are only alligators in Florida. No, [Florida has about 2000 American crocodiles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodylus_acutus), _Crocodylus acutus_, family Crocodylidae. On the other hand, in Florida alone there are between 1 and 1.5 million [American alligators](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_alligator), _Alligator mississippiensis_, family _Alligatoridae_. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/168 "2011-05-11T14:22:58Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > … I said that the odds of us having a moon the same apparent size of the sun is astronomical. I know it’s not on-topic, but I just wanted to say that is pretty damn funny. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/169 "2011-05-11T14:54:33Z")
> [@zagloba](#): > > No, [Florida has about 2000 American crocodiles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodylus_acutus), _Crocodylus acutus_, family Crocodylidae. On the other hand, in Florida alone there are between 1 and 1.5 million [American alligators](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_alligator), _Alligator mississippiensis_, family _Alligatoridae_. There was a report back in the 1990s, I think, about a crocodile sunning itself on Miami Beach. Couldn’t find a cite with a quick google, but I found [this report](http://www.miamibeach411.com/news/deering-crocodile-kayak) of an encounter in Miami from a couple in a kayak. There is also (or maybe used to be) a road sign in the upper Florida keys warning of “Crocodile Xing.” I lived in Florida for many years and never saw a crocodile. Alligators are everywhere though. ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/170 "2011-05-11T16:47:58Z")
I don’t know how common this misconception is, but it was featured in a major motion picture, so it must be held by some people. According to the movie _Elephant_, you can order scary looking guns and have them shipped to your doorstep and then use said guns to shoot up a school. In reality, shipping a firearm to any place that isn’t a gun store is a serious fellony. You _can_ indeed order guns off of the internet, but by federal law, they must be received by a gun store, and that store has to transfer the gun to you via the normal method (background check, taxes, any applicable waiting period, etc.) Before I get nitpicked, there are some exceptions: -Muzzleloading weapons (old timey guns that you load from the front) are not legally considered firearms so they can be shipped anywhere. -Same goes for antique guns, wether they’re muzzleloading or not. I think the law specifies any gun made before 1898 or something like that. -You can apply for what’s called a C&R (curio and relics) license which allows you to mail order certain military surplus or historically significant guns. But the rifle in that movie definitely didn’t fall under this definition. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/171 "2011-05-11T17:01:01Z")
> [@put\_down\_the\_sabre](#): > > ^ Isn’t the only ‘other country’ that calls it ‘Canadian bacon’ the USA? > > pdts, American bacon hater Hmm, I thought I’ve seen people from other countries with that misconception, too, but perhaps it is just the US. Anyway, you’re still all wrong. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/172 "2011-05-11T17:57:29Z")
Before Columbus made his journey, people never believed the Earth was flat. People knew it was a sphere since ancient times. It was only the size that was in dispute. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/173 "2011-05-11T18:24:13Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > If anything they’ll make the air slightly warmer due to radiated heat from the fan motor and air friction. However, they may make the air _where you’d be sitting_ cooler than if they weren’t running, if they’re circulating air and moving cooler air toward the sitting area. The overall amount of heat, however, is indeed going to increase a bit. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/174 "2011-05-11T18:34:51Z")
> [@Amasia](#): > > And I’ve never heard anyone, let along anyone I would consider “reasonably intelligent,” hold that view about Puritans. I’ve heard many times that the Puritans were grumpy types who didn’t like fun. I’m not sure it’s a “misconception” per se, but it seems commonplace now to believe that people in the past all wore drab clothing, mostly brown and black and such. If you were a Viking, add some horns; if a Scot, add a kilt. In fact, people throughout history have tried to wear colourful clothing and with few exceptions all the costuming you see in film is wrong (William Wallace wearing a kilt is about as historically accurate as him wearing a Yankees cap.) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/175 "2011-05-11T18:44:33Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Before Columbus made his journey\*\*, people never believed the Earth was flat.\*\* People knew it was a sphere since ancient times. It was only the size that was in dispute. (bolding mine) Okay, I have to dispute that statement because of the word _never_. It would be more accurate, methinks, to say that educated persons in the time of Christopher Columbus new that the Earth was spherical. But that fact is far from intuitive. The fact that Aristotle and Eratosthes and their ilk devised proofs that the Earth _isn’t_ flat would seem to indicate that the idea had some currency, as do a couple or three references in the Bible and other myths. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get my shotgun. Someone will be along momentarily to make a remark about Terra actually being an oblate spheroid and I wish to be prepared. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/176 "2011-05-11T18:51:45Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > It would be more accurate, methinks, to say that educated persons in the time of Christopher Columbus new that the Earth was spherical. I do have to wonder about uneducated people. Would a common farmer know the shape of the Earth? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/177 "2011-05-11T19:00:35Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I do have to wonder about uneducated people. Would a common farmer know the shape of the Earth? That’s my point. You can find people today who are dubious of the notion of the Earth being spherical. And I’m not talking about the Flat-Earth Society, but people I know who grew up in rural areas and had little education. I find it difficult to believe that the average peasant in 1400s Europe knew that the Earth was not basically flat. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/178 "2011-05-11T19:16:02Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Before Columbus made his journey, people never believed the Earth was flat. People knew it was a sphere since ancient times. It was only the size that was in dispute. It’s worse than this: There are people who believe that Columbus discovering the New World proved the world is round. [No, really.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13384999&postcount=35) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/179 "2011-05-11T19:28:06Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > Days (ie. hours of daylight) get longer during the Summer. Actually they get shorter. What? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226/180 "2011-05-11T19:29:04Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I find it difficult to believe that the average peasant in 1400s Europe knew that the Earth was not basically flat. Inland farmers, anyway. I would thing that people living in coastal regions, including sailors, had some inkling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-misconceptions-many-reasonably-intelligent-people-have-and-your-corrections/581226.md?page=10)