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Everything you think you know is wrong, in one chart

By Libby Nelson
Libby Nelson is Vox's policy editor, leading coverage of how government action and inaction shape American life. Libby has more than a decade of policy journalism experience, including at Inside Higher Ed and Politico. She joined Vox in 2014.

We don't only have five senses. Napoleon wasn't actually short for an 18th-century Frenchman. Caffeine doesn't dehydrate you. Swimming after you eat won't cause cramps.

Basically, everything you think you know is wrong, as this fascinating graphic from Information is Beautiful shows. (Click through on the link for the full graphic, which has more than 50 debunked myths.)

You may even discover new myths you hadn't known about, like the widespread rumors that George Washington smoked pot.

We're here to shed some clarity

One of our core beliefs here at Vox is that everyone needs and deserves access to the information that helps them understand the world, regardless of whether they can pay for a subscription. With the 2024 election on the horizon, more people are turning to us for clear and balanced explanations of the issues and policies at stake. We’re so grateful that we’re on track to hit 85,000 contributions to the Vox Contributions program before the end of the year, which in turn helps us keep this work free. We need to add 2,500 contributions this month to hit that goal. Will you make a contribution today to help us hit this goal and support our policy coverage? Any amount helps.

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