10+ Facts the Whole Internet Believed That Turned Out to Be Fake

In the world of fake news, it’s hard to trust the information we see online. Even the biggest and most trustworthy resources online may sometimes publish wrong information. This is why it is important to check everything you read. Many internet resources are already helping their users to tell the truth from fakes, for example, Facebook is trying to push verified information to the top of the search and is constantly improving the algorithms of fact-checking.

Bright Side encourages you to take any information you read critically and not trust any big titles. Our team has checked several popular online myths and debunked them.

Myth № 1. You can’t park in the streets of Japan

Internet users love saying that the Japanese streets look so great in photos because there are no cars. It’s partially true, but not completely. According to the 1957 Japanese parking law, parking on the street is prohibited. However, some streets have signs that allow parking. So, there are cars in Japanese streets.

Another interesting fact: before you buy a car, a person in Japan has to prove to the authorities that they have a place where they will leave the car. They have to buy or rent a parking place that might cost as much as a small apartment.

Myth № 2. Children born on a plane can fly around the world for free

Actually, this is quite a complicated question because different countries have different laws about this.

In general, any child can have 2 types of citizenship, and this also applies to those born on planes: right of soil, and right of blood. In other words, they can be citizens from the same country as at least one of their parents, or be related to the place they were born. Here’s where it gets tricky, as countries have different legislation regarding the matter, the child may be a citizen of the country that owns the plane, or where the plane lands, or the airspace where it was during transit...

Some people think that the airlines that had children born on their planes give them the right to fly for free. But this is not necessarily true. There are only a few African and Asian airlines that gave children born in the air the right to fly for free throughout their life. The others usually just allow it before the age of 21, or give them a few trips.

Myth № 3. Dog mountain

Internet users were amused by the mountain that looked a lot like a dog. But it’s an edited photo and the author posted it on his social media. The original looks pretty ordinary.

Myth № 4. Castle on the rock

Unfortunately, this beautiful castle that many people would love to stay in is fake. This rock is in the Phang Nga National Park in Thailand, and the castle is in Germany.

Myth № 5. Lion mane mushroom the size of a human

In February 2021, this tweet became incredibly popular — and these mushrooms do exist. They usually grow on trees in North America, Europe, and Asia. But even though it can grow the size of a soccer ball, it can’t grow as big as the photo above shows.

In fact, this is a photo of an installation by Susi Brister called 613 Silky Straight in Swamp from 2013.

Myth № 6. It takes 7 years for chewing gum to digest in the stomach

When we were children, we believed that if we swallowed chewing gum, it would be in our stomach for 7 years. This is what some mothers still tell their children to prevent them from chewing gum and swallowing it. Of course, it’s a myth.

Chewing gum consists of natural or synthetic polymers, rubber, flavors, and sweeteners. The only thing the stomach cannot digest is the gum base. But it doesn’t mean it will just remain in the stomach forever — it will simply leave the body the way everything else does.

Myth № 7. Elephant tree

Even though it’s clearly edited, someone still believed it. In reality, it’s a garden in the city of Pristina and this isn’t what the place really looks like.

Myth № 8. Chameleon that changes colors while climbing colorful pencils

At the end of 2020, a video with a cute chameleon climbing colorful pencils became a big hit online. The post had almost 1.5 million likes. But it was fake. The video first appeared on Instagram in June 2020 and the author says that they made it on the computer.

Many people believe chameleons change color depending on the surroundings but it’s not true. In fact, it’s the mood that determines the color: this is a chameleon’s way of communicating with the world.

Myth № 9. Giraffes having fun in a park

Last October, a post with a video where baby giraffes are running around a park went viral. It had thousands of retweets and likes. But the video was fake.

It was created by artist Vernon James Manlapaz and published on his Instagram account in August 2020. He has a lot of this content on his page, like flying turtles and giant dogs.

Myth № 10. Octopus moving very fast

In August last year, a video went viral — an octopus who was moving along the beach at a surprising speed. Unfortunately, the octopus wasn’t real. The animal was created by a visual effects artist from Qatar. The original recording says that the video is nothing more than an animation. Another video from the same user proves it: he shows the process of creating the octopus.

Myth № 11. Venice canals are full of flamingos

There’s a photo online with a Venice canal that is full of flamingos. Of course, you can find flamingos in Italy, but definitely not this number and not in this place. This photo is the work of artist Kristina Makeeva who has said that this is not a real photograph.

Tell us about the amazing photos that you believed, but that turned out to be fake!