揭穿七大流傳甚廣的“假真相”

Seven well known facts that actually aren't true

中國日報網 2014-08-15 09:55

“真相只有一個！”這句來自日本動漫《名偵探柯南》的名言幾乎無人不曉。然而，隨著時間流逝，許多真相由于歷史久遠而變得扭曲，或者在人們的口口相傳中面目全非。以下是近年來在全球范圍內流傳甚廣的七大“假真相”。

1. Penguins Mate for Life

During the mid-2000s, films like "Happy Feet" made penguins all the rage, and young lovers went around spouting off facts like "penguins mate for life." While the idea is sweet, it's not exactly true.

Penguins usually stick with their partners through the mating season, but when it's time to mate again, they choose whomever is convenient, not necessarily their old flame.

2. Vincent Van Gogh Cut Off His Entire Ear

This is not entirely true. It was not his entire ear - just the tip of the lobe - and some say he didn't even do it. Van Gogh lived with artist Paul Gauguin, who had quite a violent temper, and many believe Gauguin actually did the cutting.

Either way, Van Gogh did reportedly send the tip to a prostitute.

3. Napoleon Bonaparte was Short

Everyone knows Napoleon Bonaparte was a tiny man - after all, his nickname was "le Petit Corporal." His reputation for being short even inspired the phenomenon known as the "Napoleon complex."

In reality, Napoleon stood around 5 feet and 7 inches tall, which was very average back in the day. Many believe his nickname was meant as a term of endearment, not a reference to his height.

4. Ben Franklin Preferred a Turkey to a Bald Eagle

The bald eagle is certainly a well-known representation of America, but legend has it that if Ben Franklin had his way, a turkey would have been much better. In reality, Franklin wrote a letter to his daughter mocking the eagle symbol used in a seal by the Society of the Cincinnati, a private military group.

He said it looked like a turkey and may as well be one.

5. You Have Five Senses

If you remember learning about the senses in elementary school, you know humans possess five: sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Most scientists agree, however, that you have more like 10-20 senses, including pain, hunger, thirst, temperature, and more.

6. George Washington had Wooden Teeth

George Washington is known for three things: being the first president, chopping down a cherry tree, and having wooden teeth. At least one of these is certainly not true. While Washington did have bad teeth, his dentures were not wooden.

7. Einstein was a Bad Student

If you ever made bad grades and pulled the old "Albert Einstein used to make bad grades" card with your parents or teachers, you are lucky you got away with it. In reality, Einstein was at the top of his class and mastered calculus when he was barely a teenager.

The reputation he developed for being a bad student had more to do with his behavior. He liked to talk back to his teachers.

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1. 企鵝伴侶廝守終生？

幾年前，《快樂的大腳》等多部以企鵝為題材的電影熱映，令這種憨態可掬的可愛動物風靡全球。與此同時，“企鵝伴侶廝守終生”的說法也在年輕人尤其是小情侶間流傳開來。盡管這個說法很動聽，但它并不是事實。

目前大約有18個企鵝物種，它們的交配習性在本質上相似。交配季期間，它們會與選定的伴侶廝守在一起。但當下一個交配季來臨時，它們會再次選擇合適的配偶，不論對方是不是自己的“舊愛”。

對于筑巢的企鵝來說，交配季時還會上演肥皂劇戲碼。例如阿德利公企鵝會筑好巢穴接受母企鵝檢查，如果公企鵝之前的配偶來到了，“舊愛”可能會將“新歡”趕出巢穴。

2. 梵高割下整只耳朵？

據史料記載，荷蘭著名畫家文森特?梵高曾割掉耳朵，后在法國瓦茲河飲彈自殺。但需要澄清的是，梵高割掉的不是整只耳朵，而是一部分耳垂。

至于梵高割耳事件，有幾個不同的版本。有人說他是割下耳朵洗凈放在信封里，送給一名妓女；有人說他是在得知自己經濟和情感的支柱——弟弟——即將結婚的消息后，精神崩潰割掉耳朵；還有人認為是梵高與好友、同樣赫赫有名的畫家高更爭執時，被高更用劍砍掉了耳朵。

3. 拿破侖是個矮子？

在心理學上有一個概念，被稱為“拿破侖情結”，也叫作“矮個子癥候群”。簡單來說，就是矮個子比高個子更有暴力傾向。不難看出，身材矮小已成為貼在拿破侖身上最醒目的標簽之一。

人們普遍認為拿破侖是個矮子，這一看法源于他臨終時測得的身高為5英尺2英寸（約合1.57米），但這是法國舊度量制度測量的結果，按照現在的單位換算，拿破侖的身高接近5英尺7英寸（約合1.7米），在他所處的年代這屬于平均身高。

那么，拿破侖為何被稱作“小士兵”（Le Petit Caporel）？這是對他的愛稱，而非取笑。

4. 富蘭克林建議選火雞當美國國鳥？

本杰明?富蘭克林發明了避雷針，是一名杰出的發明家，也是美國著名政治家。有歷史故事稱，富蘭克林不滿意白頭鷹作為美國國鳥，他建議選用火雞。

這其實是誤讀。在富蘭克林寫給女兒的一封信中，他譏諷一個私人軍事組織將白頭鷹用于印章，但他嘲笑的是印章上的白頭鷹看起來像火雞，而不是說火雞更適合做美國國鳥。

5. 人只有五種感覺？

古希臘哲學家亞里士多德認為，人有五種感覺：視覺、聽覺、觸覺、嗅覺和味覺。直至今日，這種說法仍得到主流科學家們的認同，因為這五種感覺能被檢測出來。

人還有其他的感覺嗎？當然，疼痛、饑餓、口渴、冷熱等等都是人的感覺，但不是通過前面五個“官”感知，而是地地道道、沒有清晰位置或表現的感覺，這些感覺多達10至20種。

6. 喬治?華盛頓有一口木質假牙？

提起喬治?華盛頓，絕大多數人會馬上聯想到三件事：他是美國首任總統，他小時候砍倒了一棵櫻桃樹以及他有一口木質假牙。其中，至少有一件事不是真的，雖然華盛頓的牙口確實不好，但他的假牙不是木頭做的。

曾任美國加州大學洛杉磯牙科學院院長的里德爾?索格內斯德深入研究了華盛頓的假牙。他宣稱，華盛頓配過多副假牙，有鉛制的、象牙的，也有使用人的、牛的以及其他動物的牙齒，但沒有當時流行的木質假牙。而且，華盛頓的牙齒并不是全部脫落，到總統就職典禮時，除假牙外，他還有一顆真牙能夠承擔咀嚼工作。

7. 愛因斯坦學習成績差？

經常有學生考砸了，就拿出“愛因斯坦小時候學習成績也不好”的說辭為自己辯解。但事實上，愛因斯坦上學時一直在班級里成績拔尖，他十幾歲時就掌握了微積分。

至于愛因斯坦為何會落下一個“壞學生”的名聲，這與他的言行有關。愛因斯坦成績好，但并不循規蹈矩、對老師的話言聽計從，他遇事喜歡自己思考、提出自己的見解，也因此經常頂撞老師。

（譯者諶融編輯丹妮）

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