Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@claudialexa

claudialexa/index.html

Created January 20, 2016 00:31
Show Gist options
  • Save claudialexa/a149cd6bb1b8e45f971c to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Save claudialexa/a149cd6bb1b8e45f971c to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Download ZIP
Loading Myth Data from CSV File
Raw
index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<!-- This was one of Scott Murray's Knight D3 course files, modified a bit. -->
<!--This was displayed in Lynn Cherney's class and modified by Claudia Aguirre-->
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>Myths Data: Columns</title>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/d3/3.5.6/d3.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.12.0.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<script>
d3.select("body").append("h1").text("Myths Data");
var body = d3.select("body");
// didn't have it open when you first loaded the page.
console.log("D3 Selection of body:", body);
d3.csv("data/myths.csv", function(mydata) {
// console.log("My first object:", mydata[0]);
// This is not the real D3 'way.' This is a javascript
// loop that will add p elements for each item in the data set
// manually. In D3, you will use enter() eventually for this.
mydata.forEach(function (d) {
body.append("p").text(d.myth + " " + d.google_hits);
// another option for that string is:
// [d.name, d.year1990, d.year2015].join(" ")
});
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
Raw
myths.csv
myth description google_hits y_n category
The Vomitorium Not a room Romans used during Bacchanalian binges but the name for the entrance to a stadium. Vomiting was not a regular part of Roman dining customs. 14800 history
The 'Dark Ages' The period between the decline of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance was not that dark or backward. An historical cliche. 5940000 history
Viking's Horned Helmets Created by a costume designer for a 19th century Wagner opera. 36800 history
Iron Maidens Never were medieval torture devices. But 18th century fakes created for sensational circuses. 414000 history
Chastity Belts Not used to prevent a wife's adultery in medieval times. Instead invented by 19th century prudes to prevent 'dangerous' masturbation. 35100 history
Pilgrims wore all black Nope. They sported late Elizabethan in-colours: reds, yellows, purples and greens. And no buckle hats! 1490000 y history
The First Thanksgiving Celebrations were recorded 50 years before the 'first' Thanksgiving at Plymouth Colony. 1160000 history
Washington's wooden teeth A much more hygenic mix of gold, ivory, lead and horse and donkey teeth. No wood. 41400 y history
US Constitution written on hemp Written on parchment, despite the best efforts of stoner revisionists to convince you otherwise. 417000 history
Salieri vs Mozart They were friends with a little rivalry. Nothing more. 5230 history
Napoleon was short A tall tale. At 5'7", he was actually above average height for a Frenchman of the time. 33400000 history
Lincoln freed all slaves He instigated the process but full abolition didn't occur until three years later after the Emancipation Proclamation. 4080000 y history
Mussolini's trains ran on time Fascist propaganda. They did run on time but only because of work done before his reign. 141000 y history
Einstein failed maths Nope. He failed an entrance exam for a school, two years early, and still excelled in maths. 2130000 y history
Missing Persons Reports Police do not demand a 24 hour period before they accept a missing persons report, especially if violence is involved. 634000 y Law
You have to say if you're a cop US Police working entrapment law do not have to identify themselves. A hollywood-induced myth. 436000 Law
Searing meat seals in moisture. Nope. It's for flavour. 19100 y Cooking
Oil stops pasta sticking Does not prevent sticking. But it can stop the water foaming or boiling over. 5200000 Cooking
Cooking removes alcohol Partly true. But studies show not all burns off. 16300 Cooking
MSG causes headaches Anecdotal evidence. But no scientific proof. 1850000 Science
Sushi is raw fish Lost in translation. Sushi means 'sour rice' and does not always feature fish. Sashimi means 'raw' - but isn't just fish. 63100 difficult accurate search Cooking
Thomas Crapper invented "crap" Actually it's Latin for chaff. 40400 y Etymology
Rule of thumb Not from a law allowing a man to hit his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. 1040000 y,"Rule of thumb" beating women Etymology
Great Wall of China visible from Space Myth. 1110000 y Science
Seasons are caused by the Earth's distance from the Sun. They're actually related to the 23 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. 5070 y Science
Bulls hate red. Bulls are colour-blind. They actually react to motion as a perceived threat. 7120 y,"bulls hate the color red" Nature
Dogs sweat by salivating They regulate temperature through panting but sweat through footpads. 1280000 Nature
Bats are blind. No. They can see AND use echolocation. Awesome! 81000 y Nature
Don't touch baby birds! Birds have a limited sense of smell. Probably more harmful to leave them to the cats but it's all relative. 154000 nature
Goldfish memory span While not the smartest in the animal kingdom, Goldfish do boast a better memory than most politicans. 38700 y,"goldfish" "short memory" nature
Sharks don't get cancer. Oh yes they do. Particularly skin cancer. 121000 y nature
Houseflies live for 24 hours Average lifespan is actually about a month. Maggots hatch within 24 hours. 55600 nature
Bananas grow on trees. Nope. Bananas actually grow on massive herbs which resemble trees. 55600 y nature
Evolution is just a "theory" In science, the word theory means something more than a conjecture� 899000 y science/nature
Humans evolved from chimpanzees No - they are our closest living genetic relatives, along with bonobos. A shared ancestor last lived 5-8 million years ago. 300000 science/nature
Evolution is always creating more complex organisms Not always a simple to complex progression: sometimes a smaller genome will be evolved, but 'devolution' is a misnomer. 10200 evolution "towards complexity" science/nature
Humans and dinosaurs co-existed Despite 59% of US adults thinking they did, we actually missed each other by ~63 million years. 259000 y science/nature
Glass is a liquid Has both solid and liquid properties. "This is why stained glass windows are thicker at the bottom" Not true though. Bad manufacturing process is the cause. 1060000 y,"glass is a liquid" science
Waking sleepwalkers is dangerous No, but they'll be really confused. Sleepwalkers are more likely to hurt themselves if they're not awoken. 941000 y health
Sleeping with an electric fan on can be deadly Big myth in Korea. Very unlikely. 159000 y science
Most body heat is lost through the head Only in infants. Or if the head is the only uncovered part of the body. 434000 What % is normally lost through the head under normal conditions? health
Eating before swimming is dangerous Doesn't increase risk of cramps; alcohol is the biggest increase in risk. 7460000 y,,,"eating before swimming" cramps or dangerous health
Blood is blue under the skin Blood is always red, misconception is based on diagrams showing the difference between veins and arteries and human colour perception. 84800 y science
Different parts of the tongue taste different tastes There is no 'map', and there are 5 primary tastes: bitter, sour, salty, sweet and umami (savoury/meaty). 268000 y science
We have 5 senses We actually have close to 20 including balance, pain, movement, hunger, thirst, etc. 507000 science
Shaving your hair makes it thicker Regrown hair isn't thicker, coarser, or darker, it just appears so because it's no longer tapered. 43500 y beauty
Hair & fingernails grow after death The skin dries and shrinks away, giving the appearance of growth 9850 y health
Hair products can "repair" your hair Nothing can fix split ends or damaged hair. They can prevent damage and make hair look better though. 1800000 health
Drink 8 glasses of water a day! Not necessary for everyone; subjective and dependant on individual weight, environment, what you're wearing and more. 2,420,00 health
Caffeine dehydrates you Not really. The diuretic effect of caffeine is offset by the amount of water in the caffeinated drinks. 29400 health
Sugar makes children hyperactive Studies have disproved this. ADHD still occurs in children with sugar-free diets. 4400 y health
Alcohol keeps you warm Alcohol dilates warm blood vessels near the skin creating the impression of warmth but it can actually drop core body temperature. 18100 y,"alcohol keeps you warm" health
Alcohol kills brain cells Only in heavy users and alcoholics who rely on alcohol to get most of their calories. 393000 "alcohol kills brain cells" health
Vegetarians can't get enough protein Protein in eggs, beans, vegetables is easily enough. Vegans need B-12 supplements though. 215000 y,"vegetarians" can't get enough protein health
Chewing gum takes 7 years to digest It is indigestible, but passes straight through. 46300 y,"chewing gum" "7 years to digest" health
Men think about sex every 7 seconds It's not been measured. But is greatly exaggerated. 309000 y,"men think about sex every 7 seconds" sex
Sex reduces athletic performance No physiological basis to this, could even help male athletes because of increased testosterone. 27400 sex "before athletic performance" sex
The Left and right brains have different capabilities No solid functional division; some functions activate some areas more than others. Left brain can learn 'right brain' functions and vice-versa. 2600000 "left brain" "right brain" different brain
Vaccines causes autism Fraudulent research that's been shown as manipulated. 213000 "vaccines and autism" brain
We only use 10% of our brains Metaphor that's been misunderstood; not all neurons are always firing, but inactive cells are still important. 123000 "10% of our brain" brain
Milk increases mucous In most people, just a placebo effect. There's no need to avoid dairy if you have a cold. 10100 dairy "increases mucus" disease
Catching warts from toads Warts are unique to humans. Toads don't have them. 121000 warts from toads disease
Flushed water rotates the otherway in the Southern Hemisphere The Coriolis effect, induced by the Earth's rotation, does not affect the small amounts of water in toilets, bathtubs. 1850000 flushed water southern hemisphere physics
Lightning never strikes twice No reason why it wouldn't; the Empire State building gets struck about 100 times per year. 945000 "lightning never strikes twice" physics
Dropping a penny from a tall building could kill someone Terminal velocity is 30-50mph which isn't fast enough. It would hurt though. 1870000 drop penny kill someone physics
The Oceans are blue because they reflect the sky Nope. Absorption and scattering of light causes blue colour 644 oceans blue "reflect sky" physics
Some people have a photographic memory No hard scientific evidence, but memory that mimics a camera is unlikely. Some people just have great memories 1700000 "photographic memory" psychology
Schizophrenia is multiple personalities Etymologically, it means "split-mind", but dissociative "multiple personality" disorders are different. 80 schizophrenia "multiple personalities" psychology
Black belts are masters Introduced only in 1880, in Judo, to show competency of basic techniques. 8030000 Black belts are masters -"six sigma" sport
Jesus was born on December 25th December 25 was declared official celebration date in 350CE. Could be guesstimate based on conception, or winter solstice, or Yule. 8230000 Jesus born 25th December religion
Three Wise Men visited Jesus Nowhere in the Bible does it specify this. A mash up of Matthew 2 and Isaiah 60:1�3: "The wise men visited Jesus as a child, in a house". 1250000 "Three wise men" in Bible religion
Immaculate Conception means Virgin Birth Separate ideas. Immaculate conception means Mary was not subject to original sin. Virgin birth means Mary miraculously conceived 118000 "immaculate conception" NEAR "virgin birth" religion
Satan rules Hell Doesn't say this anywhere in the Bible. 36600000 Satan hell religion
A Fatwa is an Islamic death sentence Fatw_ means 'non-binding legal opinion'. 233000 fatwa "death sentence" religion
A Jihad is a "holy war" It actually translates as "struggle". 1870000 jihad is "holy war" religion
Islamic matyrs receive 72 virgins Nowhere in the Qu'ran, but is reported elsewhere, but is a matter of debate. 2270000 72 virgins religion
Elementary My Dear Watson Not in the original stories. First used in the 1929 film. 329000 "elementary my dear watson" literature
Edison invented the lightbulb He made the first practical lightbulb, but it was obsolete within a year. England's Joseph Swan patented a design before him. 1510000 edison invented light bulb technology
Henry Ford invented the car He just improved the design, mostly by supporting the work of his employees. 2870000 technology
Apple Macs can't get viruses Yes they can - just less frequently than Windows computers apple macs can't get viruses computing
Planes dump toilet waste at high altitude They're emptied on ground. Blue ice is caused accidentally. Trains used to dump on the tracks, though. Dirty trains. 3700000 plane dump toilet transportation
Single genes exist for different personality traits Gross oversimplification; there is no 'gay gene' etc. 388000 "the gene for" personality traits genetics
LSD stays in the spinal fluid for years LSD is eliminated by the body in under 10 hours. 39000 LSD spinal fluid drugs
You can get high from banana peel A hoax, perpetuated through the Internet. 3390000 drugs
If you've used LSD, you're legally insane. Urban myth 898000 drugs
George Washington smoked cannabis He grew hemp to make rope and clothes but there's no evidence to suggest he smoked a fatty most nights. 1460000 drugs
Adding salt to water makes it boil more quickly Naturally salted water will boil more quickly, because of the low heat capacity of the salt content but adding salt to fresh water will not make any difference. 11300000 cooking
A gene for... Genes code for proteins, so there are actually no genes �for� specific characeristics, esp. not psychological ones. 375000000 science
An �Autism Epidemic� There�s only been an increase in diagnoses of autism, caused by heightened awareness of the ailment, not incidence. 1130000 body
Brainwashing Hogwash. No evidence of intensive indoctrination techniques that can change or programs peoples� minds. 5510000 mind
Chemical Imbalance Simplistic. Thank pharma for the idea that major depression is caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters likeserotonin. 1580000 mind
Hard-wired The brain is actually incredibly fluid & plastic. So virtually no psychological capacities are �hard-wired� from birth. 23400000 mind
Lie detector No such machine. A polygraph test detects arousal, not lies. And can be easily faked. 3510000 law
Steep Learning Curve Actually means a skill that is easy and quick to learn. Think about it. The curve just goes up and up. 7770000 mind
Scientific Proof Proof is incompatible with science which is, by its nature, provisional and self-correcting. Only Maths has proofs. 243000000 science
Get �Closure� No evidence this mythical emotional end state is ever achieved by victims of trauma, bereavement or loss. 33400000 mind
The 5 Second Rule Amount of bacteria transferred to fallen food depends on how contaminated the floor is, not how long the food stays there. 96000000 food
Refreezing Food = Bad Whether raw or cooked, as long as the food was thawed and hasn't spoiled, it's okay to refreeze. Exception: defrosted raw meat or fish. 111000 food
Marijuana is a gateway drug Most pot users don't go on to harder drugs. Those who do are probably influenced by social and other factors. 767000 drugs
Water conducts electricity Water itself is actually an insulator. It's also a great solvent. The substances it dissolves (salt etc.) contain ions, which do conduct electricity. 28400000 science
Tongue-rolling is genetic A famous 1940 paper claimed tongue rolling was at least partially genetic. Another famous 1975 paper refuted this. The debate still hasn't been settled. 60600 body
There is no gravity on the International Space Station Gravity is everywhere. Earth's gravity is pretty strong on the ISS - NASA says a person who weighs 100lb on earth still weighs 90lb there. 1540000 science
Antioxidants are good for us Antioxidants don�t do anything for our health, might actually be harmful. Research shows they have no effect on free-radicals in the body, don�t prevent ageing. 30700000 science
Human brains are special because they�re huge There might be other reasons why human brains are unique, but focusing on size ignores important possibilities. 34500000 science
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment