Popular opinions are just that, popular. But when things are popular over years, we tend to believe them to be true. Here are three common misconceptions people get:
It never snows in the Sahara Desert: One of the Earth’s hottest and driest places, Sahara Desert might not seem like a likely spot for a bit of snowfall. However, the near-impossible has actually happened a few times. The first record snowfall was in 1979 – the snowstorm lasted around half an hour. Most recently, it happened in 2018, when the desert was covered in a blanket of snow for almost a day before melting under the hot sun.
The Great Wall of China can be seen from space: A common belief, this “fact” is nothing more than a space-based myth. Disproven by a Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei, who confirmed in 2003 that the historic structure couldn’t be seen from the International Space Station, let alone the Moon. It’s thought that because the wall follows the natural contours and colors of the surrounding landscape, it’s impossible to see it with the naked eye.
England and the UK are the same place: If you’re not from the UK, you might be using terms England and the UK interchangeably, but actually England is just one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom – there’s also Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. What’s more, the term Great Britain only refers to the island that contains England, Scotland and Wales, hence the country’s full name The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
