People fall for urban legends all the time. I used to believe silly things well into my thirties, such as that it's not illegal to have your dome light on while driving your car.
A recent online discussion asks for examples of the dumbest things people thought were real.
Though being directly struck by lightning isn't likely, lightning could travel through electronics — if you're on a landline. Cell phones don't attract lightning, though.
One reader shared that they were born with a rare (1 in 250,000) bone disease in 1979. The idea that children don't feel pain existed well into the 80s. Unfortunately, they became a surgical guinea pig until their preteen years.
Ancient Greeks were able to figure out that the Earth was indeed spherical. They even calculated the diameter to a small percentage point. Yet modern-day conspiracy theorists still believe the Earth is flat.
Drug dealers do not give drugs to kids for free, no matter what D.A.R.E. and Nancy Reagan may have said. Additionally, they won't give them away during Halloween as candy.
A Plug-in Device Will Help You Save on the Electricity Bill
Companies love to sell customers a device they can plug into an outlet at their home with the promise of reducing their electricity bill. In reality, it's just a snake oil scam.