50 Facts You Learned at School That Are Not Real

IN AUSTRALIA, WATER SWIRLS DOWN DRAINS IN REVERSE

It’s likely you were told growing up that in Australia, water runs down sink, toilet and bathtub drains in the opposite direction — and even that storms swirl in reverse — because Coriolis forces tug in the opposite direction on different sides of the Earth. Coriolis forces are real, but they only apply on a scale much larger than toilets or even hurricanes can produce. According to a tweet from superstar astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, “toilet bowls drain however they’re designed to circulate water. It’s irrelevant whether you live above or below the equator.”