ASSOCIATES (vol. 4, no. 1, July 1997) - associates.ucr.edu

Table of Contents


                 _Everything You Know Is Wrong_
                          Paul Kirchner
                Rhino Records/General Publishing
                              1995
                         ISBN 1881649709
                             $14.95

                    Reviewed by Bob Farnsworth 
                Senior Library technical Assistant 
                   University of North Florida 
                     bfarnsw@ospray.unf.edu

Just for variety for this issue, I thought I'd pick a book that
has been out for a while.  This one has started to develop a
'word-of-mouth' following among library staffs.  The book is
quite readable - and, admittedly, a bit shocking because of its
information.  it's kind of like mirrors in a magic show - what
we've always believed isn't necessarily what really has happened.
 
The author, Paul Kirchner, has written another book you might
also want to check, _Forgotten fads and Fabulous Flops_, but this
particular one is interesting because of its application in
reference situations.
 
So let's have a few samples:
 
WILLIAM TELL SHOT AN APPLE OFF HIS SON'S HEAD.  He couldn't have.
He did not have a son, a crossbow, an apple, or in fact, an
existence outside of the imagination of an anonymous
fifteenth-century story teller.  The tale of William Tell, in all
its dramatic detail, is a complete fiction.
 
THE SUN IS CLOSEST TO THE EARTH DURING SUMMER.  Strangely enough,
the sun is not closer to the earth during summer, nor even the
same distance, but farther, it is the tilt of the earth's axis,
not the distance of the sun, that determines the seasons.  The
part of the earth receiving the most direct rays from the sun
enjoys the most warmth.
 
GROUND ZERO MEANS A STARTING POINT.  We've all heard politicians
say that we have to start over 'from ground seder'.  The clich
they're usually searching for is 'from square one'.  Ground zero
refers to the target of a bomb, usually a nuclear bomb.
 
EDISON INVENTED THE LIGHTBULB.  Edison gets credit for inventing
the electric lightbulb in 1879, but almost every element of the
design had already been developed by others.  Although Edison
didn't exactly invent the lightbulb, he deserves full credit for
making electrical lighting the enormous success that it is.  He
organized companies to produce bulbs and developed the equipment
necessary for making the system feasible, for example, light
sockets.
 
DINOSAURS FAILED AS A SPECIES.  Paleontologists bristle when they
hear some short-lived commercial failure disparagingly called 'a
dinosaur'.  They are quick to point out that dinosaurs, far from
being a failure, were an astonishingly successful life-form,
dominating the earth for 160 million years.  Modern man has been
here for less than 50,000.
 
COMETS ARE BALLS OF FIRE STREAKING THROUGH SPACE.  According to
astronomers, they're more like a 'dirty snowball', consisting of
a nucleus of frozen gases and dust.
 
AN AIRPLANE'S BLACK BOX IS BLACK.  Though called a black box, it
is actually bright orange.  After a serious accident, it may end
up some distance from the wreckage, so there wouldn't be much
point in making it any harder to spot than necessary.
 
As you can see from just these few examples, this is the kind of
book that makes you want to read it from start to finish.  it
would also be great for those who want to show off their
reference trivia knowledge - or, perhaps, conduct a little
betting at a party.
 
All in all, take a look at _Everything You Know Is Wrong_.  I'll
bet the explanations will be like potato chips - you won't be
able to stop with just one!