MythBusters.com

To many modern Americans, the fact that a document like the Emancipation Proclamation was ever necessary is somewhat embarrassing. It's hard to face the fact that the "Land of the Free" allowed chattel bondage for nearly a century after declaring its own independence.

That said, we did correct our error; and nowadays the Emancipation Proclamation (promulgated on January 1, 1863), ranks as one of the very foundations of modern American freedom, along with the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. After all, it freed all the slaves, didn't it?

Why are animal myths so pervasive? That's hard to say, given that we should know better by now. After all, we've been sharing this world with our furry, feathery, scaly, and finny friends for some time now. Fortunately, science is lending a hand in dispelling these myths!

Some people might argue that science is actually just making life boring by taking the wonder out of the world. Au contraire; there's more than enough wonder in true facts to make up for all the fantasy! So let's dispense with a few myths about animals, shall we?

Science myths can be surprisingly sneaky, penetrating popular culture in subtle and surprising ways. Remember Popeye the Sailor singing "I'm strong to the finish 'cause I eats me spinach"? That's one example of a science myth.

They're among the world's most popular vegetables, so popular myths about onions are quite common. Mythologies, too. For example, the ancient Egyptians believed onions to be sacred. Archaeologists have found mummified pharaohs with onions in their eye sockets.

And according to the Turks, onions and garlic grew wherever Lucifer stepped after God tossed him out of Heaven, so at least there was a silver lining to that.

Myths about landfills are so pervasive that most people have developed a sort of "not in my backyard" attitude about the issue. In general, people tend to perceive landfills as facilities that forever ruin the land.

A number of damaging solar energy myths still pervade modern thinking about alternate energy sources, and that's a shame. Leaving aside conspiracy theories about Big Oil, it seems likely that these myths derive from past issues that sidelined the early adoption of solar power, many of which no longer apply.

Let's take a look at three common myths about solar energy that we can now put to rest.

As we struggle through the harsh economic downturn we know as the Great Recession, myths about the Great Depression - the event that almost killed the American economy from 1929-1939 - are popping up all over.

Often, they're presented as cautionary tales by those hoping to ease the recession... and more often, by those hoping to advance their own political agendas at the expense of historical reality.

The spectrum of behavioral disorders known as autism can be terrifying, which may be why autism myths are so common. As with anything we don't understand, we look for any explanations we can find; and often, those explanations are misinformed.

In this article, we'll take a look at four common myths about autism, and tell you why they're just not true.

Dinosaurs have held a special place in the public imagination for more than a century, so it's to be expected that certain myths about dinosaurs are common. Some of them are pure silliness, while others are based on scientific misunderstandings that have long since been rectified.

Have you been taken in by common myths about birds? Many of us have been, because although birds are common and most of us encounter them on a daily basis, we don't exactly fly in the same social circles. It's almost like we live in different worlds... and in a way, we do.

Now, birds often figure prominently in legends and superstitions; but that's grist for another mill. In this article, we'll take a look at a few everyday misconceptions about our fine feathered friends.