Things you assumed and were astonished to find out you were completely wrong

[Cattery]

For example: The Elgin Marbles. Heard these mentioned from time to time over the years. Always pictured marbles; kids’ marbles. Then I heard they were something to do with Greece and I’ve always thought Elgin was there. Got it all completely wrong

😂 did the penguins not surprise you?!

(in your defence much of the Falkland Islands do resemble Scotland)

I’m learning a lot here…

I thought Hadrian’s wall was in Kent 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

Santa pod racing… not what I thought it was at all.

OMG, isn't it? Feck

Oh yeah that’s what I mean. Inside vs outside lane. Why the hell is the inside lane the one that is on the outside of the road (as in, the slow lane, furthest from the central reservation??). I just remember it by thinking, ‘oh yes, it’s nonsensical and stupid, so that means left hand is inside 🙄’.

I thought Edwyn Collins was black.

Me too!!

And they sound very like the Faroe's which are off the coast of Scotland to be fair.

I always thought that the Elgin Marbles were like the shiny stones in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom-I’m sure I’d seen photos of them before in history books!

Carlisle is NOT in Scotland...... I had a whole MN thread about this a few years ago! Blew my mind 🤯

Yes to George Ezra and narwhals!

I was in my 20s when I learned that peanut butter does not contain butter.
(I never ate it, in my defense)

Pontefract is not in Wales

No, my brother was definitely born in Yorkshire

Though there is a Parkrun challenge called ‘The Full Ponte’ and of the 3 you have to do, the other two are in Wales.

So did Adrian Mole!
Which is how I found out they aren't.

I didn't know that MOT - as in the test - stood for Ministry of Transport. I thought it was something like "Motorists' Official Test".
It was my first question in a chocolate "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" game one Christmas and I was the only one who didn't win any chocolate money.
And I love quizzes.
And chocolate!

That neither Dunstable and Dunkirk are in Scotland. I know now but I grew up just assuming they were Scottish.

Even worse, both my parents are Scottish so really should know better.

Until not long ago (I’m 60s) when you saw a hearse I never believed they put a body in the coffin. Truly. I thought it was just “for show”

Not me, but I remember a Mumsnetter thought ‘Hazchem’ was German for ‘Danger’ 😆.

There was a previous thread on this and someone said they thought the channel tunnel would run along the sea floor and you’d be able to see the fish. Still makes me laugh - sorry if you’re reading this!

Oh, I love this! That's a lot of busy bees!

That Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling are two separate people. Never gave either much thought (not my type) and they do look similar.

I was quite old when I found out that when making a movie they don’t film the scenes in order that they happen.

He eventually found them under a crumb 🤣

I thought Tom's midnight garden and Goodnight Mr Tom were the same book for years.

No way… do they not?

For some reason I always thought that a "five o'clock shadow" was named for the position of the stubble on a man's face - I think I was subconsciously thinking of a sundial and how its shadows fall (I know that makes very little sense). Then just the other day someone used the phrase and it hit me that it referred to the time of day that the regrowth tends to be visible by