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

Have you never seen Elf?

There's a Narwhal at the beginning!

If you're referring to Andrew and Freddie Flintoff: Andrew's nickname is Freddie. One and the same person.

Here you go: Andrew Flintoff - Wikipedia

Tbf there’s also elves in Elf

My dad once convinced me he could magic me from one end of the garden to the other. He blindfolded me and spun me, and walked me about, and then got me to guess things by feel, including the distinctive hasp and padlock on the shed door. He got me to sit in a chair that was normally kept by the shed, and to feel lots of things normally kept in the shed. Then he got me to stand up, and asked me where I was. Of course, I said "near the shed". He then took my blindfold off, and my jaw dropped as I found I was at the opposite end of the garden!

I didn't find out for a long time how he'd done this. It turned out that while he was giving me things to feel, my mum was quietly taking them away afterwards, and the hasp and padlock I felt were not actually the ones on the shed door, but an identical set from his toolbox.

I’ve been reading since the age of 4, have a wide general knowledge and a university degree. Sometimes what we “imagine” to be true sticks in our heads and stays with us. It doesn’t make us unintelligent or lacking in observational skills.

Well they were on the young ones spoof of it.

It was more in reference to her saying she had never heard of them, not that she didn't think they were real, two different things!

no I wasn't, I was referring to the actors.

You people have totally confused me with Freddie Flintoff and Andrew Flintoff, so had to Google it!
I also thought Roy Orbison was blind.

Yes - ponies and horses are the same species. Zebras are not.

I assumed pineapples grew on trees, until I saw a field of them in Kenya. My mind was blown.

exactly my thought , I wonder how such a clever person hasn’t learnt empathy.

To be fair to both of you, in Tudor times they DID have real meat in them along with raisins and spices.

Eventually the meat content reduced and over 300+ years totally dropped and they became the sweet pies we now know. I only know this from watching some TV history programme.

Err it’s a cartoon one!!

I came on to say the same thing!

But cleverness has no relationship whatsoever with empathy. You can be clever and empathetic. You can also be colossally stupid and under-informed and empathetic.

Its not a small horse.
Its a pony.
Different breeds.

Possibly confusing it with Bahrain? The name also doesn't "sound" like it belongs in this region (and it is an Islamic country), so that also adds to the confusion.

They should have added on here that they didn't realise empathy existed!

Oh I LOVE this thread

@DiscoBeat that really made me giggle! I wonder what your DS thought when he did actually get to see the Eiffel Tower?!

@Oceangreyscale haha...my Mum came out with something similar...these can-aps look nice Project; what do you think? I'm thinking what the hell are can-aps then realise she mean canapes

@AppleDumplingWithCustard that is the cutest thing ever...now I need to google what bees ears look like...

Mine to add:

I was 30 when my then bf (now DH) had to educate me on what 'clay pigeon' shooting was. He said he'd been to one of these shoots and I was horrified (being an animal lover) because I thought 'clay pigeon' was an actual name of a breed/type of real pigeon and not a clay disc shot out of a machine. He cried laughing at that one.

Another one, again my DH had to educate me was the phrase for a gentleman's fitter...'do you dress to the right or left sir?' when getting a made to measure pair of suit trousers. I said to DH, but zips for a man are always done up on the right and women's are on the left so why ask that question? he looked at me like I'd grown 2 heads and when he'd finished laughing his head off, he explained. 😳In my defence, why would I know this, I'm a woman and don't have a penis and scrotum!!

Im only just learning it’s not a person (at 36)

and now I know that bees don't have ears! @AppleDumplingWithCustard

Exactly @Cattery . The future Mumsnetter who created a vivid, horrifying interpretation of the Domesday Book was obviously superbright and imaginative.

I remember hearing David Bowie mispronounce the word superlative on TV. A true sign of a child who'd learned from reading alone rather than an environment where the word was spoken aloud.

I always knew where Guyana was because my parents had a Guyanan friend when they lived in London, but think Suriname must have nicked its name from an island somewhere over near Indonesia.

Sorry, yes, I had forgotten about the Ryans and the others amidst all the surprise about AnFreddie Flintoff.

I can understand mixing up Pacino and De Niro as they're similar ages and played similar roles, and were both in The Godfather.

But not the others.