water

I grew up on a farm on eastern Long Island (New York). It had a large pond from which we pumped water for irrigating the crops. My father told me that I should never go near this pond because there were hundreds of poisonous, copperhead snakes there. Not wanting to be bitten by a copperhead, I always avoided the entire area. Of course, there are no poisonous snakes?copperhead or otherwise?found on Long Island. Yet, even though I now know there?s no danger of being bitten by a snake, going anywhere the pond still makes me nervous.

David Stakey

I used to believe you got high tides when the sea was full (I lived on the Thames, then)

rosy

I used to believe the old story of how water drains backwards in the southern hemisphere. I believed this until I was 24 years old and actually researched it. I regularily run into people who still think it is true, but I can't laugh at them because... well, that used to be me.

Ben H

My dad used to tell me and my sisters that there was a giant plughole in the harbour, and that there was no water there at certain times of day because someone had pulled the plug out. ...For years I looked for that plug every time we drove past!

CT

I was told that if I ever drank puddle water from the driveway I would get polio and have to live in an iron lung.

J, Corbett Jr.

a friend of mine used to believe that the tide went out during the day and
in at night. He still believed this at 18 until I told him better!!

Lynne

I used to believe that the "source" of a river, was a bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup stood in a cave, in the hills, with the water trickling out from under it.

Blue

I thought that all the Rivers were numbered (in the way roads are) - as I knew about the River Seven, Tens and Fourth (Severn, Thames and Forth)

benjymous

Living on the Somerset coast, we can see the south coast of Wales. I used to believe when the tide went out it was in over in Wales. I was always jealous as they seemed to have it much more often than us...

Anon