Spoilers below. Facts checked 2026-11-12. Play this puzzle
REAL: Woolly mammoths were still alive somewhere on Earth after the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.
An isolated mammoth population survived on Wrangel Island until about 4,000 years ago; the Great Pyramid dates to around 2600 BC.
An isolated mammoth population survived on Wrangel Island until about 4,000 years ago; the Great Pyramid dates to around 2600 BC.
FAKE: Educated Europeans in the Middle Ages generally believed the Earth was flat.
This is a modern misconception; medieval scholars broadly accepted that the Earth is a sphere.
This is a modern misconception; medieval scholars broadly accepted that the Earth is a sphere.
REAL: The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 lasted less than an hour.
Fought on 27 August 1896, it lasted between 38 and 45 minutes, the shortest recorded war.
Fought on 27 August 1896, it lasted between 38 and 45 minutes, the shortest recorded war.
Source: Wikipedia: Anglo-Zanzibar War
FAKE: Albert Einstein failed math as a schoolboy.
Einstein excelled at mathematics from an early age and taught himself algebra, calculus and geometry as a child.
Einstein excelled at mathematics from an early age and taught himself algebra, calculus and geometry as a child.
Source: Wikipedia: Albert Einstein
REAL: Nintendo was founded in the 1800s.
Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo in 1889 to make handmade hanafuda playing cards.
Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo in 1889 to make handmade hanafuda playing cards.
Source: Wikipedia: Nintendo