00:00I'm Sophia and with me is Charles. Today we're talking about a very popular myth that you've
00:13probably heard your whole life. The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible
00:18from space. It's a classic factoid. I've always thought it was true, but I have a feeling you're
00:23about to tell me that it's a complete myth. You're right. It's a myth that has been debunked by the
00:27person who would know best, an astronaut. China's own first astronaut, Yang Loei, who orbited the
00:32Earth, said that he couldn't see it with the naked eye. So it's a myth. Why do people think it's true?
00:37Probably because the wall is so long. People just assume it has to be visible. But it's also very
00:43narrow, and it blends in with the natural colors of the land. So it's very difficult to see. So what
00:47are some of the other myths that are out there? Well, here's another one. That Greenland is bigger
00:52than Africa. I'm pretty sure I remember that from a map in my old classroom. That's because of a very
00:56famous map projection called the Mercator Projection, which distorts the size of the continents near
01:01the poles. The truth is, Africa is about 14 times bigger than Greenland. Wow. That's a huge difference.
01:07And what about the capital of Florida? I think it's Orlando, right? No, that's a very common
01:11misconception. The capital is actually Tallahassee. I'm genuinely surprised. My knowledge of state
01:17capitals is a bit rusty. And here's one more. The Statue of Liberty is in New York. Well, it's not?
01:22It is, but it's on an island that's in New Jersey's waters. So it's technically in New York's
01:26territory, but it's surrounded by New Jersey. So Charles, it feels like we've covered the
01:30most interesting myths. It's a good reminder that we should always question what we think
01:33we know. It sure is. So thank you for being with us today. My pleasure.
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