1. FICTION

While the venom of the Brazilian Wandering Spider does cause priapism (painful, long-lasting erections) that can last for several hours and lead to permanent damage, there is no record of a 21-day erection.

2. FACT

Known as one of the most corrupt and debauched popes in history, Pope John XII reportedly turned the Lateran Palace into a brothel. Historical accounts state he died in 964 AD after being caught in the act by a cuckolded husband who beat his skull in.

3. FACT

While old textbooks claimed the clitoris had ~8,000 nerve endings, a landmark 2022 Oregon Health & Science University study revealed that the human clitoral nerve actually contains over 10,000 nerve fibers, far surpassing the ~4,000 found in the human penis.

4. FICTION

While psychological warfare got bizarre during WWII and the Cold War, the “extra-small condom drop” story is a famous military myth often misattributed to either Winston Churchill or the CIA.

5. FICTION

This is a very persistent myth! The word “hooker” was already in widespread use in American slang for prostitutes in the 1830s and 1840s, years before General Joseph Hooker held high command in the Civil War (though his army’s rowdy camps certainly popularized the term further).

6. FACT

In 2015, Pornhub launched a crowdfunding campaign called “Sexplore” seeking $3.4 million to send two adult performers into space to film a movie, though it ultimately failed to meet its funding goal.

7. FICTION

Pure fabrication, though excessive heat does temporarily lower sperm production!

8. FICTION

Totally made up, though saunas and synthetic rubbers definitely don’t mix.

9. FACT

Known as “dung showering,” male hippos mark territory and show dominance by aggressively spinning their flat, paddle-like tails like a propeller while defecating and urinating, flinging waste everywhere.

10. FICTION

Purely made-up statistic for this post… thankfully.

11. FACT

In the late 19th century, doctors treated “hysteria” by manually massaging the pelvic region until the patient reached “paroxysms” (orgasm). Dr. Joseph Mortimer Granville patented the electromechanical vibrator around 1880 specifically to save doctors time and hand strain.

12. FACT

When a drone honeybee mates with a queen in mid-air, the pressure required to ejaculate causes his endophallus to explode violently, snapping off inside the queen as a “mating plug.” The drone drops to the ground and dies immediately.

13. FICTION

Fart traps were never a thing, though 18th-century court life certainly had plenty of wild fashion trends.

14. FACT

In ancient Rome, the sweat and dirt (strigil scrapings) collected from popular gladiators were mixed with oils and bottled. Wealthy Roman women bought it to use as a luxurious face cream, believing it conferred beauty and heightened libido.

15. FICTION

While Craigslist has seen its fair share of weird listings, this specific story is an internet urban legend that circulated on fake news outlets.

16. FACT

Known as “Trial by Sexual Congress” (or congrès), this practice was actually used in France until 1677. If a husband was accused of impotency, the court ordered the couple to attempt intercourse in front of witnesses to verify if he could perform.

17. FICTION

An average male ejaculation contains roughly 40 million to 300 million sperm. While that’s a massive number, the global human population is over 8 billion.

18. . FACT

Female ferrets are induced ovulators. If they stay in estrus (heat) without mating, high estrogen levels suppress bone marrow production of red blood cells, leading to severe aplastic anemia which is fatal if untreated.

19. FICTION

While multiple real people have legally changed their name to Santa Claus to run for local office in various states, this specific embezzlement story is a made-up claim.

20. FICTION

A whale penis is informally referred to as a “dork.”

21. FACT

Female giraffes wear thick hides, so males can’t smell their hormones through their skin. To check her fertility, the male continuously nudges or headbutts her bladder until she submits and urinates directly into his mouth.

22. FACT

Hermaphroditic land snails shoot sharp, calcified spikes called “love darts” directly into their partner’s body before mating. The dart injects a chemical mucus that prevents the receiving snail’s body from destroying the donor’s sperm.

23. FACT

This ancient practice was called kynodesme (literally “dog tie”). Uncovering the glans in public was considered vulgar and disrespectful to the gods, so athletes tied a leather cord around the prepuce to pull it closed over the tip.

Fact? Fiction? Who Knows…

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