5 common 'facts' about Earth that everyone gets wrong

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5 common 'facts' about Earth that everyone gets wrong

This video was first published on April 5, 2016.

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Those "facts" you thought you knew about the earth probably aren't correct. Following is a transcript of the video.

1. The Sahara is the biggest desert on Earth.

Not all deserts are hot and sandy. They only need to be dry and inhospitable. Antarctica fits the bill perfectly.

It only received 2 inches of precipitation per year.

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2. You can balance an egg during the spring equinox.

You can do this any day of the year. It just requires a well-textured eggshell and steady hand.

3. Mount Everest is the tallest thing on Earth.

At 29,035 feet, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level. But Hawaii's Mauna Kea extends almost 20,000 feet below sea level.

Making its total height 33,5000 feet.

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4. The Earth is a perfect sphere.

The spin of the Earth slightly flattens the poles. Creating a bulge of rock at the equator. Scientists think global warming and glacial melt is causing the bulge to grow.

5. People in the middle ages thought the Earth was flat.

During the middle ages, nearly every scholar thought the Earth was round.

Produced By Maya Dangerfield. Original reporting by Dave Mosher.

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