A number of Snapple “Real Facts” directly contradict each other, indicating that at least one of them is incorrect. I have generated a list of these “Real Facts” below:
#52: 11% of the people in the world are left-handed.
#456: About 85% of the world’s population is right-handed.
- Real Fact #52 implies that 89% of the world is right-handed whereas Real Fact #456 claims 85% of the world is right-handed.
#145: Lake Superior is the world’s largest lake.
#229: The Caspian Sea is actually a lake.
- The Caspian Sea (143,244 sqmi) is 4.5x larger than Lake Superior (31,700 sqmi); thus, if it is considered a lake as Snapple contends, then Lake Superior cannot be the world’s largest lake. Excluding the Caspian Sea, Lake Superior is the world’s largest lake by area but not by volume (Lake Baikal is largest by volume excluding the Caspian Sea).
#168: One brow wrinkle is the result of 200,000 frowns.
#483: Smile more – every two thousand frowns creates one wrinkle.
- So which is it? Do 2,000 frowns or 200,000 frowns create a brow wrinkle? Technically, these facts may not contradict each other if #483 refers to a location besides the brow. The facts are confusing if not contradictory.
#205: For every human being in the world there is approximately one chicken.
#755: There are more chickens than people in the world.
- So which is it? Are there more chickens than people or the same number of chickens as people?
#254: The only bird who can see the color blue is the owl.
#761: Owls are one of the only birds that can see the color blue.
- Owls cannot be the only birds that see blue if they are “one of the only birds” that see blue. In reality, owls, ducks, and other groups of birds can see blue.
#371: Grapes are the most popular fruit in the world.
#717: The mango is the most-consumed fruit in the world.
- These are not necessarily contradictory as “most popular” does not necessarily mean “most consumed” but popularity would be difficult to judge if not linked to consumption.
#387: A banana is a giant herb.
#719: A strawberry is not an actual berry but a banana is.
- This reads contradictory but is just poorly worried. The yellow fruit that we eat is a berry and the plant that produces that fruit (berry) is large treelike herbaceous flowering plant.
#399: Manhattan was the first capital of the United States.
#662: Philadelphia was the first capital of the United States.
- This reads contradictory but is just poorly specified. Philadelphia was the first capital of the United States following the Revolution and Manhattan was the first capital following the ratification of the Constitution.
#412: Two trees can create enough oxygen for a family of four.
#677: A full-grown tree produces enough oxygen to support a family of four.
- These are not contradictory if a single tree is sufficient to produce enough oxygen for a family of four; then, by definition, two trees is also sufficient. It is also sufficient if one “full-grown tree” is equivalent to “two trees.” But these facts are clearly poorly phrased.