How to tell real facts from fake ones
The fastest way to tell a real fact from a convincing myth is to check its source. If a fun fact can't name who established it, such as an agency like NASA or a reference like Britannica, treat it with suspicion. The most common complaint in fact app reviews is exactly this: "A simple google search showed most the facts it was showing me were myths."
Four steps to check a fact
Before you share it, check four things.
- Is a source named at all? If not, don't repeat it.
- Is the source a primary agency or a trusted reference? (NASA for space, NOAA for oceans and weather, Britannica for general knowledge)
- If there is a specific number, does that source give the same number?
- If it only says "scientists say", go find the original.
What a sourced fact looks like
Here are facts from FactQuest with the source each one shows.
| Fact | Source |
|---|---|
| The Sun holds about 99.8% of all the mass in our solar system. | NASA |
| The platypus is a mammal that lays eggs. It belongs to a rare group called monotremes, along with echidnas. | Britannica |
| A narwhal's long spiral tusk is actually a tooth that grows out through its upper lip. | NOAA |
Patterns that give myths away
Unsourced facts tend to have numbers that are a little too dramatic, or sweeping claims like "the average person does X in their lifetime" that nobody could measure. Asking "says who?" is the best defense.
How FactQuest handles it
All 311 facts in FactQuest show a source on the card, and only well-established facts are included. Every card has a report button, so if you find a mistake we check it and fix it.
Get facts that come with a source
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