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While the satisfactory pop of a Snapple twist-off lid is certainly satisfying, and the first sip of refreshing, tangy tea is definitely delicious, we all know that the "huh!" moment you experience when reading a new "Real Fact" is the best part of opening a fresh bottle of the tasty brew. Usually, you can be rewarded for your efforts with a fun, thoroughly accurate little fact: "Animals that lay eggs don't have belly buttons," for instance. Sure, it makes sense, but now you're forced to imagine the platypus, running around without a navel
It's easy to fact-check most of Snapple's assertions, and they're generally quite accurate. For instance:
#293: Vermont is the only New England state without a seacoast.
A quick look at a map of the U.S. will confirm this Snapple fact's truthfulness, although you may not have previously considered how lonely shoreless Vermont must have been before.
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#11: Flamingos turn pink from eating shrimp.
A glance at the fluffy, snow-white feathers of baby flamingos can corroborate that the famously pink-hued birds gain their color from their diet.
#798: The state of Florida is bigger than England.
America's most consistently dubious state takes up an entire 65,755 square miles -- compared with England's mere 50,346. Sad but true, Snapple.
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With more than 900 lid-sized facts on their roster, it's unsurprising that a few "Real Facts" might not be completely, 100 percent accurate. Some are just oversimplifications of more complicated issues, others are common misperceptions, and some are just flat-out wrong.
To learn which were right and which erroneous, we combed through scientific papers, checked in with experts at Harvard and Columbia Universities, researched the home of a president of the United States, and, um, watched an episode or two of Mythbusters. For science! And the pursuit of veracity.
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Take a look at our slideshow to find out which Snapple "Real Facts" contain more fiction than factoid.
Snapple Real Fact No. 830: The Average Human Dream Lasts Only Two to Three Seconds
We spoke with Dr. Robert Stickgold, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, an expert in sleep cognition, to understand more about this idea.“It’s hard to know how to measure [the real time of dream length],” Dr. Stickgold told us. “If you mean, ‘How long did the dreams we remember last?’ the answer is probably between a few seconds and 15 minutes. [If you mean] subjective time, this is truly all over the place. We've looked at this and some subjects reported, on average, a subjective length of five to 10 seconds, others of two to four hours, with still others reporting everything in between.”So there you have it: while we can measure how long rapid eye movement (REM) states last — during which time dreams are prevalent — determining the length of particular, individual dreams is much trickier and more subjective. So we can’t be entirely sure how long individual dreams last, but there’s no evidence to suggest that they are “on average” only 2 to 3 seconds long.Photo Credit: Snapple Click Here to see More Untrue Snapple Facts
Snapple Real Fact No. 840: The Only Food That Does Not Spoil is Honey
Vinegar and table salt are both fine examples of common foods that are also indefinitely stable, as we’ve previously reported. It’s untrue that Twinkies don’t expire, however. They may seem fine past their expiration dates, but they will mold in their packaging.Photo Credit: Snapple
Snapple Real Fact No. 878: Only Male Fireflies Can Fly
While it’s true that in some species of fireflies, the females are flightless, in other species of the same insect, female fireflies can flit around your yard just as well as the gents of their species do.Photo Credit: Snapple Click Here to see More Untrue Snapple Facts
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Snapple Real Fact No. 880: The Venus Flytrap Can Eat a Whole Cheeseburger
"The Venus flytrap can eat a whole cheeseburger."Venus flytraps are actually really not supposed to eat anything remotely as fatty — or dead — as a cheeseburger. These plants get all the energy they need through photosynthesis; they only catch live flies to produce a little extra nitrogen and phosphorous to make up for poor soil conditions. The fat levels in even a bite of a cheeseburger could damage and potentially kill the average Venus flytrap — much less an entire one.Photo Credit: Snapple
Snapple Real Fact No.36: A Duck's Quack Does Not Echo
"A duck's quack does not echo."Mythbusters tackled this one for us: while the echo of a quack may be difficult to distinguish from the quack itself, a duck does not actually generate special un-echo-able sound waves.Click Here to see More Untrue Snapple FactsPhoto Credit: Snapple
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