While we at Apex Magnets love to learn about how magnetism and rare earth magnets are being used for various real-world applications, we’re also intrigued when magnetism has been worked into popular culture. From movies and shows like Stranger Things to supervillains’ and superheroes’ powers, it’s exciting when magnetism is the thread that connects these memorable storylines and characters.  Though entertaining, some of these magnetic moments have been misinterpreted in pop culture. Read on to learn about five examples of how magnetism wasn’t necessarily correct or achievable off of the screen or page.  Journey to the Center of the Earth, 1959  Have you seen the original Journey to the Center of the Earth? In this film, the pole at the center of the earth attracts Hans’s gold tooth and Carla’s wedding ring, which is also made of gold… but gold isn’t a magnetic material. It’s actually diamagnetic, which means that it can be repelled by a magnetic field. The only explanation for this to work? The tooth and ring weren’t actually made entirely of real gold. Live and Let Die, 1973  The James Bond film series has no shortage of references to magnetism, although they might not be as realistic as the movies make them seem. In Live and Let Die, the eighth film of the series, an electromagnet hidden in a wristwatch deflects bullets. Legitimate bullets. This is impossible, however, due to the weak magnetic field. Don’t believe us? MythBusters actually proved how this couldn’t work in real life in its 95th episode, James Bond Special: Part 1. The Simpsons, Season 19: Episode 13, 2008 In The Simpsons episode titled “The Debarted,” Bart makes Principal Skinner dance across the stage by controlling his feet via horseshoe magnets. Skinner’s shoes apparently have pieces of metal on the bottom, which are attracted to the magnets Bart is holding under the stage. The magnetic field wouldn’t be strong enough to pass through the thickness of the stage, however, proving this prank to be impossible. It still makes us chuckle, though.  The Core, 2003 There seems to be a theme in movies about how magnetism can wreak havoc on our beloved planet. The plot of The Core is built on the failure of Earth’s magnetic field due to the lack of flow in the liquid outer core. This causes catastrophic things to happen, such as birds losing their ability to navigate, compasses failing to work correctly, and even people dying. In reality, Earth’s magnetic field has hit zero multiple times! It actually occurs each time the planet’s magnetic poles reverse. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 2008 Magnetism and adventure films go hand-in-hand… at least in our book. In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indiana Jones threw gunpowder in the air and followed where it moved to find a magnetic crate. Cool? Yes. Accurate? Not a chance. While some gunpowder has trace amounts of tin and bismuth, neither of these metals is attracted to a magnet. If the crate had a magnetic field this strong, it should have also been impossible to move off of a truck with a metal bed once it was placed there. However, the box was removed later on in the film.    We believe that magnetism will continue to be a popular trope in your favorite movies, television shows, comic books, and other forms of content, so we encourage you to enjoy it, but not always believe what you see. To stay up-to-date on how magnets and magnetism are being portrayed, follow along with our blog or sign up for our monthly newsletter!