(Interaksyon) An old report about stories on Filipino inventions that turned out to be myths recently resurfaced online.

Esquire Philippines recently shared again its report titled “Filipino Invention Myths We Totally Fell For” which was published in June 2019.

The article listed and explained three widely popular stories about supposed Filipino inventions that were even taught in schools.

Further research about them, however, debunked them as fake claims.

Below are these inventions and an overview of the truth behind their myths:

Fluorescent lamp
Myth: It was invented by a Filipino electrician named Agapito Flores in 1935, hence, the name.

Fact: The fluorescent lamp known today was invented by and co-patented by Edmund Germer, Friedrich Meyer and Hans Spanner in 1927.

The name of the lamp also came from the scientific word “fluorescence,” a form of lighting observed as far back as the 16th century.

Moon Buggy
Myth: The Lunar Roving Vehicle that NASA used for its Apollo missions from 1971 to 1972 was invented by a Filipino engineer named Eduardo San Juan.

Fact: San Juan submitted a lunar transport vehicle design to NASA. However, it was rejected.

Armalite
Myth: A Filipino inventor named Armando Malite invented the M16 or the armalite during World War II, hence the name.

Fact: ArmaLite is the name of a small arms or weapons manufacturer that produced rifles in 1954. It was closed in 1980 and then revived in 1996.

It produced the AR-15 rifle that was licensed to another manufacturer called “Colt.”

In 1964, it was designated as Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M-16.

Yoyo
Myth: The toy is a pre-colonial weapon used by our ancestors.