At first…
The claim is made that Henry Sampson invented the cell phone. But then…
Henry Sampson is interviewed and points out that he *didn’t* invent the cell phone. He invented the “gamma electric cell,” which is to gamma rays what a photoelectric cell is to sunlight. That’s certainly not nothing, and is a useful device that is doubtless beyond the ability of the vast majority of people to invent… but despite the fact that it has “cell” in the name, it has nothing to do with cell phones. But the internet is *filled* with sites touting Sampson as the inventor of cell phone technology.
This points out how widely a rather simple misunderstanding can spread to become “truth,” even though the actual facts are *easily* discovered. I don’t doubt that sometime several years ago someone saw “gamma-electric cell” and mistakenly *assumed* a link to cell phones. But at some point an honest mistake based on ignorance becomes a lie, even if those repeating it actually believe it. That point is when the facts are easily available to anyone who wants to find them… but they refuse to do so. This puts it in the same category as the “wage gap,” “pink tax” and Creationism.