Articles Index
Sam Bish Prayer Request
Chain email solicits prayers for 8-year-old Sam Bish (Samuel Gordon Bish) of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, who has been diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer known as Osteosarcoma.
Top 25 Urban Legends
Most popular urban legends topics of the past week
Imps and Devils
Some survive by their wits and some don't. A couple of devilishly fun Korean folktales...
Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky
As folklorists, we may not be able to cure paraskevidekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th), but we can at least lend its sufferers a few good excuses. The origins and history of Friday the 13th.
Bill Cosby: Write-in Platform for President
Circulating online, a 'presidential platform' attributed to 'write-in candidate' Bill Cosby. He had nothing to do with it.
Car Thieves Clone Remote Keyless Entry Codes to Unlock Doors
Forwarded email urges vehicle owners to lock doors manually instead of using a remote key, otherwise thieves might be able to clone the security code (a technique called 'code grabbing') and gain entry to the vehicle.
New & Updated
Find info on the latest Internet hoaxes, rumors, and the most popular stories circulating today.
Congress Stops Social Security Cost-of-Living Increase
Forwarded email claims $24 million saved by skipping Social Security cost-of-living increases for two years will be spent on electronic medical records processing for members of Congress.
Internet Rumor: Megan Fox Is a Man!
Is Megan Fox a man??? Internet rumors claim voluptuous actress Megan Fox is actually either a man in drag (transvestite), a transsexual ('tranny'), or was born a hermaphrodite and underwent surgery to become a woman. What's the truth?
Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary: Legend has it that if you stand in front of a mirror in a darkened room and chant 'Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary,' a terrifying ghost will appear.
Nancy Pelosi's Big Fat Jet
Email rumor claims Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi uses a gas-guzzling, 200-seat jet to commute nonstop between Washington, D.C. and California three days a week at an annual cost to taxpayers of $5,760,000.
Snopes Exposed?
Snopes liberal bias? Forwarded email alleges that the urban legend debunking site Snopes.com is 'owned by a flaming liberal' who is 'in the tank for Obama' and can't be trusted to provide reliable information.
Muslims Exempt from Health Insurance Mandate?
Forwarded email claims U.S. health care legislation passed in 2010 specifically exempts Muslims from the government mandate to purchase insurance and calls this an instance of 'Dhimmitude.'
Was Mr. Rogers a Marine Corps Sniper / Navy Seal?
Was Fred Rogers, longtime host of the children's TV show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, a trained sharpshooter with dozens of kills to his credit as a Marine Corps sniper (or Navy Seal)?
Is Kopi Luwak (Civet Coffee) for Real?
The straight poop on Kopi Luwak (aka Kopi Luak or 'civet coffee'), a pungent specialty coffee 'processed' through the digestive tract of a small Indonesian animal known as the palm civet.
Health Care Bill - 3.8% Real Estate Tax
Email rumor claims the health care bill imposes a 3.8% sales tax on all real estate transactions beginning in 2013.
'Black in the White House' Virus
Forwarded email warns of 'the most destructive ever' computer virus circulating as an attachment to messages entitled 'Black in the White House.'
Ogling Breasts Increases Men's Lifespans
'Medical study' purportedly published in the New England Journal of Medicine claims research has shown that ogling women's breasts increases men's lifespans.
Email: Obama Forbids Military Personnel to Speak at Faith-Based Public Events
Forwarded email claims President Obama has initiated a policy stating that no U.S. serviceman can speak at any faith-based public events.
Joys of Muslim Women
Forwarded article attributed to Egyptian-born Christian convert Nonie Darwish warns that radical Islamists aim to destroy western civilization by imposing Sharia law on the entire world.
Polar Bear and Huskies at Play - Analysis
Emailed images show a 1,200-pound polar bear playing with husky sled dogs in the sub-arctic wilderness of northern Canada.
Burundanga Drug Warning
Forwarded emails warn that criminals in the U.S. and Canada are using business cards impregnated with a potent street drug called burundanga (aka scopolamine) to incapacitate victims before attacking them.
Email: Criminals Use Key Rings to Track Victims
Email rumor warns that criminals are distributing free key rings with tracking devices embedded in them which enable said criminals to follow potential victims and rob them.
Jennifer Lopez: The Case of the Billion Dollar Booty
Dear Urban Legends: Is it true that Jennifer Lopez insured her butt for a billion dollars?
Otto Titzling
The sad, apocryphal story of Otto Titzling (aka Otto Titsling), unheralded inventor of the modern brassiere