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Errata
Myths and misconceptions about science, history, language, people and current events: A Duck's Quack Doesn't Echo; NASA's Billion-Dollar Zero-Gravity Pen; Sneakers Dangling from Power Lines Mark Gang Territory; Origin of the 7th-Inning Stretch; Sucking on a Penny Will Fool a Breathalyzer Test.
5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, 5 Sundays in July 2011
'Money Bags' Internet chain letter claims that July 2011 will have 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays, a configuration that supposedly only occurs once every 823 years.
Alligators Inhabit the Sewers of New York City
You can find everything else under the sun in New York City -- so why not giant albino alligators under the streets?!
Balance an Egg on End During the Spring Equinox
Legend has it that on the first day of spring (the vernal equinox) you can balance eggs on end because special gravitational forces apply. Try it!
Balancing Eggs on the Equinox - Your Stories
Folklore has it that you can stand raw eggs on end during the vernal equinox (first day of spring). Science has it that if you're patient and choose your eggs carefully, it can be done any day of the year. Share your own egg balancing successes and failures here. See submissions
Blue Moon
In modern times, the phrase 'blue moon' is defined as the second full moon occurring within a single month. 'Twas not always so...
A Blue Whale Ejaculates 400 Gallons of Sperm
Forwarded email accompanied by a photo purportedly depicting the penis of a blue whale claims that the male of that species produces over 400 gallons of sperm in a single mating session.
Close Encounter with Mars on August 27
Emailed slideshow, a new version of a rumor circulating since 2003, claims August 27 will bring the closest encounter between Mars and Earth in recorded history. Unfortunately, this "once in a lifetime event" already came and went in 2003.
Craig Shergold: A User's Guide to Craig Shergold
Craig Shergold: The true story of the boy whose life was saved by a chain letter that wouldn't die
A Dog's Mouth Is Cleaner Than a Human's
If you don't mind my falling back on gut feelings, I'd rather be French-kissed by a human being than a dog any day.
'Golf' - An Acronym for 'Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden'?
Did the word "golf" originate as an acronym for "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden"? That's a common old wives' tale. Or, in this case, more likely an old husband's tale.
The Great Wall of China Is Visible from Outer Space
It is claimed that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from space or from the moon with the naked eye. Urban legend, says Matt Rosenberg, About.com's Geography Guide.
JFK Said 'I am a Jelly Donut'
Was John F. Kennedy's 1963 "Ich bin ein Berliner" comment at the Berlin Wall a linguistic flub?
Judge Forbids Black Mothers from Naming Their Children
Emailed news item claims a U.S. federal judge has ruled that black women no longer have the right to name their own children as they please
July 22, 2009 Tsunami Prediction
Forwarded email warns residents of Pacific and Indian Ocean islands to stay away from beaches during the solar eclipse on July 22, 2009 as a "really bad" earthquake and tsunami are predicted.
Juval Aviv Predicts New Terrorist Attacks
Emailed report citing predictions by security consultant Juval Aviv warns that multiple terrorist attacks will occur in U.S. cities "within the next few months" and offers emergency preparedness advice.
Marie Antoinette Said 'Let Them Eat Cake'
Did Marie Antoinette really say "Let them eat cake" upon hearing that the French peasantry was complaining about a shortage of food?
NASA Predicts Total Blackout in Dec. 2012
According to this social media rumor, NASA is predicting a 'total blackout' in December 2012 due to an 'alignment of the universe' during which the earth will shift dimensions.
NASA Spent Billions Developing a Zero-Gravity Pen
...while Russian astronauts just used a pencil.
Origin of the F-Word
In ancient England a person could not have sex unless they had the king's consent. When anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the king, who gave them a placard to hang on their door...
Origin of the S-Word
In olden days -- or so we are told -- shippers stamped the acronym "S.H.I.T." (Ship High in Transit) on crates of cow manure to prevent them from from being stowed below deck and causing methane explosions.
Pluck Yew (Origin of 'The Finger')
Supposedly, both the expression "F--- you" and the obscene gesture commonly referred to in America as "the finger" originated with uppity British archers during the Hundred Years' War.
Shamrocks Banned in Boston
A British newspaper says Bostonians have outlawed shamrocks, the symbol of Irish pride, just in time for St. Patrick's Day! Truth or blarney?
Of Slim Jims, Organ Reapers, and the KKK
Q&A from the Urban Legends Mailroom...
Sneakers on Power Lines Indicate Gang or Drug Activity
You see them in just about every American city, large and small, and I suspect everyone wonders the same thing: Who tosses all those old tied-together pairs of sneakers onto telephone and power lines, and why?
Sucking on a Penny Will Fool a Breathalyzer Test
If you've had too much to drink and are pulled over by police, sucking on a copper penny will cause a chemical reaction that will fool the breathalyzer, causing it to register negative blood alcohol. Supposedly.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Email flier purports to describe the lifelong duties of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Things That Really Suck
From the mailbag: Cats get a bum rap, imploding toilets disembowel victims, Altoids prove 'curiously strong' in more ways than one...
Two Moons on August 27
According to the latest version of an email rumor circulating since 2003, August 27 will bring the closest "encounter" between Mars and Earth in recorded history.
5 Sundays, 5 Mondays, 5 Tuesdays in August 2010
Forwarded email observes that the month of August 2010 has five Sundays, five Mondays, and five Tuesdays, claiming that this only happens once every 823 years.