1. Hoax Quiz: Spot the Fakes!
Test your hoax-spotting abilities by taking our popular image quiz. It's harder than you think! Status: Try it!
2. Hercules, World's Biggest Dog (Photo)
Emailed image of a gargantuan dog named Hercules, purportedly the Guinness Record holder for World's Biggest Dog. Status: Fake
3. Obama's Left-Handed Flag Salute
Viral image appears to show Barack and Michelle Obama saluting the flag by placing their left hands (instead of their right) over their hearts. Status: Fake
4. World's Tallest Woman
Emailed photos purport to show the world's tallest woman at 7 feet, 4 inches tall and 320 pounds, in Holland. Is she really the tallest woman in the world? Status: False
5. Cell Phone Numbers 'Going Public'
Forwarded email warns that a directory of cell phone numbers will soon be published and urges users to enter their cell phone numbers on the federal Do Not Call Registry to prevent calls from telemarketers. Status: Mostly false
6. Carmen Winstead
Chain-letter-style Internet postings tell the story of Carmen Winstead, a 17-year-old girl supposedly pushed down a sewer and killed by a gang of girls from her school. Status: False
7. The Legend of Bloody Mary
Urban legend says if you stand in front of a mirror and chant "Bloody Mary" three times, a terrifying ghost will appear. Status: False
8. Breast Infestation
Viral image and video purport to document the medical case of a female anthropologist named Susan McKinley who failed to seek treatment for a rash and wound up with an infestation of larvae in her breast. Status: See details
9. Obama Citizenship Case Reaches Supreme Court
Purported AP news story claims Occidental College transcripts reveal that Barack Obama, under the name "Barry Soetoro," received a Fulbright Scholarship only awarded to foreign-born students. Status: False
10. A Violinist in the Metro
Forwarded email describes what happened when acclaimed classical violinist Joshua Bell appeared incognito on a subway platform in Washington, D.C. one cold winter morning and played his heart out for tips. Status: True
11. Jamie Lee Curtis Is a Hermaphrodite
Longstanding rumors say actress Jamie Lee Curtis was born with male sex organs and underwent a sex change operation as an infant. Status: Dubious
12. Mr. Rogers Was a Marine Sniper / Navy SEAL
Internet rumors allege that mild-mannered children's TV show host Fred Rogers had a former secret career as a trained assassin. Status: False
13. Richard Gere and the Gerbil
Several years ago, "they" say, Richard Gere was admitted into the emergency room of a Los Angeles hospital with a foreign object lodged in his rectum: a gerbil. Status: False
14. Humans Can Lick, Too
Home alone, but there's nothing to fear with your trusty dog keeping watch under the bed. Or is there? Status: Urban legend
15. The Tourist Guy of 9/11
A snapshot purportedly taken atop one of the World Trade Center twin towers seconds before the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. Status: Fake
16. Photo of Giant Snake in Delray, Florida
Viral image purports to show a very, very large snake spotted near Delray, Florida, the Morganza Spillway near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, or Branxton, NSW, Australia (depending on version). Status: Mislabeled
17. Lady Gaga Is a Hermaphrodite
An online concert video appears to show a little "something extra" peeking out from under Lady Gaga's miniskirt. Status: False
18. The Clown Statue
A babysitter calls the parents who hired her to ask if she can cover up the clown statue in the room where she's watching TV because it disturbs her. The parents tell her to call 911, grab the children, and get out of the house immediately! Status: False
19. H.R. 4646: Obama's 1% Transaction Tax
Email claims President Obama's finance team plans to impose a 1% transaction tax on all transactions at financial institutions, including bank deposits. Status: Mostly false
20. Bill Gates' 11 Rules of Life
Circulating via email, the text of a speech allegedly given by Bill Gates in which he sets out 11 rules for life kids won't learn in school. Status: Misattributed
21. Why the Ocean Is Salty
According to this forwarded email, a typical blue whale produces over 400 gallons of sperm when it ejaculates... and you wonder why the ocean is so salty! Status: False
22. Vicks VapoRub on Feet Stops Coughing
Forwarded email claims that coughing in children can be stopped '100% of the time' by applying 'Vicks Vapor Rub' to the bottoms of their feet and covering them with socks at bedtime. Status: See details
23. Help Save 14-Year-Old Beaten by Stepfather
Viral wall postings claim Facebook has promised to donate 45 cents for medical expenses every time the photo of a 14-year-old boy allegedly "beaten half dead" (or "shot 6 times") by his stepfather is shared online. Status: False
24. Balancing Eggs on the Equinox
Quaint superstition holds that due to special gravitational forces at play on the first day of spring (vernal equinox), raw eggs can be balanced on end. Status: False
25. Giant Skeleton Found in Middle East
Forwarded email claims recent gas exploration activity in the southeast region of the Arabian desert uncovered skeletal remains of "a human of phenomenal size." Status: False
Newly Added / Updated:
1. Rick Santorum Declares War on Heavy Metal
Viral text claims Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has condemned heavy metal music as "Satanic" and the "single most dangerous force in America today." Status: False
