Updated Articles and Resources
- '12 Days of Christmas' Meaning - Urban Legends…Created: 2009-12-18 @ 21:11:57 EST Updated: 2009-12-19 @ 15:39:51 EST
Forwarded email reveals the 'secret meaning' of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas,' claiming it was an 'underground catechism song' to help Catholics practice their faith despite religious persecution … - '12 Days of Christmas' LyricsCreated: 2009-12-17 @ 22:21:10 EST
Modern lyrics and older variants of the traditional Christmas song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'… - Christmas Cards for Nathan Elfrink - Urban Legends…Created: 2009-12-17 @ 13:35:16 EST Updated: 2009-12-17 @ 13:36:40 EST
Email chain letter and Internet postings solicit Christmas cards for Nathan Elfrink, a 7-year-old Ohio boy diagnosed with terminal brain cancer… - Cards for Jacob Hadcock - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-12-17 @ 10:33:47 EST Updated: 2009-12-17 @ 13:37:43 EST
Email chain letter solicits Christmas cards for Jacob Hadcock, allegedly a 4-year-old with terminal cancer in Mexico, New York… - Best Buy vs. Christmas - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-12-15 @ 13:52:49 EST
Forwarded email urges a consumer boycott of Best Buy on the grounds that its advertising recognizes a Muslim holiday but not Christmas… - 'National Gang Week' Alert - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-12-14 @ 11:40:49 EST
Forwarded email purportedly issued by the Tennessee Department of Correction warns of 'National Gang Week' activities including the use of a baby car seat with to trick women into stopping their ve… - Al Sharpton Blasts Tiger Woods - Urban Legends…Created: 2009-12-11 @ 16:20:37 EST Updated: 2009-12-11 @ 16:44:58 EST
Forwarded email quotes Rev. Al Sharpton criticizing professional golfer Tiger Woods for his 'lack of mistress diversity.'… - Flight 297 Atlanta to Houston - Urban Legends…Created: 2009-12-04 @ 18:52:49 EST Updated: 2009-12-05 @ 11:23:01 EST
Forwarded email purports to convey an eyewitness account of a Muslim terrorist 'dry run' aboard AirTran Airways Flight 297 from Atlanta to Houston on November 17, 2009… - Harold B. Estes Letter to Obama - Urban Legends…Created: 2009-12-04 @ 13:18:15 EST Updated: 2009-12-04 @ 21:21:47 EST
Emailed letter attributed to 95-year-old World War II Navy veteran Harold B. Estes lambastes President Obama for 'telling our friends & enemies despicable lies' and advises him to 'shape up and… - Noah Biorkman Christmas Card Request - Urban Legends…Created: 2009-11-23 @ 20:46:37 EST
Email chain letter requests Christmas cards for Noah Biorkman, a terminally ill 5-year-old in South Lyon, Michigan suffering from neuroblastoma cancer… - Obama's Veterans Day Non-Salute (Photo) - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-11-23 @ 20:02:55 EST
Emailed picture supposedly shows President Obama neglecting to salute the flag (or the national anthem) at the 2009 Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington Cemetery… - Was Nidal Hasan on Obama Homeland Security Transition Team? - Urban …Created: 2009-11-21 @ 14:50:16 EST
Online rumor claims that Nidal Hasan, who killed 14 people and wounded 30 during a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas on Nov. 5, 2009, was a member of President Obama's Homeland Security transiti… - 'We Noticed' - Open Letter to Obama by Sherry Hackett - Urban Legend…Created: 2009-11-09 @ 15:01:28 EST
An open letter to Barack Obama attributed to Sherry Hackett, wife of deceased comedian Buddy Hackett, accuses the President of doing 'more to destroy this nation than the attack on 9/11.'… - Hand Dryers vs. Paper Towels - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-11-06 @ 15:28:07 EST Updated: 2009-11-06 @ 18:54:58 EST
Forwarded email claims that electric hot-air hand dryers more unsanitary than paper towels because they blow bacteria around and spread disease… - HR 615 - Congress and Health Care - Urban Legends…Created: 2009-11-05 @ 01:28:27 EST Updated: 2009-11-05 @ 16:59:06 EST
Forwarded email trumpets an online petition favoring a House resolution urging all members of Congress to enroll in any new 'government-run' or 'public option' health care plan created by Congress… - Dr. Vinay Goyal / Dr. Oz Swine Flu Prevention Tips - H1N1 Urban Lege…Created: 2009-10-31 @ 21:05:32 EDT
Forwarded email attributed to various Indian physicians as well as America's 'Dr. Oz' purports to give sound advice on preventing H1N1 swine flu… - The Obama Phone - Free Cell Phones for Welfare Recipients? - Urban L…Created: 2009-10-29 @ 20:19:35 EDT Updated: 2009-10-30 @ 19:41:48 EDT
Forwarded email claims the Obama administration has started a program whereby taxpayer money is being 'redistributed' to provide free cell phones and service to welfare recipients… - Religion Banned on White House Christmas Tree Ornaments - Urban Lege…Created: 2009-10-07 @ 14:34:19 EDT Updated: 2009-10-07 @ 19:39:54 EDT
Forwarded email claims the Obamas will have 'holiday tree' instead of Christmas trees in the White House this year, and no ornaments with religious themes will be allowed… - Exploding Pyrex - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-10-05 @ 19:02:46 EDT Updated: 2009-10-05 @ 19:15:00 EDT
Forwarded email claims Pyrex cookware made during the last 25 years may explode when used in a microwave or standard oven because it was reformulated by the manufacturer and is no longer as strong … - Obama's Birth Certificate - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-10-02 @ 15:49:34 EDT
An examination of rumors alleging that Barack Obama's birth certificate is either a forgery or an invalid 'short-form' computer print-out which fails to establish his status as a natural-born U.S. … - Islam on Capitol Hill / Muslim Day of Prayer - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-10-01 @ 12:34:34 EDT
Forwarded emails express alarm that a Muslim Day of Prayer with an estimated 50,000 Muslims attending has been announced for Washington, D.C. on September 25, 2009… - T.G.I. Friday's 'Free Entree' Coupons - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-09-30 @ 14:29:26 EDT Updated: 2009-10-01 @ 01:33:38 EDT
Circulating via email, a sheet of counterfeit printable coupons promising free entrees on behalf of T.G.I. Friday's Guest Relations… - 'The President Without a Country' by Pat Boone - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-09-25 @ 14:30:41 EDT
Emailed article attributed to American entertainer Pat Boone chastises President Obama for saying the United States is 'no longer a Christian nation.'… - Meet the Soetoros - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-09-24 @ 11:29:07 EDT Updated: 2009-09-24 @ 12:05:34 EDT
Forwarded email offers up a document allegedly showing that Barack Obama was registered for primary school as an Indonesian citizen under the name Barry Soetoro… - Historian Compares Obama to Hitler - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-09-18 @ 11:51:09 EDT Updated: 2009-09-18 @ 14:16:43 EDT
Emailed article critical of President Obama's policies and comparing his rise to that of Adolf Hitler is variously attributed to professional historians David Kaiser and Timothy Wood… - Top 10 Funniest Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-09-15 @ 11:03:51 EDT Updated: 2009-09-15 @ 11:56:02 EDT
Our handpicked selection of the funniest urban legends going… - Michelle Obama's Staff - First Lady Requires More than 20 Attendants…Created: 2009-09-12 @ 21:17:01 EDT
Emailed article castigates First Lady Michelle Obama for requiring a paid staff of more than 20 people, claiming she has an 'unprecedented' number of 'attendants.'… - Tiger Woods Inauguration Speech - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-09-10 @ 16:26:54 EDT
Email flier quotes golfer Tiger Woods' speech during a pre-inaugural ceremony for President Obama on January 18, 2009 and praises him for saluting the nation's military instead of the President-ele… - Sam Bish Prayer Request - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-09-01 @ 12:54:30 EDT Updated: 2009-09-01 @ 13:20:49 EDT
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… - Your Favorite Scary Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-08-28 @ 14:28:08 EDT Updated: 2009-08-28 @ 14:30:42 EDT
What's YOUR favorite scary urban legend? Share it here!… - Avi Ben Stella Prayer Request - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-08-28 @ 11:37:10 EDT
A viral prayer request circulating on Facebook and Twitter asks for prayers on behalf of a 12-year-old boy named Avi Ben Stella, who is allegedly in a coma after a serious car crash… - Obama in Montana - Email Says Town Hall Meeting 'Staged' - Urban Leg…Created: 2009-08-26 @ 19:06:29 EDT Updated: 2009-08-27 @ 10:16:36 EDT
Purported firsthand account of Barack Obama's town hall meeting in Bozeman, Montana on August 14, 2009 claims the event was 'staged,' hundreds of tickets mysteriously 'disappeared,' union members '… - Don't Go to Cars.gov (Cash for Clunkers) - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-08-07 @ 15:13:22 EDT
Forwarded email warns users not to accept the terms of service agreement at Cars.gov, the website of the federal 'Cash for Clunkers' program, because it supposedly grants the government full owners… - Don't Go to Cars.gov (Cash for Clunkers) - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-08-05 @ 11:08:29 EDT Updated: 2009-08-05 @ 11:53:13 EDT
Forwarded email warns users not to accept the privacy and security agreement at Cars.gov, the website of the federal 'Cash for Clunkers' program, because it supposedly grants the government full ow… - The Bristol Zoo Parking Attendant - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-07-22 @ 13:22:44 EDT Updated: 2009-07-22 @ 13:30:17 EDT
Email tale about a 'very pleasant attendant' who, for 25 years running, showed up every day at Bristol Zoo and collected parking fees from visitors, then one day simply disappeared with all the cas… - Megan Fox Rumor - Megan Fox Is a Man! - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-07-20 @ 13:08:02 EDT
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… - Email Memorializes Darrell 'Shifty' Powers - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-07-16 @ 15:29:21 EDT Updated: 2009-07-16 @ 19:26:15 EDT
Email tribute to Darrell 'Shifty' Powers, World War II hero and member of the 'Band of Brothers' made famous by the Stephen Ambrose book and HBO miniseries of the same title. He died on June 17, 20… - Ben Stein's Last Column - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-07-15 @ 13:44:27 EDT Updated: 2009-07-15 @ 13:58:30 EDT
Circulating via email, Ben Stein's final column for E! Online, a piece published in December 2003 entitled 'How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?'… - ACLU Sues to Prohibit Military Prayer and Crosses in Federal Cemete…Created: 2009-07-14 @ 16:10:43 EDT Updated: 2009-07-14 @ 17:02:21 EDT
Email chain letter claims the ACLU has filed lawsuits to remove all crosses from military gravesites and to prohibit military personnel from praying. The email further states that 'thanks to the re… - Sonia Sotomayor Advocates Castrating White Males - Urban LegendsCreated: 2009-07-13 @ 13:40:32 EDT Updated: 2009-07-13 @ 21:22:12 EDT
Emailed 'news story' claims U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor delivered a speech in 2004 in which she advocated the 'castration of all white males,' and that her comments have been defende… - Urban Legends: Current Hoaxes & LegendsUpdated: 2009-12-19 @ 15:23:15 EST
A comprehensive listing of urban legends, rumors, and Internet hoaxes: information on all the latest misinformation on the Net!… - Urban Legends Top 25 at a GlanceUpdated: 2009-12-19 @ 15:21:48 EST
Most popular urban legends topics of the past week… - New & Updated - Urban Legends, Rumors, Internet Hoaxes…Updated: 2009-12-19 @ 15:20:16 EST
Find info on the latest Internet hoaxes, rumors, and the most popular stories circulating today… - Obama Citizenship - Obama's Occidental College Transcripts - Urban L…Updated: 2009-12-18 @ 12:34:55 EST
'Very Quietly Obama's Citizenship Case Reaches the Supreme Court' - Circulating via email, a purported AP news story claims transcripts released by Occidental College prove that Barack Obama, under… - What Is a Blue Moon?Updated: 2009-12-17 @ 21:25:24 EST
In modern times, the phrase 'blue moon' is defined as the second full moon occurring within a single month. 'Twas not always so… - Don't Drink Bottled Water Left in Car - Urban Legends…Updated: 2009-12-17 @ 16:19:03 EST
Bottled water cancer danger? Forwarded email warns women not to drink bottled water that has been left in a car because the heat supposedly releases cancer-causing toxins which 'leak' from the plas… - Carson Williams' Christmas House (Video) - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-12-09 @ 13:07:53 EST
Viral video of Carson Williams' suburban house decorated with animated Christmas lights synchronized to 'Wizards of Winter' by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra… - WWII Memorial Inscription Omits 'So Help Us God' from Roosevelt Spee…Updated: 2009-12-07 @ 11:17:41 EST
Forwarded email claims the words 'so help us God' were purposely omitted from the World War II Memorial inscription of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous 'Day of Infamy' speech… - Must Reads: Essential Articles and Resources about UrbanlegendsUpdated: 2009-12-07 @ 10:25:29 EST
- Parodies of 'The Night Before Christmas'Updated: 2009-12-01 @ 10:52:34 EST
Apocryphal versions of 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' ('The Night Before Christmas'), one of the most parodied poems in the English language… - Man Keeps Dead Wife in Glass Coffee Table - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-11-28 @ 15:30:34 EST
According to this forwarded email, Arizona resident Jeff Green preserved the body of his dead wife Lucy in a specially-built glass coffee table, which is on display in his living room… - Wal-Mart Cash Back Scam - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-11-25 @ 15:58:40 EST
Email rumors claim cashiers at Wal-Mart and other retail stores routinely steal money from customers by surreptitiously triggering the 'cash back' option during credit or debit card transactions… - Christmas Cards for Recovering American Soldiers - Urban Legends…Updated: 2009-11-25 @ 14:01:23 EST
Email flier says Christmas cards can be sent to wounded servicemen and women at Walter Reed Army Medical Center by addressing them to 'A Recovering American Soldier.'… - Muslim Belief: 'Allah or Jesus?' by Rick Mathes - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-11-18 @ 13:44:56 EST
Forwarded email describes an encounter between a Christian minister and a Muslim imam in which the latter admits that his religion requires violent jihad (holy war) against all infidels (non-believ… - Xerox 'Let's Say Thanks' Website - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-11-18 @ 11:09:10 EST
VALID: Email fliers tout the Xerox Corporation's 'Let's Say Thanks' website enabling citizens to send free cards to U.S. troops overseas… - The Clown Statue / The Clown Doll - An Urban Legend…Updated: 2009-10-29 @ 10:05:15 EDT
A babysitter calls the parents she's working for to ask if she can cover up the disturbing 'clown statue' in the room where she's watching TV. The parents tell her to call 911 immediately and get o… - Top 10 Scariest Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-10-28 @ 19:45:51 EDT
The Top 10 scariest urban legends ever told… - Onions and Flu - H1N1 Swine Flu Urban Legends…Updated: 2009-10-28 @ 10:47:08 EDT
Onions and flu: Forwarded email claims placing sliced onions around the home will 'collect' or 'absorb' any flu virus present and protect members of the household from coming down with influenza… - Contact David Emery, Your Guide to Urban Legends…Updated: 2009-10-27 @ 11:47:29 EDT
How to contact David Emery… - Reader Comments: Trust the Government in a Health Crisis?…Updated: 2009-10-26 @ 15:37:36 EDT
Many people suspect public officials withhold potentially panic-inducing information — or at least downplay the severity of the situation — during major health crises such as the … - Did Nostradamus Predict the 9-11 Attacks?Updated: 2009-10-01 @ 23:12:36 EDT
Internet rumors claim French seer Nostradamus predicted the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon 500 years before they happened… - Hoax: Ericsson Free Laptop Promotion - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-10-01 @ 09:22:05 EDT
Email chain letter claims phone manufacturer Ericsson will give away free laptop computers to those who forward the message to at least eight people… - Einstein Proves God Exists - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-30 @ 17:28:17 EDT
In this emailed anecdote of unknown origin, a university student named Albert Einstein humiliates his atheist professor by proving that God exists… - Julius Caesar: 'Beware the Leader Who Bangs the Drums of War...' - U…Updated: 2009-09-28 @ 19:21:37 EDT
Caesar didn't say it, Shakespeare didn't write it, but everyone's quoting it: 'Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is… - Halloween History: Origins and History of HalloweenUpdated: 2009-09-26 @ 11:44:57 EDT
As observed today, Halloween is a secular holiday which takes place on October 31, combining vestiges of traditional harvest festival celebrations with customs more peculiar to Halloween itself suc… - Barack Obama Is the Antichrist - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-26 @ 11:18:34 EDT
Email rumor claims charismatic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama is the Antichrist prophesied in the New Testament… - The Grateful Terrorist - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-24 @ 18:44:02 EDT
A person identified only as an 'Arab' or 'Muslim' repays a stranger's act of kindness with a cryptic warning not to go to a specific place at a specific time, supposedly saving them from a planned … - 'Simon Ashton' Hacker Warning - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-23 @ 14:29:27 EDT
'Hacker warning' circulating via forwarded email tells recipients not to accept messages or friend invitations from a supposed email hacker named Simon Ashton… - 'Christopher Butterfield' Hacker Warning - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-23 @ 14:28:45 EDT
'Hacker warning' circulating via forwarded email tells recipients not to accept messages or friend invitations from a supposed email hacker named Christopher Butterfield. … - George Turklebaum, R.I.P. - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 12:38:52 EDT
Worker dead at desk for 5 days before coworkers notice - the strange, sad, untrue story of proofreader George Turklebaum… - Jamie Lee Curtis, Hermaphrodite - An Urban LegendUpdated: 2009-09-22 @ 12:20:20 EDT
Longstanding (and unproven) rumors claim actress Jamie Lee Curtis is a hermaphrodite, or was born intersex and underwent surgery as a child to become female… - Eminem Dead - Did Eminem Die in a Car Crash? - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-19 @ 01:06:48 EDT
Web hoax claims famed rapper Eminem died in a car crash… - Meet the Soetoros (Obama Citizenship) - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-18 @ 19:15:32 EDT
Forwarded email offers up a document allegedly showing that Barack Obama was registered for primary school as an Indonesian citizen under the name Barry Soetoro… - Boycott USPS 'Muslim Stamp' ('Muslim Holiday Stamp') - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-18 @ 13:56:24 EDT
Email urges boycott of a Muslim holiday stamp (or so-called 'Christmas stamp' for Muslims), an actual U.S. postage stamp released in 2001 and re-issued annually to commemorate the Islamic holidays … - Kopi Luwak Coffee - Is Kopi Luwak for Real? - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-17 @ 18:31:59 EDT
The straight poop on Kopi Luwak (or Kopi Luak), a pungent specialty coffee 'processed' through the digestive tract of a small Indonesian animal known as the palm civet… - Does Snopes.com Have a Liberal Bias? - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-14 @ 11:58:53 EDT
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 … - Is John Dillinger's Preserved Willie on Display at the Smithsonian?Updated: 2009-09-12 @ 12:25:36 EDT
Dear Urban Legends: I believe I read an article by Robert Anton Wilson a ways back regarding the Smithsonian or some D.C. museum housing private parts of famous people - John Dillinger, for example… - Satan's Face in Smoke on 9-11 - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-11 @ 14:17:47 EDT
Some viewers were convinced they saw the face of Satan in clouds of smoke billowing out of the World Trade Center after it was struck by a jetliner on 9/11… - NBC Poll: In God We Trust - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: 2009-09-11 @ 10:59:14 EDT
Forwarded email claims an NBC poll asking respondents if they believe in God yielded 86% in favor of keeping the words 'In God we trust' on currency and 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance, 14%… - 'Where Thieves and Pimps Run Free' - Hunter S. Thompson MisquoteUpdated: 2009-09-09 @ 10:42:29 EDT
In which we attempt to nail down the source of a quotation attributed to Hunter S. Thompson and determine which of the many versions - if any - is authentic… - The 9-11 Tourist Guy (Accidental Tourist) - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-09-07 @ 18:08:57 EDT
The Tourist Guy, aka The Accidental Tourist - A snapshot purportedly taken atop one of the World Trade Center twin towers seconds before the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001… - HB 1388 / HR 1388 - Obama Resettles Hamas Refugees in USA? - Urban L…Updated: 2009-09-02 @ 22:06:08 EDT
Forwarded email claims President Obama has funded a $20 million resettlement of Hamas refugees to the United States via H.R. 1388, a bill supposedly passed 'behind our backs' by Congress… - The Killer in the Backseat - An Urban LegendUpdated: 2009-08-28 @ 14:28:52 EDT
Drivers beware - that person following you on the highway may actually be trying to save your life!… - Two Moons on August 27? - Mars Spectacular - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-08-27 @ 00:44:20 EDT
2007-2009 version of an email rumor circulating since 2003 which claims that August 27 will bring the 'closest encounter' between Mars and Earth in recorded history. Supposedly, it will look as if … - Craigslist Gold Digger Meets Her Match - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-08-17 @ 21:09:32 EDT
Self-described 'spectacularly beautiful' woman posts an online personals ad bluntly stating her wish to pair off with a marriageable 'rich guy' in New York City. Wall Street banker responds, 'Your… - Ed Freeman, Medal of Honor Recipient - Urban LegendsUpdated: 2009-08-14 @ 12:08:42 EDT
Emailed tribute to Vietnam War hero and Medal of Honor recipient Ed Freeman, who died at the age of 80 in Boise, Idaho on August 20, 2008…