Updated Articles and Resources

By David Emery, About.com Guide since 1997

412-Pound Deer Killed (Photos) [p. 2] Created: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 Updated: Friday, February 08, 2013
Emailed photos, cont.: 412 pound deer photos
Top 25 Urban Legends Created: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 Updated: Friday, February 08, 2013
Most popular urban legends, online rumors and hoaxes of the past week
New & Updated Created: Friday, September 19, 2008 Updated: Friday, February 08, 2013
Find info on the latest Internet hoaxes, rumors, and the most popular stories circulating today.
Facebook Closed for Maintenance Feb. 29th to 31st Created: Friday, February 08, 2013 Updated: Friday, February 08, 2013
Prank posting says Facebook will be closed for maintenance on the nonexistent dates of Feb. 29th, 30th, and 31st, 2013.
Can You Balance Eggs on End During the Spring Equinox? Created: Thursday, February 10, 2005 Updated: Friday, February 08, 2013
Is it true you can balance eggs (or brooms) on end during the spring (or fall) equinox?
NASA Space Pen - Did NASA Spend Billions on a Zero-Gravity Space Pen? - Urban Legends Created: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 Updated: Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Space Pen - Did NASA spend $12 billion to develop a ballpoint 'space pen' for astronauts to use in zero gravity?
Capri Sun Mold Warning Created: Wednesday, February 06, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Viral image, apparently authentic, shows a glob of mold found in a pouch of Capri Sun fruit drink. Similar incidents have been reported previously.
'I'm 76 (or 83) and I'm Tired' by Bill Cosby Created: Monday, October 03, 2011 Updated: Tuesday, February 05, 2013
A viral rant attributed to Bill Cosby complaining of lazy poor people, Muslims, programs that help drug addicts, believers in global warming, and 'the world these people made.'
Bill Gates' 11 Rules of Life - Urban Legends Created: Thursday, March 24, 2005 Updated: Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Circulating via email, the text of a speech allegedly given by Bill Gates in which he sets out 11 'rules of life' kids won't learn in school.
Top 10 Funniest Celebrity Responses to Fake Death Reports Created: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 Updated: Saturday, February 02, 2013
Celebrities respond to false Internet death notices.
What is an urban legend? Created: Friday, January 16, 2004 Updated: Saturday, February 02, 2013
Urban Legends FAQ: What is an urban legend?
Ann Coulter Refuses to Board Plane with Black Pilot? Created: Friday, February 01, 2013 Updated: Saturday, February 02, 2013
'News article' shared via social media claims conservative pundit Ann Coulter refused to board a commercial airline flight after learning the pilot was African American.
Video of Ginger Rogers Salsa Dancing at 92 Created: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013
Netlore Archive: Viral video purports to show the legendary Ginger Rogers salsa dancing at age 92 with her great-grandson.
Pepsi Omits 'Under God' in Patriotic Can Promotion? - Urban Legends Created: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 Updated: Monday, January 28, 2013
Don't buy the new Pepsi can? Baseless email campaign protests the alleged omission of the words 'under God' in an excerpt from the Pledge of Allegiance on new Pepsi cans.
HIV+ Needles Under Gas Pump Handles? Created: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 Updated: Monday, January 28, 2013
Viral alert warns that evildoers are exposing unsuspecting victims to the AIDS virus by attaching HIV-contaminated needles to gas pump handles.
Facebook Profile Hacker Warning Created: Friday, January 25, 2013 Updated: Friday, January 25, 2013
Facebook rumor warns that hackers are stealing profile pictures to create fake accounts and impersonate other members.
Bloody Mary Created: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 Updated: Thursday, January 24, 2013
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.
The Dread Candiru Created: Saturday, May 21, 2005 Updated: Thursday, January 24, 2013
Dear Urban Legends: Our Scoutmasters always insisted that there were small, parasitic fish in some rivers (particularly the Amazon) that could swim up the urine stream and get inside you...
Martha Raye in Vietnam Created: Friday, February 24, 2012 Updated: Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Viral story about entertainer Martha Raye helping to save wounded soldiers in the field during a 1967 USO tour in Vietnam.
Burundanga Drug Warning Created: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Updated: Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Viral rumors warn of criminals using business cards impregnated with a drug called burundanga to incapacitate victims before attacking them.
Gold Ring Test for Lead in Lipstick - Urban Legends Created: Friday, March 10, 2006 Updated: Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Viral alert claims major-brand lipsticks contain 'cancer-causing' lead, which consumers can test for by scratching the surface of a product with a 24K gold ring.
The Bothered Bride (The Bride's Revenge) Created: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Updated: Tuesday, January 22, 2013
A wedding ceremony is interrupted by the bride interrupts the proceedings to reveal a shocking secret about the groom and the maid of honor
Crazy Critters Created: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 Updated: Tuesday, January 22, 2013
A gallery of viral images depicting animals in a variety of credulity-stretching contexts: giant house pets, wayward predators, albino wildlife, and more. Some of these photos are authentic, others...
A Little Girl Called Clarissa Created: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 Updated: Friday, January 18, 2013
Online chain letter tells the story of Clarissa, a little girl imprisoned in a mental hospital for killing her mother and father. And that was just for starters.
Thank You for All Your Educational Posts Created: Friday, January 11, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, January 16, 2013
A viral spoof recapping all the scary viral messages people have shared over the past year.
Christmas Cards for Dalton Dingus Created: Friday, December 14, 2012 Updated: Sunday, January 13, 2013
Circulating via social media, a chain letter requesting Christmas cards for 9-year-old Dalton Dingus, a terminally ill cystic fibrosis patient who hopes to set a Guinness World Record for most Chri...
'Gullibility Virus' Warning - Urban Legends Created: Friday, August 06, 2004 Updated: Saturday, January 12, 2013
The Institute for the Investigation of Irregular Internet Phenomena announced today that many Internet users are becoming infected by a new virus that causes them to believe without question every ...
'New' Car Break-in Method: Hole Under Door Lock Created: Saturday, January 05, 2013 Updated: Monday, January 07, 2013
Viral alert warns of a 'new' vehicle break-in method wherein thieves punch a hole under the handle of a car door to unlock it.
The Fatal Hairdo Created: Thursday, October 26, 2006 Updated: Monday, January 07, 2013
Girl with a 'beehive' hairdo dies a horrible death after a spider crawls inside and lays eggs, hatching a brood of hungry arachnids. Legendary proof that vanity can kill.
Onions and Flu Created: Monday, October 19, 2009 Updated: Saturday, January 05, 2013
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.
Facebook Hoax: 14-Year-Old Boy Beaten or Shot by Stepfather Created: Monday, November 14, 2011 Updated: Saturday, January 05, 2013
FALSE rumor claims Facebook will donate 45 cents per share to cover medical expenses of a 14-year-old boy shot 6 times by his stepfather.
McDonald's Job Application Created: Monday, April 02, 2007 Updated: Thursday, January 03, 2013
Via forwarded email, an 'actual' job application submitted to McDonald's by one Greg Bulmash in 1997.

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