Latest Articles and Resources
- Amazing Tsunami Picture - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri May 9 14:25:34 2008
Emailed image purports to show the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004 washing ashore on the Thai island of Phuket (or Indonesia, depending on version… - Listerine Mosquito Control - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri May 9 04:39:29 2008
Forwarded email claims spraying an outside area with Listerine mouthwash repels and/or kills every mosquito in the vicinity… - Rachel Arlington Chain Letter (2002 Variant) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri May 9 00:31:45 2008
The Rachel Arlington chain letter: Can you save a dying child's life by forwarding this email?… - 'Slow Dance' Chain Letter - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri May 9 00:30:43 2008
Slow Dance -- Can saving a child's life really be as simple as forwarding a chain letter to everyone you know?… - Mountain Lion Killed in West Virginia - [Full Image #2]Updated: Thu May 8 19:30:34 2008
Emailed photos show a large mountain lion (cougar) allegedly killed by a car between Grantsville and Walker near Parkersburg, West Virginia… - Mountain Lion Killed in West Virginia - [Full Image #1]Updated: Thu May 8 19:30:34 2008
Emailed photos show a large mountain lion (cougar) allegedly killed by a car between Grantsville and Walker near Parkersburg, West Virginia… - Mountain Lion Killed in West Virginia (Photos) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Thu May 8 19:29:33 2008
Emailed photos show a large mountain lion (cougar) allegedly killed between Grantsville and Walker near Parkersburg, West Virginia. It was actually hit by a car in Arizona… - Current Netlore - Internet hoaxes, rumors, etc. - A to Z Index, cont.Updated: Wed May 7 21:23:07 2008
A-Z listing of current Netlore, p. 4… - Health & Medical Rumors on the Internet (p. 2)Updated: Wed May 7 21:22:05 2008
Health and medical misinformation via email, cont… - Companies & Products - Current Netlore (p. 2)Updated: Wed May 7 21:21:03 2008
Information on all the latest misinformation on the Net, cont… - Animals & Insects - Net hoaxes, urban legends & rumorsUpdated: Wed May 7 21:20:02 2008
Current Netlore: Animals & insects… - Latest Updates & Additions: Net Hoaxes, Urban Legends & Rumo…Updated: Wed May 7 21:18:59 2008
Information on all the latest misinformation on the Net - Internet hoaxes, rumors and urban legends… - The Urban Legends Top 25Updated: Wed May 7 21:17:57 2008
Top 25 most popular topics in Urban Legends and Folklore… - The Mexican Pet - An Urban LegendUpdated: Wed May 7 16:31:19 2008
While vacationing in a foreign country, a family adopts a mangy-but-adorable stray 'dog' and bring it home to keep as their pet… - Procter & Gamble Boycott (Gay Rights) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Wed May 7 16:30:10 2008
American Family Association email flier urges 'pro-family' readers to boycott Procter & Gamble in response to the latter's support for repealing Cincinnati's anti-gay rights charter amendment… - FW: Abandoned Puppies - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Wed May 7 16:27:04 2008
Email flier of indeterminate origin purports to seek a home for six abandoned black lab mix puppies… - Obama and Kenya Connection - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Wed May 7 13:44:40 2008
Emailed letter from American missionaries in Kenya claims Barack Obama is a racist Muslim who fomented political chaos in Africa and is dedicated to worldwide jihad… - Hotel / Motel Key Cards Encoded with Personal Information? - Netlore…Updated: Wed May 7 02:29:01 2008
False email rumor claims hotel and motel key cards are routinely encoded with customers' personal information, resulting in identity theft by employees… - Current Netlore - A to Z IndexUpdated: Tue May 6 19:58:27 2008
A-Z listing of current Netlore… - Companies & Products - Current NetloreUpdated: Tue May 6 19:57:25 2008
Information on all the latest misinformation on the Net… - Bankruptcies and Gift Cards - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue May 6 19:52:53 2008
Email flier lists several companies that have supposedly filed for bankruptcy, warning that gift cards from these businesses won't be valid for much longer… - Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky - Friday 13th Origins, HistoryUpdated: Mon May 5 19:48:20 2008
Friday the 13th: 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… - Suzy DeLucci and the Miracle of Life - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Sat May 3 18:30:48 2008
AKA: 'Reasons Not to Have Sex with a Lobster' (Contains graphic subject matter)… - Mother and Daughter Banned from Disneyland [Photo] - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Sat May 3 18:29:45 2008
Emailed photo purports to show a mother and daughter banned for life from Disneyland (or Disney World) because they're wearing t-shirts with Mickey Mouse boobs… - Mother and Daughter Banned from Disneyland - [Full Image]Updated: Sat May 3 18:25:34 2008
Emailed photo purports to show a mother and daughter banned for life from Disneyland (or Disney World) because they're wearing t-shirts with fake Mickey Mouse boobs… - Origin of the S-Word: 'Ship High in Transit' - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri May 2 17:29:30 2008
In which we are told, with a straight face, that the word 'shit' originated as the acronym of 'Ship High in Transit,' a nautical phrase… - Grand(ma) Larceny - An Urban LegendUpdated: Fri May 2 04:12:59 2008
Thieves make off with a rolled-up rug or blanket they find strapped to the top of a car. Unbeknownst to them, it contains the dead body of an old woman. Variants of the classic urban legend, 'The S… - Suzy DeLucci and the Miracle of Life [p. 2]Updated: Thu May 1 16:26:15 2008
Reasons not to have sex with a lobster, cont… - Email Petitions, Politics and Protest - Current NetloreUpdated: Wed Apr 30 22:31:42 2008
Internet hoaxes, email rumors and urban legends… - Larry Ellison's Yale Commencement Address - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Wed Apr 30 16:24:03 2008
Did flamboyant Oracle CEO Larry Ellison really call Yale's Class of 2000 a pack of losers?… - How to Submit a Suspected Hoax / Rumor / ULUpdated: Wed Apr 30 16:14:02 2008
How to submit a suspected urban legend, email rumor or Net hoax for investigation… - Giant Catfish Caught in Lake Texoma (2004) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 29 04:39:05 2008
Emailed photo of a huge catfish supposedly caught in Lake Texoma, Texas… - The Eye of God? (Hubble Telescope Photo) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 29 04:27:39 2008
NASA photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope has been labeled the 'Eye of God' by frequent forwarders… - Pit Bull vs. Porcupine (Photos) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 29 04:25:33 2008
Emailed images show the result of an unfortunate encounter between a 'pit bull' and a porcupine… - Camel Spiders in Iraq - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 29 04:24:32 2008
Attack of the Camel Spider! Emailed photo taken by U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq shows a pair of huge, scary-looking insects known as camel spiders… - Hercules, World's Biggest Dog - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 29 04:22:27 2008
Emailed image of a gargantuan dog named Hercules, purportedly the Guinness Record holder for World's Biggest Dog… - Shark Attacks Helicopter! - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 29 04:20:22 2008
Photo purporting to show a great white shark lunging out of the water to attack a scuba diver dangling from a helicopter ladder… - Attack of the Penis Shrinkers!Updated: Sat Apr 26 20:46:03 2008
August 1997: Authorities cope with an outbreak of pubic panic in Senegal amid rumors that penis-shrinking sorcerers are roaming the streets… - Barack Obama's Church - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Sat Apr 26 20:15:31 2008
Obama's Church: Email rumor labels presidential candidate Barack Obama a racist for attending a church describing itself as 'unashamedly black' with a 'non-negotiable commitment to Africa.'… - Tips on Pumping Gas - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Sat Apr 26 20:05:10 2008
Netlore Archive: Forwarded email purports to share a petroleum industry insider's tips for saving money at the gas pump… - World Record Grizzly Bear [p. 4]Updated: Fri Apr 25 22:46:44 2008
Emailed pictures of a giant, 1,600-pound, man-eating grizzly bear, cont… - World Record Grizzly Bear [p. 3]Updated: Fri Apr 25 22:44:39 2008
Emailed pictures of a giant, 1,600-pound, man-eating grizzly bear, cont… - World Record Grizzly Bear [p. 2]Updated: Fri Apr 25 22:43:37 2008
Emailed pictures of a giant, 1,600-pound, man-eating grizzly bear, cont… - World Record Grizzly Bear - Full Image #3Created: Fri Apr 25 22:39:27 2008
Are emailed pictures of a giant, 1,600-pound, man-eating grizzly bear allegedly killed in Alaska by a hunter or Forest Service employee real?… - World Record Grizzly Bear - Full Image #2Created: Fri Apr 25 22:37:22 2008
Are emailed pictures of a giant, 1,600-pound, man-eating grizzly bear allegedly killed in Alaska by a hunter or Forest Service employee real?… - World Record Grizzly Bear - Full Image #1Created: Fri Apr 25 22:36:20 2008
Are emailed pictures of a giant, 1,600-pound, man-eating grizzly bear allegedly killed in Alaska by a hunter or Forest Service employee real?… - Starving Dog as Art? [Analysis]Updated: Fri Apr 25 19:19:12 2008
Forwarded email, cont… - Celebrity Stomach PumpUpdated: Fri Apr 25 19:05:14 2008
Have you heard the one about Rod Stewart passing out on stage? Seems he was rushed to the emergency room, where a pint (or quart, or gallon, depending on version) of semen was pumped out of his sto… - The Naked Truth About Slumber PartiesUpdated: Fri Apr 25 19:03:26 2008
'Dear Ann Landers,' a May 2002 letter to the advice columnist began, 'I hope you can help me with an unusual problem. My teen-age daughter was recently invited to a nude slumber party.'… - Man Arrested for Having Sex with Pumpkin - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 25 18:51:05 2008
'A man is driving home late one night and is feeling very horny. As he is passing a pumpkin patch, his mind starts to wander...'… - Rectal Foreign ObjectsUpdated: Fri Apr 25 18:43:51 2008
Writer Leif 'Trials of a Gay-Seeming Straight Male' Ueland glosses the execrable Richard Gere gerbil-in-the-butt legend in his probing article for Nerve.com, 'Everything but the Gerbil'… - Cyclops, the One-Eyed Kitten - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 25 18:31:23 2008
Emailed image of a one-eyed kitten named Cyclops who survived only 24 hours before succumbing to a rare medical condition known as holoprosencephaly… - Is Barack Obama the Antichrist? - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 25 16:05:27 2008
Email rumor claims charismatic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama is the Antichrist prophesied in the New Testament… - ProMeris Safety Warning - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 25 15:53:56 2008
Forwarded email warns pet owners of possible hazards associated with using ProMeris flea and tick treatments based on the author's personal experience with adverse reactions… - The Greenback Prophecies, cont.Updated: Thu Apr 24 21:27:10 2008
Updating us on that amazingly viral origami trick revealing images on a folded U.S. $20 bill that supposedly depict the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, a reader writes… - Folded $20 Bill Depicts 9/11 Terrorist Attacks - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Thu Apr 24 21:15:45 2008
Do images formed by folding a U.S. $20 bill origami-style 'commemorate' the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks of September 11, 2001… - Current Netlore - Internet hoaxes, rumors, etc. - A to Z Index, cont.Updated: Thu Apr 24 16:29:18 2008
A-Z listing of current Netlore, p. 5… - Card Trick [Analysis]Updated: Wed Apr 23 17:01:46 2008
This is truly one of the simplest yet most effective mindreading illusions ever crafted… - Card Trick [p. 4]Updated: Wed Apr 23 16:50:21 2008
Voila! It's gone!… - Card Trick: I Can Read Your Mind!Updated: Wed Apr 23 16:46:11 2008
I can read your mind! Don't believe me? Here, I'll prove it… - Card Trick [p. 3]Updated: Wed Apr 23 16:46:11 2008
Got it! I will now make your card disappear… - Card Trick [p. 2]Updated: Wed Apr 23 16:43:04 2008
Are you thinking of the card? Good. I will now read your mind… - What to Do in Case of Snake Attack - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Wed Apr 23 16:24:42 2008
Forwarded email purports to share instructions from a U.S. government Peace Corp manual on what to do if an anaconda or python attacks you in the wild… - Jamie Lee Curtis, Hermaphrodite - An Urban LegendUpdated: Wed Apr 23 16:23:00 2008
Longstanding (and unproven) rumors claim actress Jamie Lee Curtis is a hermaphrodite or was born intersex and underwent surgery to become a woman… - The Curse of FrankenchickenUpdated: Wed Apr 23 15:46:54 2008
Is KFC forbidden to use the word 'chicken' in its advertising because its products are actually made from 'genetically manipulated organisms'?… - Phil Mickelson's Gambling Debts - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 22 19:00:06 2008
Did pro golfer Phil Mickelson really rack up a $200,000 debt betting on his own performance in a practice round against three other players in Augusta, Georgia?… - Celebrities - Net hoaxes, urban legends & rumorsUpdated: Tue Apr 22 18:18:49 2008
Current Netlore about celebrities… - Reader Response #1: Altoids and Oral SexUpdated: Tue Apr 22 17:28:18 2008
Altoids Lore: Does chewing this 'curiously strong' mint before fellatio (oral sex) enhance the pleasure?… - Jenkem - Drug Warning - Full ImageUpdated: Tue Apr 22 16:46:04 2008
Forwarded bulletin from Collier County Sheriff's Office in Naples, Florida warns that a new homemade intoxicant called Jenkem, consisting of the gases emitted by fermenting human feces, is now 'a p… - 'Triangle of Life' Earthquake Survival Measures - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 22 15:15:25 2008
Doug Copp's emailed advice on earthquake survival tactics entitled 'Triangle of Life' is disputed by search-and-rescue experts from the American Red Cross and elsewhere… - Missing Person: Ashley Flores - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 22 05:22:40 2008
Ashley Flores hoax: Email flier seeks help locating Ashley Flores, a 13-year-old girl allegedly missing in Philadelphia… - Play the Urban Legends Name Game!Updated: Tue Apr 22 05:17:30 2008
Urban Legends Q & A: Play the Urban Legends Game!… - Lucky Truck Accident (Photos) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Sun Apr 20 16:43:34 2008
Emailed pictures show the denouement of a pickup truck accident on Route 59 outside Hurricane, Utah, in which the truck apparently crashed through a barricade, struck a culvert, flipped end over en… - Hercules the Liger [Analysis]Updated: Sun Apr 20 16:40:28 2008
Emailed photos, cont… - Hercules the Liger (Photos) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Sun Apr 20 16:39:26 2008
AUTHENTIC: Emailed photos of a 10-foot 'liger' (a cross between a lion and a tiger) named Hercules… - Snake Swallows Man - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Sat Apr 19 18:46:28 2008
Series of photos circulating via email purports to show a gigantic snake - said to be an anaconda, python, or boa constrictor - swallowing a human being whole… - Snake Swallows Man [p. 4]Updated: Sat Apr 19 18:33:03 2008
Man swallowed by a giant snake, cont… - Snake Swallows Man [p. 2]Updated: Sat Apr 19 17:42:30 2008
Man swallowed by a giant snake, cont… - Snake Swallows Man - Full Image #3Created: Sat Apr 19 17:34:15 2008
Photos purport to show a gigantic snake swallowing a human being… - Snake Swallows Man - Full Image #2Created: Sat Apr 19 17:33:14 2008
Photos purport to show a gigantic snake swallowing a human being… - Snake Swallows Man - Full Image #1Created: Sat Apr 19 17:29:06 2008
Photos purport to show a gigantic snake swallowing a human being… - Snake Swallows Man! [The Fourth Photo]Updated: Sat Apr 19 17:20:53 2008
Man swallowed by a giant snake, cont… - Snake Swallows Man [p. 3]Updated: Sat Apr 19 17:06:26 2008
Man swallowed by a giant snake, cont… - POLL: Snake Swallows ManUpdated: Sat Apr 19 16:53:00 2008
Cast your vote!… - Health & Medical Rumors on the InternetUpdated: Fri Apr 18 18:35:08 2008
Health and medical misinformation via email… - Sick, Dying & Missing Kids - Email Alerts, Chain Letters & H…Updated: Fri Apr 18 18:34:06 2008
Outdated and outright phony chain letters, with rare exceptions… - Obama Explains National Anthem Stance - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 18 18:08:43 2008
Circulating via email, an alleged quote from Barack Obama explains why he doesn't wear a flag pin or salute the flag during the national anthem… - Starving Dog as Art? - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 18 15:42:59 2008
Forwarded email urges recipients to sign a petition preventing artist Guillermo Vargas (a.k.a. 'Habacuc' or 'Habakkuk') from participating in the Central American Biennial of Art because he created… - Molasses Clocked at 35 MPH ... in January! - The Great Boston Molass…Updated: Fri Apr 18 14:49:28 2008
Boston, 1919: Twenty-one people were killed and 150 injured in one of the most bizarre disasters in American history, the Great Boston Molasses Flood… - Dumb Criminal Attempts to Rob Crowded Gun Shop - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 18 14:47:20 2008
In this email tale circulated during the 1990s and subsequently revived as a '2005 Darwin Award contender,' a less-than-clever criminal gets his just desserts when he attempts to rob a crowded gun … - Urban Legends FAQ: What is a rumor?Updated: Thu Apr 17 14:44:12 2008
Urban Legends FAQ: What is a rumor?… - Dollar Store Toothpaste Warning - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Wed Apr 16 22:21:57 2008
Email flier claims imported brand-name toothpastes sold at dollar stores such as Dollar Tree and Greenbacks don't meet U.S. health standards and may contain dangerous amounts of fluoride… - Current Netlore - Internet hoaxes, rumors, etc. - A to Z Index, cont.Updated: Wed Apr 16 21:37:37 2008
A-Z listing of current Netlore, p. 2… - Email Petitions, Politics and Protest - Current Netlore (p. 3)Updated: Wed Apr 16 21:35:33 2008
Internet hoaxes, email rumors and urban legends, cont… - Frozen Wave [Analysis]Updated: Wed Apr 16 18:23:55 2008
Emailed photos, cont… - Starving Dog as Art? [p. 3]Created: Wed Apr 16 18:21:51 2008
Forwarded email, cont… - Starving Dog as Art? [p. 2]Created: Wed Apr 16 18:19:48 2008
Forwarded email, cont… - Shark Attacks Helicopter - Full ImageUpdated: Tue Apr 15 18:21:07 2008
Photo purporting to depict a great white shark lunging out of the water to attack a scuba diver dangling from a helicopter ladder … - Cougar on the Porch! [Analysis]Updated: Tue Apr 15 17:53:16 2008
Emailed photos, cont… - Frog Salad - Live Frog Found in Packaged Salad (Photo) - Netlore Arc…Updated: Tue Apr 15 07:12:58 2008
Emailed image purportedly shows a live frog found in a bag of Florette brand packaged salad mix… - Elephant Paints Self-Portrait (Video) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Tue Apr 15 00:37:01 2008
Elephant painting elephant: Viral video appears to show an elephant painting a 'self-portrait' unguided by human hands… - NASA Denies Astronauts Had Sex in Space ShuttleUpdated: Mon Apr 14 15:49:22 2008
Allegations that Space Shuttle astronauts conducted 'sex experiments' in outer space are based on an Internet hoax, says NASA … - NASA experiments with sex in space [p. 3]Updated: Mon Apr 14 15:37:49 2008
Fictitious document attributed to NASA, cont… - NASA Experiments with Sex in Space - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Mon Apr 14 15:36:48 2008
Fictitious document attributed to NASA and circulated on the Internet details purported experiments in which astronauts performed sex acts in outer space… - NASA Experiments with Sex in Space [p. 2]Updated: Mon Apr 14 15:35:46 2008
Fictitious document attributed to NASA, cont… - Web Hoax: Snoop Dogg Converts to MormonismUpdated: Sun Apr 13 17:05:51 2008
Text of Web hoax featuring a fake CNN news story claiming that rapper Snoop Dogg is converting to the Mormon faith… - Petition for National Firefighters Day - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 11 19:34:59 2008
Email petition urges the proclamation of a National Firefighters Day on 9/11 to honor fallen rescue workers in the wake of the World Trade Center attack… - Foiled Abduction at Sam's Club (Variant #3) - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Fri Apr 11 19:33:57 2008
Final of three email variants of an old urban legend… - Email Petitions, Politics and Protest - Current Netlore (p. 2)Updated: Fri Apr 11 18:28:53 2008
Internet hoaxes, email rumors and urban legends, cont… - Kopi Luwak Coffee - Is Kopi Luwak for Real?Updated: Thu Apr 10 16:16:22 2008
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… - Snakes in the Ball Pit - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Thu Apr 10 15:00:04 2008
Urban legend has it that deadly vipers infest the ball pits in fast food restaurant playgrounds everywhere. True or false?… - Congress Planning to Reinstate Military Draft? - Netlore ArchiveUpdated: Thu Apr 10 15:00:03 2008
Email flier claims Congress is actively pursuing plans to increase funding of the Selective Service System and reinstate the military draft by 2005…