Thursday, June 15, 2006

Thursday 13: My Favorite Hoaxes




Snopes is one of my favorite websites, and I’m always referring people to the site. Especially after I receive an e-mail with a photo or story that seems too good to be true. I love to debunk hoaxes and let the truth be known.

1. The 9/11 Tourist Guy – This photo made the e-mail rounds right after 9/11 and fooled a lot of people.

2. The Well to Hell - Scientists drilling in Siberia went too far and ended up punching a hole through to Hell, where the screams of the damned drifted up to them.

3. Gas Pump Prick –Gas station customers are getting stuck by HIV-loaded syringes affixed to gas pump handles.

4. Frank Zappa once won a gross-out contest by eating excrement on stage. "For the record, folks: I never took a shit on stage, and the closest I ever came to eating shit anywhere was at a Holiday Inn buffet in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1973."

5. The Dihydrogen Monoxide Scare. Dihydrogen Monoxide is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the unstable radical Hydroxide, the components of which are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol. (Note: Dihydrogen Monoxide is H2O, aka Water.) http://www.dhmo.org/

6. Nigerian E-Mail Scam Help a wealthy Nigerian move millions of dollars and you will get a percentage. - A fraud that has actually cost people thousands of dollars.

7. Y2K – We all remember sitting around in our living rooms, with stockpiles of water and food, generators at the ready, waiting for all the lights to go off, the cars to not work, and even our microwaves to stop working. Nothing happened except that I had to buy new checks because the 19__ part of the date was no longer valid.

8. Bert is Evil - Bert, the Sesame Street muppet, appears on posters carried by supporters of Osama bin Laden. Actually, the joke was on someone in Bangladesh who was looking for pictures of Osama and found this one with Bert. He actually USED this image on thousands of posters that were used in demonstrations. Pictures of the demonstrations were carried by credible news agencies. You go Bert!

9. BBC Interview Guy - A guy that was at the BBC for a job interview, was mistaken as an expert and actually got put live, on camera, in an interview about the Apple computers versus Apple music legal case.

10. Celebrity Mediums – Famous psychics such as John Edwards are using an age-old technique called cold reading where they obtain information by asking questions and guessing rather than "talking to the dead".

11. Movie Ghost #1 – I love to pause movies that are supposed to have dead people or ghosts in them. The Wizard of Oz supposedly captured a munchkin hanging himself and his death was captured on-camera.

12. Movie Ghost #2 - The Three Men and a Baby scene in question really does creep me out. A boy is rumored to have committed suicide a room where they filed the movie and his ghost is supposedly captured on film.

13. Music Hoaxs - such as the woman being murdered during the recording of the Ohio Player’s Love Rollercoaster, and the whole Paul is Dead thing in the Beatles recording.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


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16 comments:

Carmen said...

That Three Men and a Baby ghost story freaked me out. We would watch in college, scream when we saw it, and then watch again, and scream again. :)

Anonymous said...

These are absolutely the coolest! What a great Zappa comeback. Love the wrong guy...butI couldn't see the boy who was killing himself.

Geggie said...

Snopes is great. Some of these I wasn't familiar with.

Aginoth said...

Actually number 9 actually happened, it really isn't a hoax or urban myth.

I watched it on BBC News 24, and they were apologising on air for days afterwards

Wystful1 said...

Interesting. VERY interesting.

My Thurs 13 is posted

Christina said...

I love this T13 list. Very creative idea. The dihydrogen monoxide scare is one of the most hilarious things EVER. And Y2K...the memories!

Have a nice Thursday!
Christina

Pixie said...

I've learned to go to Snopes to investigate things now; as I fell for a few on your list. I'm out of the loop on the 3 Men & a Baby thing........ Great list!

Jen said...

Ha ha ha ha! These always crack me up. I always go to Snopes first now, even when something sounds like it could be legit. I hate it when people email stuff that's not true. I actually got the one about Bill Gates giving us all a nickel if we forwarded the email the other day. Didn't that one originate when T. Rex first got on the web?

My T13 is up.

Natalie said...

I've learned to go to Snopes before believing things, too! :)

Natalie said...

I've learned to go to Snopes before believing things, too! :)

Anonymous said...

These are so cool. I remember them and they did make quite a stir. I check out Urban Legends everytime something new comes up. People really have great imaginations. Great blog by the way.

Mary Horn said...

I LOVE Snopes!!! It is my standard reply as well when I get the ridiculous emails that people actually believe are true. Good post!!
My TT is up too.
~Mary

Amy The Black said...

Okay #9, the BBC Guy really did happen. I just thought it was really, really, really, funny. I guess the hoax is the fact that he seemed to do a good job and that the people watching probably didn't notice anything wrong.

Red said...

Thanks, Amy, for the heartiest laugh I’ve had in a while. Bert and Osama?!? That is the best of the lot.

I was in front of the telly when the BBC guy story unfolded... Poor man, the panic on his face was almost palpable!

Maribeth said...

You mean that wasn't a real picture? LOL

Just Me said...

I love this list!

Have a great TT
Elle x