From vampires forced to count seeds and a camel mistaken for a demon to popular beliefs overturned by science, these 50 stories reveal the surprising truths, strange origins, and real events behind famous myths, legends, and folklore. Some tales preserve history, while others grew from misunderstandings, misleading reports, or deliberate deception. For more strange stories and debunked beliefs, read Part 1 here.
1 Simeulue Folklore Saved Island Residents
In 2004, the Indonesian island of Simeulue became one of the few coastal areas to evacuate before the Indian Ocean tsunami struck. Local folklore preserved memories of an earthquake and tsunami in 1907, so islanders recognized the initial shaking as a warning and fled to inland hills. These stories, passed down across generations, may have saved residents when another tsunami arrived 97 years later.
2 Raymond Robinson Inspired Green Man
The Pennsylvania legend of Charlie No-Face, or the Green Man, described a disfigured monster who stalked teenagers and thrill seekers along dark roads. In reality, he was a man named Raymond “Ray” Robinson who walked at night so his appearance would not frighten people. In 1919, when Robinson was 10, he grabbed a live power line while climbing a railroad trestle on a dare, leaving him blind, without his eyes and nose, and missing part of one arm. Robinson walked Koppel-New Galilee Road for 30 years, and many visitors brought him beer and cigarettes, but stories eventually transformed this well-liked local man into a supernatural menace.
3 Fish Feel Pain And Suffer
Despite a myth that circulated for decades, fish do feel pain and can suffer from it. Researchers found that fish possess nociceptors that detect harmful temperatures, pressure, and chemicals, while injuries activate brain regions involved in conscious sensory perception. Rainbow trout injected with acetic acid rubbed their lips against gravel, breathed faster, rocked, and delayed feeding, but morphine reduced these reactions. In 2013, the American Veterinary Medical Association concluded that the accumulated evidence justified giving finfish the same consideration for pain relief as land vertebrates.
4 Kim Jong-il Golf Score Myth
Despite decades of repetition, no North Korean media source has ever surfaced showing that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il claimed an improbable golf score. The Korea Times traced the story to Australian journalist Eric Ellis, who heard it from a professional at Pyongyang Golf Club in 1994, while later reports transformed it into a tale of five holes-in-one during Kim’s first round. Informal surveys found that people in Pyongyang did not know the story unless tourists told them. British journalist Richard Seers also questioned officials at Pyongyang Golf Club, who dismissed the supposed achievement as an urban myth.
5 Alcatraz Attracted Inmate Transfer Requests
Alcatraz’s tough-as-nails reputation was partly a Hollywood creation, and some federal inmates actually requested transfers there. Its one-man-per-cell policy reduced the risk of attacks by fellow prisoners. First warden James A. Johnston believed poor food caused prison riots, so he served good meals and allowed unlimited additional helpings. Well-behaved inmates also received monthly movies and access to a library containing 15,000 books and 75 magazine subscriptions.
6 Birds Safely Digest Uncooked Rice
Despite an urban legend repeated every wedding season, birds can safely eat uncooked rice without exploding or dying. The myth claims that dry rice rapidly absorbs water inside a bird, expands, and kills it. In reality, wild rice and other moisture-absorbing grains already form part of many birds’ diets, while their digestive systems break down rice long before it could expand enough to cause harm. Advice columnist Ann Landers famously spread the misconception in 1988 by publishing a warning against throwing rice at weddings.
7 Captivity Spawned Alpha Wolf Myth
The idea of the aggressive alpha wolf, often used to justify domineering human behavior, grew from a debunked model based on wolves living in captivity. In his 1970 book “The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species,” researcher David Mech described alpha males winning control of their packs through violent fights. After studying wolves in the wild, Mech rejected that interpretation in a 1999 paper, explaining that natural packs usually consist of parents and their offspring. He repeatedly asked his publisher to stop printing the original book, but it remained in circulation, and the alpha myth endured.
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8 Hartlepool Monkey Faced Spy Trial
According to a Hartlepool legend, a French ship sank off the northern English town during the Napoleonic Wars, leaving a monkey dressed in a miniature military-style uniform as its only survivor. Most townspeople had never seen a Frenchman, while contemporary cartoons sometimes depicted French people as monkey-like figures, so the locals allegedly mistook the animal for an enemy spy. They tried the monkey, found it guilty, and hanged it in the town square. Although no one knows whether the story is true, it has endured for more than 200 years and earned Hartlepool residents the nickname “monkey hangers.”
9 Ellis Island Never Changed Names
The familiar story of Ellis Island officials shortening or anglicizing immigrants’ names is a myth that did not become prominent in published literature until around 1970. Officials at Ellis Island did not record arriving immigrants’ names because authorities in Europe or other departure points had already entered them on ship manifests. Inspectors merely checked those manifests and questioned passengers, while immigrants who later changed their names generally did so themselves. The 1974 film “The Godfather Part II” helped popularize the myth by showing young Vito Andolini renamed Vito Corleone by an Ellis Island official.
10 Vampires Counted Seeds Until Sunrise
In old Eastern European folklore, vampires suffered from arithmomania, a compulsion to count everything placed before them. People scattered millet or poppy seeds around the grave of a suspected vampire, hoping the creature would spend the entire night counting every grain. This legendary weakness inspired Sesame Street’s Count von Count, a vampire who transforms the supernatural compulsion into an endless enthusiasm for numbers.
RE: Fact #9 (Ellis Island Never Changed Names) – Many people chose to change their names. Even well into the 20th century, famous people would often switch to stage names to fit in better. Plenty of Jewish performers did this, like Stanley Lieber becoming Stan Lee, or Chaim Witz changing to Gene Simmons.
Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen Cansino. She changed it because the head of Columbia Pictures told her she seemed too ‘Mediterranean’ and would be typecast in exotic roles.
RE: Fact #38 (Yellowstone Eruption Is Not Overdue) – People say it’s overdue because it follows a schedule, but that timeline is already long gone. Not that it just takes a loud noise to set it off.
RE: Fact #9 (Ellis Island Never Changed Names) – All my Italian relatives came through Ellis Island and none of them changed their names there. But when the census taker showed up every ten years, it was a different family name every time, Milano, Milone, Melons… neither of my great-grandparents could read or write.
RE: Fact #10 (Vampires Counted Seeds Until Sunrise) – I recall Mulder escaping a vampire by knocking over a bowl of seeds or something similar.
RE: Fact #38 (Yellowstone Eruption Is Not Overdue) – I don’t see why those two points are mutually exclusive. Something can be overdue to happen while not actually being ready to happen. The idea that it could blow “at any moment” might be a myth, but that doesn’t really change whether the eruption itself is overdue.
RE: Fact #8 (Hartlepool Monkey Faced Spy Trial) – I’m not saying the event didn’t happen, but I find it hard to believe they actually thought a monkey was a Frenchman. It feels more like they might have hanged the monkey as a symbolic effigy for France. Just my take, though.
RE: Fact #42 (Green Candy Mocked Aphrodisiac Rumor) – >The rumor that these green candies are an aphrodisiac apparently started or first gained prominence in the 1970s, when students reportedly picked the green ones out of packages to feed to the objects of their desires.Why the green M&Ms were attributed with this power is unknown: perhaps it was because the color green has always been associated with healing and fertility.The same “powers” have also been claimed of other candies, such as green jelly beans and gummi bears. >M&M/MARS finally started using the mythical image associated with green M&Ms to its advantage by running an “Is it true what they say about green ones?” advertising campaign and introducing the vampy “Green” M&M character: >After decades of skirting urban myth, M&M/Mars is cashing in on the legendary aphrodisiac powers of green M&Ms. Boasting bedroom eyes and luscious lips, Green, the M&M character introduced in 1997, has been vamping across movie and TV screens and magazine pages for an ad campaign suggestively titled, “What is it about the Green Ones?” The spots, which will run through the fall, are accompanied by green M&Ms stamped with Green’s come-hither mug, tucked into M&M bags starting [in September 2001].
RE: Fact #3 (Fish Feel Pain And Suffer) – My black moor used to greet me when I came home. I’d put my hand in the tank and he’d rub against it just like a cat.
RE: Fact #1 (Simeulue Folklore Saved Island Residents) – This reminds me of a local mayor who was disgraced and nearly bankrupted his town to build a massive sea wall. He knew from childhood flood memories and hill markings exactly how high the water could get. After the 2011 tsunami, that wall actually saved the town and people started leaving flowers on his grave.
RE: Fact #49 (Televisions Do Not Ruin Eyesight) – Staring at anything up close for a long time is hard on your eyes. It’s definitely bad for kids, especially since they’re still developing. Some people argue this is why myopia correlates with higher intelligence, smart kids spend way more time reading.
RE: Fact #2 (Raymond Robinson Inspired Green Man) – Charlie No-Face. My dad grew up about 20 miles from him and said he’d always buy him a beer when he saw him. He said the guy was great.
That used to be a local thing to do! A friend’s dad would go out looking for him to bring him beer because Ray was known for walking at night to avoid scaring people. Poor guy. I used to think it was a wholesome story, but now it mostly sounds like locals gawking at him and using beer to get close.
RE: Fact #21 (Okiku Inspired The Ring Ghost) – The lesson here: don’t toss women who reject your advances down a well, not because it’s wrong, but because they might end up haunting your life forever.
RE: Fact #18 (Bats See Better Than Believed) – Actually, most mammals can see UV light. Unfortunately, UV light is so high-energy that it can cause cancer in the eye. Over time, humans and other mammals evolved a layer of skin that absorbs UV light before it hits the retina, which is why we don’t usually see it. People who have certain eye surgeries have this layer removed and can actually see UV light afterward.
RE: Fact #29 (Popeye Praised Spinach’s Vitamin A) – I always thought that was just a marketing ploy to get kids to eat their green vegetables.
RE: Fact #34 (Van Gogh Gave Maid Ear) – Also, contrary to popular belief, Van Gogh didn’t cut off his ear because of depression. He did it in a rage after a major fight with his friend and fellow painter, Paul Gauguin.
RE: Fact #47 (English Teeth Defy American Stereotype) – I think it’s just that British actors have a higher tolerance for natural imperfections than Hollywood does.
RE: Fact #40 (Nazi Army Depended On Horses) – I can see a Pixar movie here. A horse gets drafted into the German army after working on a Polish farm. At first, he’s scared, but he’s told it’s just like farm work. He starts off hauling food and medical supplies, which doesn’t seem too bad. Then he ends up on the front lines pulling a mortar. When his horse friends get hurt, he realizes he’s on the wrong side, bucks, and runs off. He tries to get back home while causing chaos for his handlers and dodging cavalry. He ends up helping some partisans, and in the climax, they cross a frozen lake where the cavalry falls through. By spring, he’s back with his farming family just in time for planting.
RE: Fact #19 (Yule Cat Ate Unrewarded Workers) – The Yule Cat is actually the pet of a family of trolls tied to Christmas. The mother, Gryla, eats naughty children. There are also 13 sons who visit on different days and leave presents, but each has an annoying personality reflected in their names, like Hurðaskellir (Door Slammer), Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage Swiper), and Gáttaþefur (Door Sniffer). It’s a fun set of traditions, though they involve a worrying amount of child-eating.
RE: Fact #11 (Romantic Partners Usually Share Traits) – It’s hard to imagine how this wouldn’t be the case, given how people generally meet one another. A more interesting question is whether successful couples tend to have distinct differences relative to their shared social circle.
RE: Fact #19 (Yule Cat Ate Unrewarded Workers) – What a clever way for parents to trick their kids into thinking clothes are actually a fun Christmas gift.
RE: Fact #5 (Alcatraz Attracted Inmate Transfer Requests) – If you ever make it to San Francisco, I highly recommend checking out the self-guided audio tour of Alcatraz.
RE: Fact #21 (Okiku Inspired The Ring Ghost) – I can only imagine how shocked the samurai would be if she crawled out of his flat-screen TV.
RE: Fact #5 (Alcatraz Attracted Inmate Transfer Requests) – The only “tough” part about Alcatraz was how hard it was to escape from, since it was on an island and the water was cold enough to make swimming away nearly impossible.
RE: Fact #12 (Jesus Grew Garlic In Japan) – England, Japan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Tibet, Turkey, Ethiopia, Russia, Spain, and more countries all have similar stories about Jesus moving there, getting married, having kids, and dying of old age.
RE: Fact #31 (Eye Movements Cannot Reveal Lies) – I had a police officer aggressively confront me while another officer was taking my statement about an accident. The guy attacking me was interviewing the other driver and then rushed over to me, cursing and jabbing his fingers in my chest, yelling that I was lying because my eyes were darting to the side. The officer actually taking my statement told the other one to back off and stop playing detective with garbage psychology. My ticket was eventually dismissed, but if the first officer hadn’t been there, the other guy wouldn’t have even bothered to record my statement properly.