41 Human Bodies Cannot Spontaneously Combust
Spontaneous human combustion is almost certainly a myth, despite reports of bodies burning extensively while nearby objects remained largely untouched. Investigators instead point to an external flame, such as a match, cigarette, or electrical spark, igniting clothing and triggering the “wick effect.” Melting body fat soaks into the fabric, which then burns slowly like a candle wick and fuels a localized fire. The flames can destroy the original ignition source, making the death appear spontaneous even though no evidence shows that human bodies can ignite from within.
42 Green Candy Mocked Aphrodisiac Rumor
The Green M&M character’s seductive personality references a 1970s urban legend claiming that green M&Ms acted as aphrodisiacs. The rumor gained prominence when students reportedly picked green candies from packets and fed them to people they desired. In 1997, M&M/Mars turned the myth into an advertising joke by introducing a flirtatious female Green with mascaraed eyelashes, sensuous lips, and white go-go boots.
43 Kanamara Matsuri Honors Steel Phallus
Japan’s Kanamara Matsuri, or “Festival of the Steel Phallus,” takes place each spring at Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki. According to legend, a sharp-toothed demon hid inside a young woman’s vagina and castrated two young men on their wedding nights. The woman sought help from a blacksmith, who forged an iron phallus that shattered the demon’s teeth. Since 1969, the annual festival has featured phallus-shaped candy, decorations, and portable shrines while raising money for HIV research.
44 Poinsettia Poisoning Is Mostly Myth
The belief that poinsettias are deadly poisonous is largely an urban legend fueled by false stories and reporting. It began with a 1919 tale claiming that a 2-year-old child died after eating one leaf, while a 1970 US Food and Drug Administration newsletter wrongly warned that a single leaf could kill a child. Researchers later failed to establish a poisonous dose in rats even after administering the equivalent of 500 leaves, or nearly 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of sap. Poinsettias can still cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or skin irritation, but a review of more than 20,000 poison-control calls recorded no deaths.
45 MSG Panic Began With Letter
Scientists and food regulators generally consider monosodium glutamate, or MSG, safe in normal dietary amounts. In 1968, a Chinese American physician named Robert Ho Man Kwok reported numbness, weakness, and heart palpitations after eating at Chinese restaurants. He suggested several possible causes, including cooking wine, high sodium levels, and MSG, but public attention focused on the additive and created a lasting food myth. The US Food and Drug Administration classifies MSG as “generally recognized as safe,” while blinded studies have failed to consistently trigger reactions in people who identify as sensitive to it.
46 Ostriches Never Bury Their Heads
Ostriches do not bury their heads in sand because they think they are invisible to danger. They dig shallow holes for their nests and regularly lower their heads inside to turn the eggs, keeping them evenly heated as the embryos develop. From a distance, their small heads appear buried, which likely helped reinforce a myth that may date back to Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder.
47 English Teeth Defy American Stereotype
In 2015, researchers tested the myth of “bad English teeth” by comparing national dental surveys from England and the United States. Americans averaged 7.31 missing teeth, compared with 6.97 among English participants, and the United States had wider oral-health inequalities based on income and education. However, English adults reported more dental problems affecting daily life, while self-rated oral health showed no significant difference. The researchers concluded that American oral health was not better than English oral health.
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48 Mister Rogers Sniper Myth Explained
The popular internet myth that American children’s television host Fred Rogers served as a sniper appears to have grown from mistaken identity. While researching A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, screenwriters Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue discovered another man named Fred Rogers who had served as a Marine sharpshooter, founded a security business, and briefly used FredRogers.com. Internet users confused the two men and spread stories that the television host concealed military tattoos beneath his famous sweaters. Mister Rogers never served in the military, and the US Navy SEALs publicly rejected the rumor.
49 Televisions Do Not Ruin Eyesight
Sitting close to a television or monitor does not permanently damage the eyes, although prolonged viewing can cause temporary strain and fatigue. The warning persisted partly because some General Electric color televisions sold during the 1960s emitted radiation up to 100,000 times above the level federal health officials considered safe. General Electric recalled and repaired those sets, and televisions made after 1968 no longer had that emissions problem. Children who repeatedly sit close may already have undiagnosed nearsightedness, meaning the behavior can reveal poor vision rather than cause it.
50 Goldfish Memory Lasts Six Months
The myth that goldfish remember events for only three seconds is false. In 2015, a ninth-grade student named Katie trained goldfish to navigate a maze and find food before testing them again after gaps of up to six months. After six months away, the fish found the food in an average of 12.82 seconds, compared with 410.05 seconds on their first training day. The results indicated that goldfish can retain spatial memories for at least six months.
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.
Yep, the same thing happened with my Polish ancestors. Their name was spelled correctly on the early paperwork, but it slowly became more Americanized with each passing census.
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.
Yeah, Gryla and the Yule Lads are just another reason why Christmas north of the Tropic of Cancer is basically a fear-based holiday. Between her, Krampus, Frau Perchta, Mari Lwyd, Knecht Ruprecht, Pére Fouettard, Lussi, and Baba Yaga, it’s a wonder European kids ever get a good night’s sleep.
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.
RE: Fact #8 (Hartlepool Monkey Faced Spy Trial) – It’s definitely part of the local lore now. Keith Gregson, a historian and former teacher from Hartlepool, has pointed out there’s zero evidence this actually happened. It seems like it gained traction through entertainers like Ned Corvan, who used the story to lampoon the town. The divide between the new industrial workers and the wealthier folks in Old Hartlepool likely kept the myth alive as a way to insult the working class.
RE: Fact #46 (Ostriches Never Bury Their Heads) – Birds are way smarter than people give them credit for. Ravens are on par with chimps when it comes to solving puzzles. I’ve owned birds my whole life, and the intelligence of African Greys and Eclectus parrots never stops amazing me.
RE: Fact #11 (Romantic Partners Usually Share Traits) – Opposites attract when it doesn’t involve life’s major values. It would be tough for two people to build a life together if they fundamentally disagreed on what matters.