Top 10 Urban Legends That AREN’T True
Welcome to Top10Archive! Everybody has a story – just not all ofthem are true.
Some widely circulated stories, or urban legends,have been retold and believed so many times that they’ve been accepted as fact.
Have you fallen victim to any of these top10 harmless tall tales or can you spot a bona fide urban legend when you hear one? 10.
Richard Gere’s SexplorationSince the early 1970s, Richard Tiffany Gere has been a beloved member of Hollywood, stealinghearts and laughs in a range of movies including Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, and the far morethrilling Primal Fear.
Being a man of the spotlight, the occasionaltall tale is going to make its rounds, which is why, in the mid-1980s, Gere found himselfpopularly connected to the true events of men who get a little too friendly with gerbils.
While it’s true a 26-year-old required atrip to the ER after forcing a gerbil through his back door, Gere’s involvement in suchshenanigans came from a faxed press release allegedly by the Association for the Preventionof Cruelty to Animals that linked the actor to such twisted acts.
It was later revealed the fax was fake, thoughGere’s reputation was given quite a black mark.
9.
Accidental TouristBefore the shock of the September 11th World Trade Center attacks even had a chance tosubside, opportunists were quick to use them for shock and awe.
Only days after the towers fell, this imagebegan circulating the internet, allegedly depicting an ill-fated tourist who posed fora photograph atop the World Trade Center moments before the first plane hit.
Before a Hungarian man named Peter steppedforward weeks later to claim credit for the doctored snapshot, the poorly edited imagewent on to fool and astonish many.
A keen eye would recognize the fake basedon several factors, including sloppy editing and the fact that the Boeing 757 AmericanAirline plane pictured was different from the actual 767 that hit the tower.
8.
Coca-Cola SolventThe bubbly, caramel-colored beverage has received quite a bit of backlash over its lifetimeand is constantly under scrutiny for its negative impact on health, but one must separate thefantastical claims from reality.
Is Coca-Cola unhealthy? In large doses, absolutely, but if you wereto listen to urban legends about the drink, you may think it has the power to rapidlydissolve some pretty solid substances.
The most popular damaging myth is that a babytooth left overnight in a glass of cola will be found partially dissolved the next morning.
While the beverage does contain citric andphosphoric acids, neither is concentrated enough to even survive a trip through thedigestive system let alone dissolve a human tooth.
7.
The Duck’s QuackSounds like a pretty silly thing to make up a legend about, but hey there’s one outthere and it’s mind-numbingly absurd.
At some unknown point in time, some jokesterdecided to lead the world astray by claiming that, no matter what, a duck’s quack doesn’techo.
To support their claim, the legend ends onthe most technical of notes: “and no one knows why.
” The truth is, as proven by acoustic expertTrevor Cox and lab manager at Salford University, Danny McCaul, a duck’s quack definitelydoes have an echo.
Cox claims that the quack suffers from a gradualdecay and, therefore, may make differentiating between the quack and the echo a tad hard.
Cox also believes that the duck’s naturalenvironment of open-water regions could have further driven the myth.
6.
JFK and the German PastryAfter the construction of the Berlin Wall in Germany, American president John F.
Kennedystood in front of West Berliners to show support.
During his speech, Kennedy proudly claimed“Ich bin ein Berliner” and, per some accounts, his audience responded with giggles and laughter.
What would cause the crowd to give such anodd response? According to a popular legend, Kennedy hadjust called himself a German jelly-filled pastry, also known as a Berliner.
Though widely believed true, and substantiatedby the New York Times in 1988, Kennedy’s assistant while writing the speech was RobertLochner, a Berliner, and German interpreter during World War II.
While many claim the article “ein” changesthe meaning of the sentence to mean he was referring to himself as the pastry, as Kennedywas speaking figuratively, it was proper form.
5.
The Jedi ReligionNo, we’re not denying that there are people out there that view Jedi as a viable religionand practice their version of the force; but what we are here to dispel is the circulatingmyth claiming that, during a national census, if 10,000 people cite “Jedi” as theirreligion, it will then be recognized as an official religion.
The legend spurred from an e-mail that circulatedin 2001, just prior to the census in many English-speaking countries.
While the e-mail, which in some instanceswas signed “George Lucas,” worked and prompted hundreds of thousands of people toregister as Jedi, there was no change to the official status of the Jedi religion.
Though it was added to later census forms,the Office of National Statistics in the UK was quick to clarify that, while it is a choice,it’s still not recognized as an official religion.
4.
Drill Instructor KnottsDeputy sheriff Barney Fife may not have portrayed himself as a strong, authoritative figure,but apparently, the actor that played him, funnyman Don Knotts, carried himself in sucha way that he gave off “Drill Instructor” vibes.
Legend has it that Knotts served as a UnitedStates Marine Corps drill instructor at Parris Island during World War II.
The reality, however, is pretty far from themyth.
Though Knotts joined the United States Armyimmediately after high school, he was far from instructor material and spent the bulkof his service providing entertainment as a ventriloquist.
3.
Navy SEAL Fred RogersThink you know all there is to know about the docile, sweet-voiced Mr.
Fred Rogers? According to some storytellers, living inhis neighborhood meant living within range of a former Navy SEAL or Marine Scout Sniper.
The story goes that Fred Rogers was once akilling machine during Vietnam, but it’s all just a farce from the Neighborhood ofMake-Believe.
While it’s a cool story to associate withone of the world’s most gentle public figures, Mr.
Rogers was too old for the draft and alittle too busy to enlist himself.
The courtly neighbor was born in 1928, makinghim 41 at the time of the draft, and rather than go into the military after school, Mr.
Rogers’ sights were set on college and television.
2.
Pop Rocks and CokeThere may not be many people left that believe this aged legend, but it’s a classic andcannot be overlooked.
Back in the late 1970s, a story arose claimingthat the face of LIFE cereal, Little Mikey, portrayed by young John Gilchrist, died froma fatal combination of Pop Rocks candy and soda.
Apparently, the carbon dioxide in the rockswould react adversely with the carbonated soda, causing an internal explosion in one’sstomach.
The myth gained so much popularity that theFDA implemented a hotline to dispel rumors and attempt to save Pop Rocks’ name, thoughthe candy was temporarily discontinued in the 80s.
In case you haven’t caught on yet, the mixturewon’t kill you, John Gilchrist did not suffer from a candy-fueled abdominal explosion andis still alive and well today.
1.
Black Market KidneysThere are many things that can go wrong during a vacation, but having your organs removedand sold on the black market probably isn’t high on your concerns.
That is unless you believe the age-old urbanmyth about tourists being drugged only to wake up the next morning, sans one organ,typically a kidney.
The legend states that crime rings in citieslike Houston, Las Vegas, and, in 1997, New Orleans were carefully collecting organs tosell on the black market.
It may not sound like such an outlandish idea,but to date, there has been no corroboration from any person despite the National KidneyFoundation even calling out to alleged victims.
Unfortunately, the legend picked up so muchsteam that, in Guatemala, where it was said Americans were kidnapping children for organharvesting, American tourists were attacked by mobs.
Source: Youtube
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