3/30/11

Did Mama Cass From The Mamas and The Papas Choke to Death on a Ham Sandwich

No, Mama Cass did not choke to death on a ham sandwich. She actually died from a heart attack due to her obesity. A man named Anthony Greenburgh was the man who started the rumor. He saw Cass Elliot in her bed, dead, with a ham sandwich and a cola next to her. Eating at that angle is dangerous, and you could easily choke at that position. He thought she had choked on the ham sandwich, but he didn't notice that the sandwich didn't have a bite in it. She didn't die from a ham sandwich, so don't tell everyone that she did, because it is a very mean myth.- John Baskin

3/29/11

If You Store Batteries in a Refrigerator Will It Extend Their Battery Life?

*edit*
Yes, heat excites electrons, and most batteries discharge at room temperature.
There are downsides to storing batteries in a refrigerator though. It takes a few minutes to warm up to operating temperatures, and if you don't let it warm up it can harm electronic devices by the moisture on the battery from the refrigerator.
- John Baskin

Information from: Explaining The World's Greatest Myths." How It Works 16 June 2011. Print. http://www.wisegeek.com/do-batteries-really-last-longer-if-they-are-stored-in-the-refrigerator.htm

3/27/11

Was Mister Rogers a Sniper In Vietnam?

No, Fred Rogers, the man who created the children's T.V. show "Mister Roger's Neighborhood", was not a sniper. One of the myths is that he always wore a long sleeve shirt to hide his sniper tattoo. That is also false. In his biography it said that he went straight from college to television, and there was never any evidence that stated that he was a sniper between being in the show business.
- John Baskin

3/25/11

Is Blood Blue When it is in Your Veins?

No, blood is always a shade of red, but when in veins blood is a maroon shade. In diagrams, they veins are colored blue, so it is easier to see them. You may ask, "Then why do veins look blue when you can see them through your skin?" Well, it is just a trick of the light, but if you hold your hand under a light your hand is red, due to the blood in your veins and arteries, but you can't see any blue. -John Baskin

If you pull out a gray hair will more than one grow back?

No, more than one hair would not grow back because each hair grows out of a follicle. You only have a certain amount of follicles, so if you pull out a gray hair one will grow back.       - John Baskin

3/18/11

Is the daddy longlegs spider the most poisonous animal on Earth, but can't bite us, because its mouth is too small?

No one actually knows, if the daddy longlegs spider is the most poisonous animal in the world. The way we would find out is by milking it, and then injecting the poison into a human. It probably isn't the most venomous animal in the world, because the poison dart frog, and box jelly fish are very poisonous, and it would be hard to beat them.- John Baskin

3/16/11

Did Little Mikey from "LIFE" cereal die of eating " Pop-Rocks" and Cola?

No, Little Mikey did not die of mixing "Pop Rocks" and Cola. The myth said that his stomach exploded, which simple carbonation wouldn't do. When that rumor was born his career died. That is part of the reason that everyone thought he was dead. He also was in a "LIFE" cereal commercial in 1986 to celebrate the anniversary of the commercial, but this time he was playing Uncle Mikey, a teenage baby sitter. He actually is still alive today! The actor who played him,John Gilchrist, is now working at a New York radio station. - John Baskin

Do Cats Have 9 Lives?

No, cats do not have 9 lives. It is believed that cats have 9 lives, because they can fall from very high places, and not die or get hurt. The reason they say they have 9 lives came probably when someone saw their cat fall 8 times and be fine, but die on the 9th drop. - John Baskin

3/15/11

Was "Coca-Cola" Originally Originally Green?

No, the original recipe included caramel to make it brown. It was also never reported to be green. There have been some tweaks to the formula, but it never changed the color. This rumor was probably started because of the green bottle that it is bottled in.
This myth is not true, so don't go around telling everybody that "Coke" was originally green.-John Baskin

3/9/11

Does lightning really never strike the same spot twice?


No, lightning can strike any place twice, or more times. Most meteorologists know from experience that lightning can actually strike the same place twice. Every spot on the earth has probably been struck more than once, because lightning hits the Earth 100 times every second.- John Baskin

3/8/11

If you touch a baby bird will its mother reject it?

No, children are usually told that by parents, so they don't touch the bird, then causing the bird to become hurt, or be taken home by the child. That is the one thing you shouldn't do with a baby bird, take it home. The bird needs its mother to survive. If the mother of the bird notices that an egg is moved, then it may abandon the nest, but that behavior is very rare. That would because of sight, and not smell. So even though they probably wouldn't abandon their young be sure not to handle an egg of a bird, or a baby bird. - John Baskin

3/7/11

Is Elvis Presley Still Alive?

Is this a fake myth that was created by people who just don't want to loose "The King?" This is a very tough urban legend to find the answer to. Well on the side that he is still alive, his name was spelt wrong on his grave stone. It read Elvis Aaron Presley, and the Aaron is spelled with only one "a." This seems odd that no one corrected this, since Elvis's middle name's spelling was very special to his family. His father worked very hard to change his birth certificate from Aaron to Aron.
He is currently buried in between his father and grand mother, while he asked to be buried next to is mother. Elvis was, or is a very superstitious man. He wouldn't let that much stuff be wrong with his grave, like spelling his name wrong. He might be alive and waiting until he's actually ready to die.
He had a tour very soon after his death scheduled. He didn't act like it. He had gained so much weight, but still hadn't gotten new clothes for his tour. He even said "adios" at the end of his last show, which he had never done before.
His coffin was very heavy and the air was cool around the coffin. Maybe for the wax body of Elvis?
His favorite books, also went missing after he died, and has no record to this day.
At the airport a man who looked like Elvis paid for a ticket to Buenos Aires in cash!
The evidence that suggests that this is fake is that Elvis fans don't want him to be dead. He was also pretty old, and was in bad shape.
There is a chance that Elvis escaped his life by faking his death, but he would probably be dead now anyway. -John Baskin



"IS ELVIS DEAD OR ALIVE ???" Free Webpages - The Fast, Easy and Free Way to Create Websites. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://www.webspawner.com/users/elviselvis/>.

3/6/11

Are "Gen-Pets" Real?

Have you heard of “Gen-Pets”? They are genetically engineered little bundles of joy!

You can pick one of seven personalities for your new “Gen-Pet.” Also every single one comes with a heart monitor and an IV system! Best of all ,they aren’t robots or toys, they are living animals! You can get one with a 1-year life span, or a 3-year life span.

Sounds like a horror movie, right? Well the new “Gen Pets” are all over the Internet! They look a lot like shaved monkeys, with no tails. Are these creatures real? No, they are sculptures, made in 2005.
-John Baskin

Man Being Hunted By a Mountain Lion?

You have most likely seen this picture in an e-mail, or online. The story is that a man was out elk hunting, and took a picture with his camera on a timer. He later looked at the picture, and saw that a mountain lion was right behind him when he took the picture! So, is this real or fake? This photo is fake.

The original picture was taken by a nature photographer in 2008 and was doctored to look like a mountain lion was about to attack an innocent hunter. - John Baskin

3/4/11

Does it take 7 years to digest gum?

Ah... the swallowing gum myth. This is one of the classics. No, it doesn't take 7 years to digest gum. Gum is indigestible, but it wouldn't just stay in your stomach. Gum takes the same amount of time to get in and out of your body as everything else. If your body can't digest something it just comes out the same way as you found it, only slightly altered due to the acid in your digestive system. Gross, but true.
-John Baskin