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Nov 17, 2022 · Learn about the scary stories that have been told and retold for decades, from haunted houses to serial killers. Discover how urban legends have influenced movies, TV shows, games, and fiction tropes.
An urban legend, myth, or tale is a modern genre of folklore. It often consists of fictional stories associated with the macabre, superstitions, ghosts, demons, cryptids, extraterrestrials, creepypasta, and other fear generating narrative elements. Urban legends are often rooted in local history and popular culture .
Snopes.com is a website that investigates and debunks rumors, misinformation, and urban legends. You can find fact-checks on topics such as news, politics, entertainment, and more.
- Sutton Travis
- The Story of Charlie No-Face. The tale of Charlie No-Face is an example of one of those true stories that gets wildly twisted in each retelling. Here are the facts: In the early 1900s, a Pennsylvania boy named Ray Robinson was electrocuted by a trolley wire, resulting in lifelong disfigurement—specifically, most of his facial features melted away.
- Colonel Buck's Recurring Tombstone Stain. Passersby are often keen to point out the oddly-shaped mark, resembling a leg, that stains the tomb of this former Justice of the Peace.
- Reptiles Living in City Sewers.
- Neil Armstrong Bungling the Moon Landing Speech.
- The truth behind Mr. Rogers. A secret many have been dying to know: was Mr. Rogers, host of the children’s show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” actually a U.S. Marine - or maybe a Navy SEAL?
- There are bodies buried in Hoover Dam. This is one urban legend that just won’t die. While there were many fatalities involved in the making of Hoover Dam, zero involved workers slipping into the mix and being covered up with concrete.
- Pools will turn red if you pee in them. We all heard this one as kids: you can’t pee in the pool because there’s a special chemical that turns the water around you red...
- Wedding rice makes birds explode. No one is quite sure where this particular urban legend originated, but there is nevertheless the pervasive fear that if birds consume rice they explode.
Learn about urban legends, stories that many people believe to be true but that are not true, and how they reflect modern society. Explore the origins, characteristics, themes, and adaptations of urban legends in folklore, literature, and media.
Jan 23, 2024 · Learn how some of the most popular urban legends, such as Candyman, the Killer in the Backseat, and the Goatman, came to be. Discover the facts and fiction behind these modern folktales that have terrified and entertained generations.
