David Mikkelson
David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994 as a creative outgrowth of his wide-ranging interests in a variety of subjects (particularly folklore) and his professional expertise in the computer industry. Handling everything from researching and writing articles about urban legends to managing the site’s technical infrastructure, David saw snopes.com (which antedated the development of automated search engines) quickly become the go-to place for Internet users to query about anything questionable they encountered online, establishing it as the oldest and best known online fact-checking outlet operating today. David’s educational background includes a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas (San Antonio) and about a zillion course hours of post-graduate classes at California State University Northridge taken with no particular degree program in mind. His previous employment encompassed stints with the News-Chronicle (newspaper), Teledyne Electronics, USPS, JPL, Digital Equipment Corporation, Rocketdyne, and Health Net (HMO).
Written by: David Mikkelson
Nov. 20, 1996
Do some records have more than one groove per side?
Written by: David Mikkelson
Nov. 12, 1996
Was the song 'Gloomy Sunday' banned because it led to too many suicides?
Written by: David Mikkelson
Nov. 11, 1996
Was Michael Jackson's phone number hidden in the cover of the 'Thriller' album?
Written by: David Mikkelson
Nov. 8, 1996 (Updated: Aug. 25, 2022)
He was said to have the ability to identify, almost flawlessly, orchestral music from Beethoven ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
Oct. 24, 1996 (Updated: Oct. 26, 2022)
This rumor originated with a satirical (and fictitious) article that published in 1996.
Written by: David Mikkelson
Oct. 2, 1996
Some legends claim he was proud of it.
Written by: David Mikkelson
Sept. 3, 1996
Does the beast in 'Beauty and the Beast' sport a tattoo?
Written by: David Mikkelson
Aug. 11, 1996
Is there a private club known as 'Club 21' near the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' attraction in Wal ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
Aug. 11, 1996
Some complaints have been quite serious.
Written by: David Mikkelson
Aug. 6, 1996
Prankish Disney animators supposedly drew Jessica Rabbit without underwear in a few frames of 'W ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
Aug. 5, 1996
Did Disney Studios fire Harlan Ellison for joking about an animated porn film?
Written by: David Mikkelson
Aug. 1, 1996
A longstanding rumor maintains the minister officiating Ursula's wedding in 'The Little Mermaid' ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
Aug. 1, 1996 (Updated: Oct. 8, 2025)
Was Disneyland's Haunted Mansion closed and revamped after a guest suffered a fright-induced hea ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
July 29, 1996
Was Walt Disney born out of wedlock to a woman from Almería, Spain?
Written by: David Mikkelson
July 28, 1996
Did Disney animators slip a single frame of a naked woman into a film to see if Walt could spot it?
Written by: David Mikkelson
Feb. 27, 1996
Lemmings don't commit mass suicide, so filmmakers had to use various camera tricks to capture sc ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
Feb. 26, 1996 (Updated: June 29, 2021)
The true story went viral on TikTok 47 years to the day.
Written by: David Mikkelson
Oct. 19, 1995
Half a century onwards, the rumor that Walt Disney's body was put in cryonic storage remains one ...
Written by: David Mikkelson
Sept. 24, 1995
Notorious criminal Charles Manson was not among the hundreds of hopefuls who tried out for The M ...
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