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Fact Checks

Rumors and questionable claims we have researched recently.

A video truly does show Winston Churchill losing his swimsuit after going backwards down a water slide.

Does Video Show Churchill Losing Swimsuit on Water Slide?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Oct. 14, 2022

"But in this footage, no one seems worried about being caught with their pants down."

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Although Jefferson certainly expressed disdain and mistrust of banking institutions and paper currency on many occasions, this particular quotation bears all the hallmarks of being a retroquote.

Did Thomas Jefferson Say 'Banks and Corporations Will Deprive' People of 'All Property'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Dec. 8, 2008 (Updated: Oct. 14, 2022)

Given the fear and uncertainty engendered by the economy, it was only a matter of time until som ...

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If you really don’t want to eat at McDonald’s, it’s not hard to come up with a few legitimate reasons not to.

Is McDonald's the World's Largest Purchaser of Cow Eyeballs?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Oct. 9, 2000 (Updated: Oct. 13, 2022)

Some versions of this rumor posit that the cow eyes are used as hamburger filler, or to make bee ...

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No, storage in a refrigerator or freezer is not required or recommended for batteries produced today. Cold temperature storage can in fact harm batteries if condensation results in corroded contacts or label or seal damage due to extreme temperature storage.

Will Refrigerating Batteries Improve Their Performance?

Written by: Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson

April 25, 2010 (Updated: Oct. 12, 2022)

Some people believe that storing batteries in a fridge or freezer will help them not lose their ...

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Dr. Maya Angelou, who passed away in May 2014, became one of those figures (à la Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln) who ended up with more of other people’s words attributed to her than words of her own.

Did Maya Angelou Write a Poem Titled, 'I Am a Christian'?

Written by: David Mikkelson

July 27, 2006 (Updated: Oct. 11, 2022)

The poem has been anthologized in several books, including "Chicken Soup for the Christian Famil ...

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A rumor said that Home Depot donated money to Herschel Walker's campaign, with a tweet claiming $1.75 million.

Did Home Depot Donate to Herschel Walker's Campaign?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Oct. 10, 2022

The truth of the matter regarding Home Depot and Walker, a Georgia Republican candidate for U.S. ...

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On the afternoon of 3 November 2004, in the town of Methuen, MA, 10-year-old Natalie Gravel and 8-year-old Merrideth Reed were playing in a pile of leaves left in

A True Story About the Death of a Girl Playing With Leaves?

Written by: Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson

Nov. 12, 2006 (Updated: Oct. 10, 2022)

As the story goes, her father drove his truck into a pile of leaves in which she was playing, ki ...

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Did Albert Einstein play the electric guitar, or is this picture a fake?

Does Pic Show Albert Einstein Playing an Electric Guitar?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Oct. 6, 2015 (Updated: Oct. 7, 2022)

Digital editing strikes again.

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ManBeef.com logo

The ManBeef Hoax

Written by: David Mikkelson

April 19, 2001 (Updated: Oct. 6, 2022)

Once upon a time, there was website called ManBeef.com that advertised "human meat" and detailed ...

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A woman seduces her husband at Halloween party, then finds out he switched costumes with someone else.

Legend: Wife Seduces Husband at Halloween Party — but He Switched Costumes?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Aug. 4, 1999 (Updated: Oct. 6, 2022)

This story has circulated in various forms since at least the 1960s.

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Even the most unsuperstitious and least tradition-bound will stoop to observing the custom of having the groom carry his bride over the threshold after their wedding.

Crossing the Threshold: What's the Wedding Custom's Origin?

Written by: Barbara Mikkelson

May 24, 2000 (Updated: Oct. 5, 2022)

The tradition in which one partner carries the other over a doorway traces back to Roman times.

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A photograph shows three windows holding back floodwaters from Hurricane Ian, according to Reddit.

Is This Photo of Windows Holding Back Hurricane Ian Floodwaters Real?

Written by: Jordan Liles

Oct. 3, 2022 (Updated: Oct. 5, 2022)

A popular tweet with more than 300,000 likes showed a picture of three windows appearing to with ...

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DONETSK, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 9: A woman cleans out her damaged apartment in the area near a chemical plant which has suffered artillery shellings on February 09, 2015 in Donetsk, Ukraine. A missile exploded overnight on February 8, 2015 near a chemical plant producing weaponry in a northern suburb of Donetsk, causing a large fireball. Four apartments were burned and many others severely damaged. The shelling of the area continued this morning. (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

No, a Nuclear Bomb Wasn't Detonated in Ukraine in 2015

Written by: David Mikkelson

Oct. 10, 2014 (Updated: Oct. 4, 2022)

Nope. A video of a mushroom-cloud explosion at a chemical plant in Donetsk, Ukraine, erroneously ...

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Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn Death Hoax (2018)

Written by: David Mikkelson

Dec. 31, 2018 (Updated: Oct. 4, 2022)

Contrary to a false report circulating in 2018, country singer Loretta Lynn did not die after ch ...

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Person, Human, Lighting

Is It Really Possible To Book the 'Scream' House on Halloween?

Written by: Bethania Palma

Oct. 2, 2021 (Updated: Oct. 3, 2022)

The bookings were advertised in 2021 as a promotion for a new "Scream" sequel.

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A photograph of some gorgeous fall foliage has been reposted on numerous web sites and social media accounts since it was first published on Flickr in 2006.

Does This Pic Show Fall Foliage in Upstate New York?

Written by: Dan Evon

Oct. 22, 2015 (Updated: Oct. 3, 2022)

The image of an autumnal landscape was first published on Flickr in 2006.

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As the legend goes, the horse-drawn hearse in front of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is the actual hearse used to carry Brigham Young’s body.

Was Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Hearse Used for Brigham Young's Funeral?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Feb. 24, 2001 (Updated: Sept. 30, 2022)

According to legend, the Disneyland hearse was originally used to carry the religious leader's b ...

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Is this a real video of a shark swimming in a flooded Fort Myers street during Hurricane Ian?

Hurricane Ian: Is Video of Shark Swimming in Flooded Fort Myers Street Real?

Written by: David Emery

Sept. 29, 2022

The video, which went viral instantly, was allegedly shot in the Devonwood neighborhood of Fort ...

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Lizard, Reptile, Animal

Did 69 People Die After Drinking Crocodile-Bile Poison Beer?

Written by: David Mikkelson

Jan. 12, 2015 (Updated: Sept. 29, 2022)

A rumor claimed that more than 60 people died in Mozambique because they consumed beer that was ...

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Did James Dean's Porsche Keep Killing Long After His Fatal Crash

Did James Dean's Porsche Keep Killing Long After His Fatal Crash?

Written by: Barbara Mikkelson David Mikkelson

June 1, 1997 (Updated: Sept. 29, 2022)

In 1955, film icon James Dean was killed in a car accident when his new Porsche Spyder crashed h ...

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