Urban Legends Trivia

1. Dallas, Texas in 1963 was the scene of the assassination of which high profile American, supposedly shot by a former marine? (Or was he really killed by the CIA?)

From Quiz You Can't Handle The Truth!

Answer: John F. Kennedy

US President John F. Kennedy (JFK), was in a motorcade with his wife Jackie when he was shot by sniper fire on November 22, 1963. Former marine Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for shooting the President, although he steadfastly maintained his innocence. Investigations into the event did not correlate with witnesses' accounts of the number of shots fired and the direction from which they came. It was alleged that Oswald was a lone gunman, however the television footage of the motorcade proved that the official investigation was flawed. The evidence showed more shots than the investigation said were fired, and they also came from different directions. Was Oswald involved and if so, who was he working with? What really happened that day? I know what really happened...JFK was shot and killed. After all is said and done, that's all that really matters.

From Quiz Twenty-One Gun Refute

Answer: It is the sum of the digits in the year 1776.

According to legend, the number of shots fired in a 21-gun salute was determined by adding up the digits in 1776, the year the United States Declaration of Independence was signed. This would be really cool if only it were true. Unfortunately, the 21-gun salute actually predates America's independence by many years, so it couldn't have been inspired by the year 1776. Gun salutes probably date back as far as the 14th century, and began as an act of submission rather than the mark of respect that it symbolizes today. In those days, naval tradition required a ship to fire all of its guns to prove peaceful intentions, since the reloading of guns was a time consuming process. Eventually, British vessels adopted the practice of firing seven guns when pulling into a foreign port because that corresponded to the standard number of guns on board a ship. The forts on shore would answer the volleys gun-for-gun, but the practice evolved that for every shot fired by a ship, the guns on land would fire three, since it was easier for them to replenish their supplies of gunpowder. Three times seven equals 21, and that was how the practice of the 21-gun salute came about. Today, the 21-gun salute usually serves a ceremonial function, and is reserved for heads of state or to honor a national flag.

From Quiz You Expect Me to Believe That Nonsense?

Answer: A photo of handcuffs

The original story was reported by San Francisco columnist Herb Caen in 1991, talking about what happened to Steve Barkley of Pebble Beach, CA. Barkley had notified Caen about the ticket and the original story did not include the report of handcuffs--it was just a speeder dealing with a brand new photo radar system who had an interesting idea on how to respond to it. The photo of the handcuffs led Caen to print an update to the story several days later.

From Quiz I Read it on a Candy Wrapper so it Must be True

Answer: Golf

I'd accepted this one at face value for ages - let's face it, who's going to count? However, a little research enlightened me that most golf balls have around 250 to 450 dimples. There is no set regulation amount. It may come in handy to know that a regulation golf ball can weigh no more than 1.62 ounces and be no more than 1.68 inches in diameter.

From Quiz Urban Legends from Corporate America

Answer: A death certificate for her doll

Remember how popular those dolls were in the 1980s? Part of their charm was each doll came with its own birth certificate. So naturally, if the doll 'died'... A friend of mine swears he saw Johnny Carson display the actual death certificate on the 'Tonight Show', but you know how that goes. Another rumor from the cabbage patch was that the US government studied the children of people who had been exposed to radiation. The children had huge heads, weblike hands, and flattened, odd-looking faces. Fearing nuclear war was inevitable, the government released the Cabbage Patch dolls so the first generation of mutant babies wouldn't seem so frightening.

From Quiz More Urban Legends

Answer: How many times Hugh Hefner had slept with that month's centerfold.

The stars were used as a distribution code based on advertising regions for its editions. It was sometime during the 1960s where the legend developed that the stars were a 'code' announcing Hugh Hefner's rating of the current month's centerfold's performance in bed, looks, etc.

From Quiz Urban Legends

Answer: Pull Tab

Aluminum companies have been rumored to pay for a minute of dialysis for every pull tab collected. In answer to this dogged rumor, they'll take the tabs and donate the market value of the aluminum to kidney research. But they point out that donating the whole can will net them more money.

From Quiz You Can't Handle The Truth!

Answer: Moon landing

The Cold War was, theoretically, the impetus behind the USA going to the moon. The Soviets had beaten the Americans into space and this did not sit well with some parties in NASA and the Government. But did man actually land on the moon? There are several theories supporting the idea that the lands were faked or at least did not happen the way NASA claimed. The most telling evidence put forward to support this claim is that of the photographs taken on the lunar surface. One such photograph shows an astronaut, backlit by light. Skeptics reason that you would not be able to see the front of the astronaut's spacesuit if the light was behind him, yet every detail is crystal clear. What some NASA experts cannot explain is why a light is reflected off the visor if the light is behind him. Others claim that the levels of radiation the astronauts would have been exposed to once outside of Earth's atmosphere made a trip to the moon impossible. The Soviets were unable to track deep spacecraft until 1972 and therefore could not cry foul play. However, in 1972, they obtained the technology- and the Apollo moon project was abruptly scrapped. Coincidence or evidence? Area 51 has also been named as the site where the "moon landing" footage was filmed. NASA has refuted all claims by hoax conspiracists with compelling reasons to support a real lunar landing. They have also released pictures of the lunar surface since the Apollo missions were scrapped to show evidence still on the moon that man was actually there.

From Quiz You Expect Me to Believe That Nonsense?

Answer: A bowl of M&Ms with the brown ones removed

Van Halen claims they did not have a problem with brown M&Ms, per se. They claimed they put the request in their rider to make sure the people at the venue actually read it and were willing to do what it takes to make their show go smoothly. Ignore that direction and the question comes up as to what other, more important, directions were ignored.

From Quiz I Read it on a Candy Wrapper so it Must be True

Answer: Winston Churchill

Unfortunately, there is only anecdotal evidence for this theory. Winston Churchill was indeed born at Blenheim Palace, but it is unlikely that he was born in a cloakroom. The story goes that his mother danced at the ball and started experiencing labour pains. She was rushed from the ballroom and attempted to reach her own bedroom. However, she didn't make it and was taken to a small room which had been converted to a cloakroom for the occasion (the ball, not the birth). Some eight hours later, she gave birth to Winston. This does not have the ring of truth about it. There is no shortage of rooms at Blenheim Palace and there would have been plenty of servants around. Would it have been so difficult to assist Lady Churchill to a more comfortable spot, especially given that the labour apparently lasted eight hours? What would have happened when the ladies attending the ball wanted their outer garments returned? If Winston was born after eight hours of labour, then the ball would have been over and so it could not be said that he was born during the ball. A slightly more likely story is that Lady Churchill was out with a shooting party and fell, bringing on labour. A rapid and bumpy cart ride back to the house hastened the process, and there was no time to take her to her own quarters. Instead, she gave birth in a small room on the ground floor. I have my own theory about this. Winston's parents were married on 15 April 1874, and Winston was born on 30 November 1874. Normally in those times a child born nearly two months prematurely would have had scant chance of survival, but young Winston seems to have been a bonny baby with no particular health problems. Childbirth is generally a more protracted and less dramatic process than shown on soap operas and films. Could it be likely that Lady Churchill was full term and experiencing mild contractions? To save face and explain the birth of a baby after only seven months of marriage, she could have deliberately done something physically strenuous such as falling during a shoot, or dancing, and then used this as a cover for the 'premature' birth?

From Quiz Urban Legends Animals

Answer: There were three human fingers in the dog's throat--he'd tangled with a burglar!

The story usually follows the pattern of the vet telling the woman to go home while he performs an emergency tracheotomy on the dog. The vet later calls her and instructs her to leave her house, and that police are on the way. The cops later arrive and discover a burglar with three missing fingers, passed out in a closet from loss of blood. This story has been told from coast to coast in the U.S. and has made it to the U.K. as well. Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand named a book "The Choking Doberman" after this legend.

From Quiz Urban Legends Television

Answer: "It's a bird, it's a plane..." He jumped off a building trying to fly.

According to rumor, Reeves plunged to his death in an attempt to fly. In reality, he suffered from depression and shot himself. Reeves starred in 'The Adventures of Superman' from 1952-1958.

From Quiz Animalistic Urban Legends

Answer: Snowball

This is a true urban legend. Carl Hulsey bought a white billy goat, and consistently beat it to make it more aggressive, and to make it a better "guard" goat. It had less than desired consequences, though, as one day, Snowball head-butted Hulsey twice in the stomach, causing him to fall down twice. After Hulsey climbed up the steps to the porch, Snowball followed, and knocked him off the porch. Hulsey didn't survive the five foot fall, as Snowball's "love" taps caused abdominal trauma, and ruptured Hulsey's stomach. The animal control confiscated Snowball. He was later adopted out, neutered, and rechristened Snow.

From Quiz Urban Legends from Corporate America

Answer: Despite having over a thousand miles on the odometer, the fuel tank was still full

It seems the company accidentally sold their secret prototype that would drive forever on one tank of gas. The rumor ends with the car company paying an insane amount of money to get the vehicle back (sometimes the driver wakes to see a strange man messing around under his hood, and the car gets normal mileage afterwards). We all like to believe that cars that run on water exist, but the oil companies are sitting on the patents. But car companies? Any manufacturer who could produce one of these would bury the competition. Why would they hide it? This rumor may stem from a scam where a con man would ask an attendant to fill his tank with water. He'd then sell the rube a bottle of 'magic pills' that would let a car run on water.

From Quiz Urban Legends Cinema

Answer: The ghost of a boy who died in a gun accident (as well as the gun).

In the scene where Ted Danson tries to convince his mother to take care of the baby, you can see a shadowy figure in the background. According to the rumor, it is the ghost of a boy who died in a gun accident in the apartment. Actually, the scene was filmed in a Toronto studio. The figure is actually a cardboard cutout of Ted Danson (he played an actor in the film, and it was a prop for a commercial). The other three rumors I made up.

From Quiz Urban Legends Auto

Answer: A man threw out his back while making love and the EMTs had to rip off the roof to get the couple out.

Many good urban legends deal with 'getting caught in the act.' The woman in this story was horrified...not about her lover's back, but how she was going to explain to her husband what happened to his car!

From Quiz More Urban Legends

Answer: Phyllis Diller

I don't know when this legend appeared, however, how 'funny' is it that a glamorous soap opera queen would be the daughter of a decidedly unglamourous comedienne?

From Quiz Urban Legends

Answer: 602P

Two clues to this being an urban legend: 1) US congressional bills start with either HR or S, depending on what house they start {in;} 2) The Canadian version of this UL is verbatim, including '602P', but with US and Canadian references substituted.

From Quiz Urban Legend Fun

Answer: A death certificate

This was no doubt due to the fact that the dolls came with a birth certificate.

From Quiz You Can't Handle The Truth!

Answer: The Philadelphia Experiment

Project Rainbow (also termed The Philadelphia Experiment) was an experiment designed to make the Navy ship USS Eldridge invisible to enemy radar. According to the theory, the ship was in the Philadelphia Naval dockyards and its generators designed to heat up the air around the ship, causing a mirage effect. Conspiracists claim something went wrong, causing the ship to disappear completely, reappearing moments later. Naval staff based in Norfolk, Virginia later reported seeing the USS Eldridge sitting offshore for a brief time before it suddenly disappeared again. The conspiracy theory proposes that the ship had been accidentally teleported and this caused several sailors to be badly injured. Many suffered mental illnesses and breakdowns following the experiment where it is claimed some sailors were fused to the steel bulkhead. Two other sailors had vanished completely, only to reappear at Long Island Air Force base fifty years later. When found, these sailors claimed to have jumped from the ship while it was teleporting, giving rise to the theory that the ship had not only travelled through space, but time as well. Predictably, the Navy denied all knowledge of the experiment. The ship's logs also placed the ship in the Bahamas at the time it was supposed to be in Philadelphia.

From Quiz Stop Believing

Answer: Marilyn Monroe

The story of Marilyn Monroe having six toes began when Joseph Jasgur took photos of Norma Jean Dougherty at nineteen years of age, in 1946. It wasn't until 1987, however, that Joseph Jasgur claimed he had been making prints of the photos for a book of the lost photos of Marilyn Monroe, and discovered that she had six toes on her left foot. However, many supporting facts can support this as bunk. First, why had Joseph not noticed the sixth toe in person, as he was taking photos of her feet? Second, there is no record of anybody from Marilyn's early life as having said she had six toes. Third, this was the only photograph of Monroe in which it appears that she has six toes. Fourth, there are no records of her having a foot surgery, no people have seen her with bandages on her foot, and she was never reporting as limping on a foot at any point in time in her career. Finally, the picture taken is simply a mirage. Shadowing, paired with the natural bulge on one's foot by the pinky toe, make the foot appear to have an extra toe. However, this is a completely false story, and Marilyn Monroe was born with five toes on each foot.

From Quiz You Expect Me to Believe That Nonsense?

Answer: Press Your Luck

Larson, an unemployed Ohio man, taped episodes of "Press Your Luck" and watched them frame by frame when he suspected that the "random" patterns to the game board were not truly random. In fact, there were only five separate patterns that were ever used, and once he realized he had them mastered, he used the last of what little money he had to travel to Hollywood for a contestant tryout. There, he so dominated the show that his game had to be shown over two days. CBS reviewed the footage and watched him closely when he hit the button stopping the spins. When they realized that Larson frequently celebrated before the results of the spins were even announced, they attempted to withhold his winnings for cheating. But there was no rule against memorizing the patterns, so they ended up paying. They then recalibrated the board with many more patterns so that there would be no more chance of a repeat of this.

From Quiz I Read it on a Candy Wrapper so it Must be True

Answer: Philosophy and Psychology

Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer, having over 500 books published. He was still in his teens when he began to have his work published. He was born in the USSR either late in 1919 or early in 1920. The date is uncertain because lack of records, and the difference between the Gregorian and Hebrew calenders. His family emigrated to the USA in the early 1920s. Despite his Russian heritage, Asimov never learnt to speak Russian, as his family conversed either in English or Yiddish.

From Quiz Urban Legends Animals

Answer: She dries it in the oven...the microwave oven.

The old woman would use her oven to dry the dog off after bathing. One day she gets a microwave as a gift. Not understanding how it works, she puts the dog inside, where it explodes. Little yappy dogs seem to fall victim to urban legend fatalities: being sat upon, carried off by falcons or jumping off buildings.

From Quiz Animalistic Urban Legends

Answer: Eagle Owl

Supposedly, an eagle carried away someone's housepet. Several breeds of dogs have been mentioned, including Chihuahuas, Poodles, and Pomeranians. There have been reports of pets being carried off, including the story of an Eagle Owl carrying away a Jack Springer. In Maine, a Great Horned Owl carried away a Pekingese/Poodle, unfortunately killing it.

From Quiz Urban Legends from Corporate America

Answer: She gets the recipe all right...and a bill for $300

In some versions the waiter quotes a price of 'two fifty,' then presents a bill for $250. The woman usually goes to a lawyer who informs her she is obliged to pay. She gets revenge by passing out copies of the recipe to everyone she knows. E-mailed and faxed versions of this rumor are usually accompanied by an actual cake recipe. This story has also been told about Neiman Marcus cookies, Mrs. Fields cookies, and other high end chains and brands. Didn't happen, but a darn good yarn.

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Last Updated Apr 20 2024 5:44 AM

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