Urban Legends: Fact or Fiction???

2005-11-21T08:58:00.000-05:00

I am so glad everyone loved the last post. And also glad people did not find me weird for finding humor in it. The last paragraph was the kicker! I also just wanted to thank everyone for commenting on my blog so religiously, this would have been a very tedious project without you guys. I also wanted to say that this project has been a great experience and it is about time a class project can be fun and interesting. I learned so much not only about Urban Legends but also a lot about other people and their hobbies and lives. It was a great way to get to know your class mates! With final exams on the horizon, I figured this would be a great legend for everyone to ponder! Maybe we should not blow off our work until the day before?

A story frequently heard around the dorm rooms and coffee houses where college students hang out, detailing an action generally attributed to a famous Dartmouth professor (who is so famous I can't remember his name right now)...
Two students decide to go skiing for the weekend, and are having such a good time they decide to blow off the (calculus, I believe) exam that they have scheduled for Monday morning in order to get some final runs in before they head back to school. They decide to tell the prof that they got a flat tire and therefore deserve to take the exam at a rescheduled time.
Hearing the story, said professor agrees that it really was just bad luck, and of course they can take the exam later. At the appointed time, the prof greets them and places them in two separate rooms to take the exam.
The few questions on the first page are worth a minor 10% of the overall grade, and are quite easy. Each student grows progressively confident as they take the test, sure that they have gotten away with fooling the professor.
However, when they turn to the second page they discover that they really haven't.
The only question on the page, worth 90% of the exam, reads: "Which tire?"

This is a funny legend, that I totally believe could be true! I have known some professors to do things like this to catch students in a lie, so this would not surprise me!

This legend was obtained from: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blflattire.htm

Organ Theives

2005-11-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

I think I have to agree with Carah, I definetly believe in Friday the 13th! I think it is a day to be wry or at least cautious, since it is such a strange day. But I also am an extremely superstitious person and Sandy I would have freaked out too if I had saw you walk under a ladder! I also believe in things like if you break a mirror you will have 7 years bad luck, and you will have bad luck if a black cat crosses your path. It is probably stupid to believe in things like this, but it is how I grew up I guess. Now for this weeks post! I picked an urban legend that is spread around college campuses to probably to deter drinking and drug abuse. It has some humor but you have to read the alst blurb to get it!

This legend involves a male college student who attends a party and has a few beers. He meets an attractive girl who invites him to go to another party. He agrees, so she takes him to another apartment where they continue to drink and take illegal drugs. The guy blacks out and wakes up completely nude in a bathtub filled with ice. He is completely alone in the apartment. He starts to get out of the tub and notices a note written in lipstick on his chest. It reads, “Call 911 or you will die.” He notices a phone beside the tub, so he picks it up and dials. He explains his situation to the 911 operator saying that he doesn’t know where he is, what he took, or why he is really calling. The operator tells him to get out of the tub and look in the mirror at his back. He does and notices two 9 inch slits on his lower back. She tells him to get back in the tub immediately and wait for a rescue crew. After being examined, he finds out that his kidneys have been stolen. They are worth $10,000 each on the black market. Apparently, the second party had been a sham and the people involved were medical students. Now the guy is in the hospital on life support waiting for a spare kidney.

As part of an effort to end the spread and belief of this urban legend, the National Kidney Foundation has asked that anyone who claims to have had their kidneys illegally removed to contact them. No one has stepped forward so far.

This legend obtained from http://www.ecampustours.com

Friday the 13th

2005-11-11T14:08:00.000-05:00

I think I am with Carah in that I would have ended up being his next victim too. The gas attendant defiently would have creeped me out into not wanted to get out of my car. I do not know if you guys remeber or not, but that legend was in the Urban Legends movie, and the girl ended up not getting out of her car, needless to say, she was the killers next victim. It is scary to think about, but we should definetely be aware of our surrondings at all times! But enough about last week, here is this weeks post. I thought it would be cool to do something a littel different, and this site gives the back ground and some fun facts about the urban legend of Friday the 13th.

Legend: Friday the 13th is a day fraught with peril.
Origins: Although most of us would probably affirm that superstition's role in Western culture is now a much diminished one, more a source of amusement than anything else, there are still those who allow their trepidation over particular days or dates to prevent them from engaging in their choice of activities. We may make jokes about Friday the 13th and only kiddingly instruct loved ones to exercise greater care on that day, but those who suffer from a fear of the number thirteen (triskaidekaphobia) or a fear of Friday the 13th (paraskevidekatriaphobia) may genuinely feel limited by the rumored potential for ill luck connected with the date. The reasons why Friday came to be regarded as a day of bad luck have been obscured by the mists of time — some of the more common theories link it to a significant event in Christian tradition said to have taken place on Friday, such as the Crucifixion, Eve's offering the apple to Adam in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the Great Flood, or the confusion at the Tower of Babel. Chaucer alluded to Friday as a day on which bad things seemed to happen in the Canterbury Tales as far back as the late 14th century ("And on a Friday fell all this mischance"), but references to Friday as a day connected with ill luck generally start to show up in Western literature around the mid-17th century:
"Now Friday came, you old wives say, Of all the week's the unluckiest day." (1656) From the early 19th century onward, examples abound of Friday's being considered a bad day for all sorts of ordinary tasks, from writing letters to conducting business and receiving medical treatment:
"I knew another poor woman, who lost half her time in waiting for lucky days, and made it a rule never to . . . write a letter on business . . . on a Friday — so her business was never done, and her fortune suffered accordingly." (1804)
We find references to all of the following activities as endeavors best avoided on Fridays:
Needleworking: "I knew an old lady who, if she had nearly completed a piece of needlework on a Thursday, would put it aside unfinished, and set a few stitches in her next undertaking, that she might not be obliged either to begin the new task on Friday or to remain idle for a day." (1883)
Laying the keel of, or launching, a ship: "Fisherman would have great misgivings about laying the keel of a new boat on Friday, as well as launching one on that day." (1885)
Beginning a sea voyage: "Sailors are many of them superstitious . . . A voyage begun [on a Friday] is sure to be an unfortunate one." (1823)
Beginning a journey: "I knew another poor woman, who . . . made it a rule never to . . . set out on a journey on a Friday." (1804)
Getting married: "As to Friday, a couple married on that day are doomed to a cat-and-dog life." (1879)
Recovering from illness: "If you have been ill, don't get up for the first time on a Friday." (1923)
Hearing news: "If you hear anything new on a Friday, it gives you another wrinkle on your face, and adds a year to your age." (1883)
Moving: "Don't move on a Friday, or you won't stay there very long." (1982)

The origins of the connection between the number thirteen and ill fortune are similarly obscure. Many different sources for the superstition surrounding the number thirteen have been posited, the most common stemming from another Christian source, the Last Supper, at which Judas Iscariot was said to have been the thirteenth guest to sit at the table. (Judas later betrayed Jesus, leading to His crucifixion, and then took his own life.) This Christian symbolism is reflected in early Western references to thirteen as an omen of bad fortune, which generally started to appear in the early 18th century and warned that thirteen people sitting down to a meal together presaged that one of them would die within the year. The first to get up from the table would be the first to pass. People eventually began to associate 13 with everything from flights, hotel rooms, even the floor numbers of apartment buildings. The number eventually began to be skipped as floors would go from 12 to 13.

So do you believe in Friday the 13th as being unlucky???

This post cited from http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp

The Backseat

2005-11-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

I am going to have to agree with almost everyone in that last weeks story was probably not true. And you guys are right, there are so many different versions and endings to it, that the stroy is almost impossible to believe. I am pretty sure that one was made up (a long time ago) just to scare teenagers that were "parking". Some parents will try anything huh? Sike, I am not really sure who made it up, but I am still sure that it is not true.

For this weeks post, I went with scary per Sandy's request. I heard this story when I was younger and it still has me checking my backseat at night before I get into my car!

On a moonless, foggy night, my friend was sleepy and having trouble driving on the road due to a recent rain. She was getting frustrated because she was running low on gas and there was no sign of civilization anywhere. Not knowing where the next town was, she was ready to pull over and get some sleep when she noticed a tiny, rundown gas station.

She pulled in and asked for the attendant to fill up her tank. She noticed he was acting very odd -- and somewhat irritated. He finally proceeded to fuel her car and then told her to open up the hood because "something didn't sound right."

Reluctant and afraid of the odd-acting attendant, she didn't want to be stranded later on down the road, so she got out. When she neared the front of the car, the attendant grabbed her and said she would have to step inside. With his hand over her mouth silencing her, he dragged her into the station.

Very afraid, she struggled, and the attendant let her go and blocked the door. He then said "There is a man crouched down in the backseat of your car and I didn't want him to know that I'd seen him."

After calling the police, my friend then learned that the stranger in her backseat was a serial killer who stowed away in her back seat, planning to make her his next victim.

This legend obtained from Halloween Website.

The Hook

2005-10-28T09:37:00.000-04:00

Thanks for all the awesome feedback about last weeks post! Its funny to see which legends people actually think are true and false. But just to let you guys know, if you go to Snopes.com and click on the coca-cola link, it will actually tell you which legends are true and which are false. I think you guys will be surprised to see which ones are, as it is not the ones that most of you would think!

And now for this weeks post. I figured it had to be a scary one since it is Halloween and all!

A teenager drove his date to Lovers' Lane for a make-out session before it was time to take her home. The place was very dark and deserted. After turning on the radio for a bit of mood music, he leaned over and began kissing her.
Suddenly the music stopped and an announcer's voice came on, warning in an urgent tone that a convicted murderer had just escaped from the state insane asylum — which happened to be nearby — and that anyone who noticed a stranger lurking about with a hook in place of his right hand should report his whereabouts to the police immediately.
The girl was frightened and asked to be taken home. Instead, the boy locked all the doors and assured her they were safe and tried to kiss her again. She became frantic and pushed him away, insisting that they leave. Peevishly, he relented, jerking the car into gear and spinning the wheels of the car as he pulled out of the parking space.
When they arrived at her house she got out of the car, and, reaching to close the door, began to scream uncontrollably. The boy ran around to her side to see what was wrong and there, dangling from the door handle, was a bloody hook.

This legend obtained from : UrbanLegends

coca cola

2005-10-23T23:45:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback. I thought you guys would like the football legends. And like you guys I defiently think a lot of water is used during half time but I highly doubt any water systems are in danger of collapsing. I kind of believe the one about the avacados because lets me serious how many people buy avacados unless they are making some sort of dip. And I definietly believe the one about the stock market since its is almost affected by everything you could think of.
This weeks post is kind of like last weeks, except these legends are about Coca- Cola. I picked these because I do not know what I would do without a Diet Coke sometimes and if it has to be Pepsi to me it just is not the same!

The modern image of Santa Claus was created by Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola used to contain cocaine.

A tooth left in a glass of Coca-Cola will dissolve overnight.

Only two people in the company know Coca-Cola's formula, and each of them only knows half of it.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

Little Mikey of LIFE cereal fame died from the explosive effects of mixing Pop Rocks candy with Coca-Cola. (I think this might be where the Pop-Rocks legend came from?)

University student who drinks too many Cokes dies from carbon dioxide poisoning.

I am not sure if any of these are true or not but being a coca-cola lover I had to include them to see what you guys think!

All of these legends were obtained through the help of Snopes.com

2005-10-16T23:55:00.000-04:00

I am not sure if I believe lasts weeks post or not. I do believe it now because of cell phones, it would be easy to call someone from inside the house. But I think some of you are right in that, it could have been the kids messing with her because when I was little I was not very nice to some of my own babysitters. I think this is just a urban legend started from people being scared to be by themselves. (Which admittedly I still am!) Its creepy being in a house all by yourself for any amount of time especially at night, and to make it worse, like some of you mentioned, to be in charge of other peoples children does not make it any easier. This week I thought I would change things up a bit...

Since football season is in full swing I thought these were fun urban legends to include in this weeks post, they are legends about Superbowl Sunday...

Every year on Super Bowl Sunday the water systems of major cities are in danger of collapsing because of so many simultaneous toilet flushings at half-time.

More women are physically abused by spouses and boyfriends on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year.

Two-thirds of all the avocados sold yearly in the United States are purchased during the three weeks prior to the Super Bowl for making guacamole dip.

Disneyland becomes a veritable ghost town on the day of the Super Bowl because so many Americans are planted in front of their TV sets.

The stock market predictably fluctuates up or down the Monday after the Super Bowl, depending on which league wins.

(These legends were collected from http://www.warphead.com)

2005-10-07T13:17:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much for all the awesome feedback, I love reading your opinions about the legends. I agree with most of you in that, even if it has not happened before, it totally could happen in the future. It is probably good to feel safe about flashing your headlights to warn people, but I know I usually think twice about it. And like Stefanie, after I do it, I sometimes get paranoid and start checking my rear view mirror to see if the car turned around. Stupid, I know, but that is one of the fears urban legends have instilled in me.

Now for this weeks legend...
Its a popular one, so I am sure you have all heard it before. A teenager was babysitting one night, and after putting the children to bed, the phone rang. She answered it but all she heard was heavy breathing. She thought nothing of it and hung up. About half an hour later the phone rang again, and yet again just heavy breathing. Getting a little scared she made sure all the windows and doors were locked, after hanging up the phone. She turned the TV on to calm herself, but before she could think the phone rang again. She answered and yelled at the person on the other end to stop calling, and a strange male voice calmly said, " Don't you think you should check on the children?" The babysitter panicked and immediately woke the children and drove to the local police station. After hearing the girls story, the police chased the call, and said, "It's a good thing you left and came here." The babysitter replied "Why?" And the police officer replied, "The call was coming from inside the house!"

This one sends a chill down my spine every time I hear it!

2005-10-01T23:07:00.000-04:00

I am glad everyone liked the post last week. I also do not believe in the last three legends posted. But I definetly did believe in them when I was little. And Stefanie I am with you on not believing about pop rocks and soda, but I still would not be the one to try it. So in response to some of your comments; are urban legends stories made up by adults in order to scare little kids? And if they are why do we need to be scared? Also is it because we are scared that these legends are burned into our brains as true stories that actually happened to a friend of a friend of a friend? I hope you guys have some opinions on this as I am not exactly sure. But here is this weeks story, which I believe could be totally plausible...

On a dark, windy road, a young couple passed a car that did not have its high beams on. So being the kind and courteous people they were, the couple decided to flash their high beams at the vehicle to let them know they forgot to turn on their head lights. After a few flashes the couple drove on not thinking anything of it. But after they had passed the car, the car without headlights made an abrupt u-turn in the middle of the road, and began flashing its lights at the young couple incessantly. The couple began to panic and drove faster to lose the car, but the couple instead ending up running off the road after losing control of the car, and died. In the local papers the next morning the headline was, "Gang initiation leads to 2 dead after being run off the road."

It is kind of scary to think about, but ever since I started driving I still think twice about signaling anyone without their head lights on. Do you?

2005-09-23T09:53:00.000-04:00

In answer to all your comments, I also am having a hard time believing some of these legends. But that is what makes them so interesting to me. No matter how many times you have heard some of them they still give you a chill down your spine. And George, sorry about the "grisliness" its hard to find urban legends that aren't scary or gruesome. And Sandy, I hope there are factors that can help us figure out if some of these stories are true or not, because I would love to know for sure. And for your second question, I think what really attracted me to this topic is the unexplainable aspect of urban legends. I think most of them are probably not true, and if they are based on real stories, the real story is probably not have as cool as the urban legend that is told about it. But that is the interesting part, why are people so interested in urban legends? And why does Hollywood continuously make movies about them? And why are these classic stories past down from generation to generation?

Since the last post was so gruesome, I wanted to follow up with some fun urban legends that we all told as children...
1. If you eat poprocks and drink a soda, will your stomach explode?
2. If you make a funny face for a really long time, is there actually a chance that it might stay like that permanently?
3. If you are lying when you are a child, does a black line appear on your tongue?

These are some stories I was told when I was kid, and I am sure you have all heard them too. What happens from the time you are younger and when you get older that you stop believing in this stuff?

2005-09-15T18:17:00.000-04:00

Since probably no one got a chance to comment on the last urban legend posted I will let the analysis of that one wait until next week when people start commenting...

In the mean time I wanted to give some background information on Urban Legends so everyone was clear on what they actually are. According to Websters Dictionary an urban legend is: an often lurid story or anecdote that is based on hearsay and widely circulated as true, it is also sometimes called an urban myth. The unexplainable thing about Urban Legends is when they are told almost everyone who retells the story claims it is true. Most stories can just be retold as a story, but not Urban Legends. Why do people always claim that they actually happened? Could it be because they did?

So here is a new legend this week to ponder, let me know what you think about this one and the legend posted the week before and we can decide together on what may be the truth... p.s. this one is kind of gruesome.
A young girl was left alone at home for the first time with only her dog to protect her, she heard a bulletin on the radio about a Dangerous Lunatic that had escaped from a nearby asylum, she immediately locked all the doors and went to bed. A dripping sound from the bathroom made it difficult to fall asleep, she reached down under her bed to make sure her faithful dog was by her side, he replied by licking her hand enthusiastically. The next morning when she woke up and went to the bathroom room, she found her dog hanging from the shower nozzle, blood dripping from his torn throat, on the mirror written in blood were the words: "People can lick, too!"
(adapted from www.warphead.com)

2005-09-09T15:29:00.000-04:00

This blog was created for my BUAD477 class at the University of Delaware. This blog is also for the people who think they have heard them all, but really think or thought at one point, that half of these stories actually happened to their best friend's, sister's, boyfriend's, cousin. So every week I will post a new Urban Legend, some old and some new, and let the public decide on if it has really happened or it is just an urban legend. Every week I will decide the conclusion of the previous week's story, based on your opinions, if it is true, plausible, or only a legend.

Here is the first legend:
The Concerned Mother
A man and wife were driving late one night when they were flagged down by a woman that appeared to be hurt. She claimed she'd been in an accident and her baby was alive but trapped in the car. The man told her to wait with his wife and he'd see what he could do. He got to the car and found a couple obviously dead in the front seat but a baby crying in a carseat. He cut the baby loose and returned to his own car. When he got there his wife was alone, he asked her where the woman had went and she replied that she'd followed him to the wreck. He left the baby with his wife and went back to the car to find her. When he got there he realized the woman who'd been instantly killed in the front seat had been the one who'd flagged him down.

(quoted from Warphead.com)

I know this one is pretty creepy but let me know what you think.

2005-09-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

This is a book about Urban Legends that may be good to check out "Too Good to be True" By: Jan Harold Brunvand.