In late September and early October 2019, a very specific claim involving Christmas crackers (a tradition involving devices called “party poppers” in some countries; they are made from cardboard and gunpowder, generally contain confetti or
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ Spooky Season, Activated Charcoal in Food, and Medication
On September 19 2019, a Facebook user shared a warning (archived here) that urged fans of the “spooky season” to avoid foods colored with activated charcoal due to its purported ability to prevent your body from absorbing medications. Al
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ulysses S. Grant Say a Second Civil War Could be Waged Over Intelligence Vs. Superstition?
On September 30 2019, pundit Malcolm Nance shared the following quote meme to Facebook, purportedly involving remarks made by former United States President Ulysses S. Grant on the prospect of a second Civil War: One day prior, U.S. Presiden
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Dad’s Ashes a Brick’ Post
In November 2018, a Facebook user shared a set of screenshots showing a separate post about finding post-cremation ashes in “brick” form: In the first few screenshots, the original poster poses a question to fellow users about the pu
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Iranian Censorship’ of Women’s Track and Field Competition Video
On September 30 2019, an Imgur post purportedly showing “Iranian TV censorship of women’s track and field competition” proved popular: Iranian TV censorship of women’s track and field competition The original poster didn̵
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Two Altar Boys Arrested for Putting Weed in the Censer Burner’ Claim
In September 2019, a number of social media users shared an article claiming two altar boys had been arrested for “putting weed in the censer-burner”: What started as a joke ended with the future of two altar boys from Spain. They were det
Truth or Fiction?→ Teddy Roosevelt’s Bar Fight: ‘If I’ve Got to, I’ve Got to’
On September 26 2019 an Imgur user shared the following Teddy Roosevelt “fun fact” meme: Messing with wrong Guy A post titled “Messing with [the] wrong guy” and referencing its subject as “Teddy Badass Roosevelt,
Truth or Fiction?→ Thomas Jefferson ‘Tyranny Is Defined as That Which Is Legal for the Government’ Quote
On September 27 2019, a Facebook user shared the following meme, which attributes a quote about tyranny to Thomas Jefferson: View post on imgur.com Underneath an image of what appeared to be a firearm trigger, text read: “Tyranny is defined as
Truth or Fiction?→ Maurice Sendak: ‘He Saw It, He Liked It, He Ate It’
On September 24 2019, the Facebook page “Untitled Nerd Network” shared the following Maurice Sendak quote, purportedly telling the story of an eager young fan so pleased he received a card from the author that he “ate” it:
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Cotton Feed Sacks Turned Into Clothing in the 1930s?
While it may not be a case of deliberately misstating the context, the rediscovery online of a pioneering journalist’s photograph in 1939 by people on social media came with a far more optimistic view of the circumstances behind it than had prev
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Inside the Gills of a Whale Shark’
On September 25 2019, a Reddit user shared the following post (“Inside the gills of a whale shark”) to Reddit’s r/woahdude, and the post with an identical title was subsequently shared to Imgur: Inside the Gills of a whale
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Simpsons Predicted Greta Thunberg’ Meme
There is a common, cyclical rumor that animated comedy series The Simpsons — which began its run in 1989 — has predicted numerous events to come. In September 2019, one such iteration claimed that climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg was amon
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Greenland’ Boat in Arctic Ice Picture
On September 25 2019, a Reddit user shared a dramatic image to r/pics, titled simply “Greenland”: Greenland from pics Six days earlier, a different user shared the image to r/MostBeautiful, earning a fraction of th
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Another Teenager with an Important Message’ (About the Flint Water Crisis)
As Greta Thunberg made news (and fake news) on September 24 2019, a Reddit post featuring “another teenager with an important message” about Flint, Michigan’s purported lack of clean water quickly moved to the top of r/all:
Truth or Fiction?→ Storm Cloud in Benevento
On September 25 2019 a Reddit user shared a thread titled “Storm Cloud Benevento, Italy” to the r/pics subreddit: Storm Cloud Benevento, Italy. from pics On Reddit, the image quickly moved to the top of r/all. Its
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Find a Dead Mouse in a Nearly Empty Red Bull Can?
On September 5 2019, Facebook user Seth Bowman shared the following post (archived here), alongside a claim his Red Bull energy drink was contaminated by a dead mouse. According to Bowman’s claim, he had nearly finished drinking the can of Red B
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Greta Thunberg Make a Face When She Saw Donald Trump?
On Twitter and Reddit, an animated GIF purportedly showing climate activist Greta Thunberg making a face at United States President Donald Trump appeared on September 24 2019 during her appearance at the United Nations’ 2019 climate summit ahead
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Teenager Sexually Stimulate Himself 56 Times Straight Before Dying of a Heart Attack?
In September 2019, a number of people tweeted an apparent news article headlined: “Teen Masturbated 56 Times Straight Before Dying of Heart Attack”: So the limit is 55.https://t.co/6dhCnh6tSj — Nathorix (@Nathorix) September 23, 20
Truth or Fiction?→ Tekashi 69 ‘Snitched’ and Martha Stewart Didn’t?
On September 22 2019, Facebook’s “Man Page” shared the following meme, declaring that hip-hop artist Tekashi 69 — also called 6ix9ine — is “a snitch” and lifestyle personality Martha Stewart is not: On the left s
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man’s Co-Workers Inadvertently Pose with a ‘Sleeping’ Corpse?
On September 20 2019, a Facebook page shared the following screenshot of a purported headline: “Man suffers heart attack, dies at work, coworkers gather for group selfie thinking he’d fallen asleep”: In an appended status update,
Truth or Fiction?→ Ash Soto and her Vitiligo Body Art
In late 2016, the story of Ash Soto’s story and how she lives with vitiligo spread across social media. Years later, readers continue to highlight her approach to empowering people who, like her, live with the condition in which cells stop produ
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elvis Presley Receive a Polio Vaccination on Live TV in 1956 and Raise Immunization Revels to 80 Percent?
On September 18 2019, a Reddit user shared the following post to r/interestingasfuck, along with the claim that Elvis Presley’s televised 1956 polio vaccination helped boost the popularity of the vaccine not long after its introduction:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Nikola Tesla Describe Mobile Phones in 1926?
On September 19 2019, an Imgur user shared the following quote meme, attributing commentary that seemed to predict cell phones to futurist and engineer Nikola Tesla (misspelled once as “Nikolai Tesla” in the post): Did Nikolai Tesla inven
Truth or Fiction?→ Five Iron Workers Atop a Tower ‘Selfie’
In September 2019, the following image circulated on Facebook, apparently showing five construction or ironworkers crowded atop a dizzyingly tall tower: Simply looking at the image and the smiling men was enough to upset some acrophobic readers,
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Nintendo ‘Facing Backlash’ for Mario’s Signature Hat?
In September 2019, a screenshot of an article titled “Nintendo facing backlash for Mario’s signature hat resembling a MAGA hat. Should they change it?” circulated in Facebook groups amid complaints about overly sensitive readers and view
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘School Shooting Hoodies’ With Faux Bullet Holes Real?
In September 2019 a Facebook user shared the following screenshots (archived here) of a since-deleted tweet, depicting three hoodies (Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Sandy Hook) and a comment — “Ok, this is a NEED”: A link to the orig
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘Upper Case’ and ‘Lower Case’ Originally Refer to Where Printers Kept Their Letters?
On September 12 2019, Twitter user Benjamin Molineaux shared the following tweet and image, suggesting that the common terms “uppercase” and “lowercase” originated with the standard physical storage of typesetting equipment:
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This the ‘Newest and Clearest’ Photo of Pluto?
On September 14 2019, the Facebook page “Science Porn” shared the following image, claiming it was the “newest” and “clearest” photograph of Pluto: On Twitter, a space-and-science focused account shared the phot
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘2045 Time Traveler Took This Video in the Future…’
On August 30 2019 the Facebook page “Mysterious Society” shared the following video, “Time Traveler Took This Video in the Year 2045”: In a rambling six-minute clip, a seemingly distressed man repeatedly impresses upon viewe
Truth or Fiction?→ The Story of Gary Box on 9/11
On September 13 2019 a Reddit user shared the following post (“[His] Name is Gary Box”) to r/HumansBeingBros: Is name was Gary Box from HumansBeingBros Above a photograph of a firefighter in a tunnel, an apparent s
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Emmett Till’s Sign Vandalized Again, 35 Days After it Was Replaced?
In September 2019, a BlackNewsAlerts.com article headlined, “Emmett Till’s Memorial Sign Shot Up Again 35 Days After Being Replaced” circulated on Facebook: After 35 days of being replaced for vandalism, the memorial sign of Emmett Till
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Decide to Use Drawings of ‘Cat Heads’ as His Official Signature?
On September 7 2019, Facebook user Rich Preston shared a series of screenshots telling the firsthand story of a man who purportedly used little cat head drawings as his license signature because he thought it would be funny, but regretted the decision
Truth or Fiction?→ Cornel Nistorescu 9/11 ‘Ode to America’ Editorial
On September 11 2019 a Facebook user shared an editorial credited to Romanian newspaper columnist Cornel Nistorescu. Alongside a photograph showing black smoke billowing out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, the post was prefaced with comm
Truth or Fiction?→ Starbucks 20-Ounce Venti vs. 12-Ounce Grande Video Experiment
On August 11 2019 the Facebook page Mercadotecnia Total shared the following video (translated title: “Effective Marketing: Venti vs Large @ Starbucks”): That iteration racked up more than five million views in just one month, and a co
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Nail Stripe’ a Sign of Melanoma?
A Washington state’s barber college story about a warning for a client is true — but readers should be aware that it is a republishing of an account first published in 2017. The college’s Facebook post, which has been shared more than 1
Truth or Fiction?→ Last Sunset 9/10/2001 Photograph
An image submitted to Reddit’s r/pics and r/interestingasfuck on September 10 2019 titled “Last sunset 9/10/2001” appeared without additional text or information, rapidly climbing to the top of the site’s r/all page on the eig
Truth or Fiction?→ United States Air Traffic on September 11, 2001
In September 2019, approaching the eighteenth anniversary of September 11th 2011, a Reddit user shared the following GIF purportedly depicting United States air traffic during and after the attacks to r/DamnThatsInteresting: U.S. Air Traffi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This the Only Existing Footage Of the First Plane Hitting the World Trade Center?
As the anniversary of September 11 2001 approached in 2019, a video called “The Only Existing Footage Of 1st Plane Hitting WTC” circulated on social media in remembrance of a brief but pivotal moment in American history — but it’s
Truth or Fiction?→ Palindrome Week, September 2019
On September 9 2019 and subsequently, a “palindrome week” meme circulated on Twitter: Above 10 dates ranging from September 10 to 19 2019, text read: PALINDROME WEEK Each date reads the same backwards and forwards for the next 10 days.
Truth or Fiction?→ 911 Dispatcher Donna Reneau/Debra Stevens Drowning Incident
On September 1 2019, the following meme appeared in the Facebook group “LIVE PD FANS NO BOUNDARIES” (archived here), purportedly detailing an exchange between the woman shown in the photograph (911 dispatcher Donna Reneau) and a victim of