This page is a companion piece to our urban legends
August 2003
August 31 Bombs, Missiles and Other WTC Rumors (Associated Press , 31 August 2003) The caller's story was outrageous: Someone had fired missiles at the World Trade Center's north tower from the nearby Woolworth Building. Terrorists in a plane watching the attack plowed into the south tower.
August 29 Virginia Hospital Blood Mixup Proves Fatal (Associated Press , 29 August 2003) A woman who swapped beds with another patient in their hospital room so she could be nearer the window died after receiving the wrong type of blood during surgery.
Guinness Book Acknowledges 'Spoon Boy' (Associated Press , 29 August 2003) The Lake Oswego boy who went on national television with his skill for hanging seven spoons from his face will be featured in the "Odd Talents" section of the Guinness World Records 2004 book.
Holiday Inn Offers Towel Thieves Amnesty (Associated Press , 29 August 2003) Holiday Inn wants to know what has become of the 500,000 towels a year that guests swipe from its 2,638 hotels.
Feds Arrest Teen in 'Blaster' Internet Attack (CNN , 29 August 2003) An 18-year-old high school student suspected of creating a version of the "Blaster" Internet attack was described by a neighbor Friday as "a computer genius," but not a criminal.
Turn Back the Spam of Time (Wired , 29 August 2003) The anonymous e-mail offers $5,000 to any vendor capable of promptly delivering a collection of far-fetched gadgets for conducting time travel. Among the mysterious devices sought by the message's author are an "Acme 5X24 series time transducing capacitor with built-in temporal displacement" and an "AMD Dimensional Warp Generator module containing the GRC79 induction motor."
Parrot's Parody Causes Commotion in Arizona (Associated Press , 29 August 2003) A parrot's parody of a damsel in distress caused quite a commotion.
Cambodian Dies After Attack on Testicles (Associated Press , 29 August 2003) A woman in Cambodia has given herself up to authorities after accidentally killing her husband in a scuffle in which she squeezed his testicles until he fainted.
'Bridezilla' Fined $90 for Bad Behavior (Associated Press , 29 August 2003) A woman dubbed "Bridezilla" after police said she went on a rampage at her wedding reception pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of creating a public disturbance.
August 28 Family Drove Dead Relative 75 Miles (Northwest Indiana Times , 28 August 2003) A Calumet City official drove his father's body some 75 miles back to the city after the man passed away on vacation, waiting to contact authorities until after he'd arrived home.
August 27 Man Survives Horrific Construction Accident (Sierra Sun , 27 August 2003) Truckee resident Ron Hunt, who has been dubbed "Miracle Man" by friends, survived being impaled through the eye with an 18-inch long, 1½-inch diameter chip auger drill bit.
No Smiling! We're Canadian (The [Toronto] Globe and Mail , 27 August 2003) The Government of Canada says passport photos are no laughing matter: In fact, you're not even supposed to crack a smile.
Legends of the Hill (The Cornell Daily Sun , 27 August 2003) From pumpkin pranks to myths and founders' footprints, tales abound at Cornell.
August 26 Black Woman Offered White Foot (Reuters , 26 August 2003) A black woman due to have her lower leg amputated was offered a white false foot and told she would have to pay extra if she wanted one that matched her skin, she said.
Family Collects Pop Tabs for Nephew Fighting Leukemia (The Monroe Times , 26 August 2003) Zweifel was told that one pound of pop tabs paid for one hour of chemotherapy. She thought it would be easy to help cover the cost of the $500 treatments by collecting hundreds of pounds of tabs. But unfortunately, pop tabs for chemo treatments is just an urban myth. The tabs aren't anymore valuable than the rest of the can.
Amazon.com Files 11 Lawsuits Against Alleged E-Mail Forgers (Associated Press , 26 August 2003) Amazon.com Inc. has filed federal lawsuits against 11 e-mail marketers, contending they faked their e-mail addresses to appear as if the messages were sent by Amazon.com.
Police Take Last Look at Mystery of Missing PM (The Guardian , 26 August 2003) Australia will revisit its oldest political mystery with a coroner's inquiry into the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt, who went swimming nearly 36 years ago and was never seen again.
At Least 36 Youngsters Die in Sweltering Vehicles in U.S. This Year (Associated Press , 26 August 2003) It happens with alarming frequency: A parent or day-care worker, often busy or distracted, leaves a helpless child in a vehicle with the windows rolled up, and the youngster dies in the heat. So far this year, at least 36 children in the United States have died under similar circumstances.
Couple Is Accused of Keeping Their 5-Year-Old Sons in Makeshift Cages (Associated Press , 26 August 2003) A Phoenix couple were arrested on child abuse charges for allegedly keeping their 5-year-old twin sons locked in filthy makeshift cages for nearly 20 hours a day.
August 25 Teenager's Haircut Given the Chop (Reuters , 25 August 2003) A Malaysian teenager was given a forced haircut by Muslim authorities who deemed his punk-style "Mohican" un-Islamic.
Passion for Pigeons Traps Suspected Killer (Reuters , 25 August 2003) A Belgian man suspected of murdering his wife 14 years ago has finally been arrested because of his passion for pigeons.
BlackBerry Reveals Bank's Secrets (Wired , 25 August 2003) The eBay ad read "BlackBerry RIM sold AS IS!" So a Seattle computer consultant who always wanted one of the pager-size devices to check his e-mail, sent in a bid. The BlackBerry didn't come with a cable, synching station, software or a manual. But it did come with something even more valuable: a trove of corporate data.
Getting in Touch With Their Dark Sides — in a Happy Way (Los Angeles Times , 25 August 2003) In what has become an annual ritual, nearly 1,000 black-clad, death-rocker types from around the country invaded Disneyland for what organizers officially bill as Bats Day in the Fun Park.
When It Comes to Voting, We're Creatures of Habit (Los Angeles Times , 25 August 2003) When people choose from a list of options, they have a tendency to simply pick the first item on the list, whatever or whomever it may be.
August 24 Cop Saves Woman in Online Suicide Bid (Reuters , 24 August 2003) An Italian policeman rushed to the virtual rescue of a woman committing suicide online, gleaning enough personal details to alert emergency services and save her life.
Beijing's Olympic Logo Runs Afoul of Taste (Los Angeles Times , 24 August 2003) If you think the Chinese are afraid to express themselves, look online and see how they are blasting the new logo for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
August 22 The Untruth Hurts, Even Online (The Washington Post , 22 August 2003) Why don't we just stop spreading lies?
Bad Beatles Tests Prevent U.K. Entries (Associated Press , 22 August 2003) A lack of knowledge about the Beatles proved costly for six Brazilians, as immigration officials at Heathrow Airport sent them packing when they failed a quiz about the Fab Four.
Motorist May Have Saved His Own Life by Starting Blaze to Hasten Road Rescue (Associated Press , 22 August 2003) It's not something that firefighters advocate, but a stranded motorist who started a two-acre brush fire may have saved his own life.
Mother Pleads Guilty, Sentenced to 25 Years for Placing Infant in Hot Oven (Associated Press , 22 August 2003) A woman who put her infant daughter in a hot oven set on broil pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Oslo Is World's Most Expensive City (Associated Press , 22 August 2003) A new survey gives Oslo the dubious distinction of being the world's most expensive city.
August 21 Upcoming Book Contends LBJ Was Behind JFK's Assassination (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , 21 August 2003) The father of the current White House press secretary claims in his upcoming book, "Blood, Money & Power: How L.B.J. Killed J.F.K.," that former President Lyndon B. Johnson was behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
August 20 Porn Candidate Offers Date to Big Donors (Reuters , 20 August 2003) Porn actress Mary Carey, one of 135 candidates running for California governor, offered to go on a date with anyone offering her a hefty campaign contribution.
Donner Party's Former Camp Found — May Prove Cannibalism (Los Angeles Times , 20 August 2003) Archaeologists have found the strongest evidence yet that the 1846 Donner Party — trapped in the Sierra Nevada by early blizzards and ultimately forced to eat some of their companions — made their winter camp at Alder Creek on the outskirts of modern Truckee.
Arrest After Kitten's Head Bitten Off (The Guardian , 20 August 2003) A man who allegedly bit the head off a kitten in front a party of horrified children has been arrested.
August 19 Spammer Ducks for Cover as Details Published on Web (The New Zealand Herald , 19 August 2003) A New Zealander who sent millions of junk emails out every day has shut his business after his personal details were posted on the web.
FTC Chief Says 'Do-Not-Spam' List Won't Work (The Washington Post , 19 August 2003) Federal Trade Commission Chairman Timothy Muris said Tuesday that efforts in Congress to establish a list of Internet users who don't want "spam" e-mails won't fix the growing problem.
August 18 Floridians Wrestle with the Blight of the Iguana (Las Vegas Sun , 18 August 2003) In neighborhoods from Key Biscayne to Boca Raton, it is the night, and day, of the fearsome-looking iguana. Escaped from captivity, or turned loose in the wild by pet owners, the large, usually green-skinned reptiles that can reach 6 feet in length are multiplying rapidly.
Kentucky Tourist Dies After Being Electrocuted Near Las Vegas Strip (Las Vegas Sun , 18 August 2003) A tourist died after she was electrocuted near a Las Vegas Strip casino during a powerful thunderstorm.
Why I Love Snopes.com (The Guardian , 18 August 2003) As soon as a new rumour starts doing the rounds, Snopes' researchers spring into action, verifying sources, digging for clues and awarding each story an appropriate coloured traffic light: red for definitely false, green for definitely true and amber for somewhere in between.
August 17 High-Tech Word of Mouth Maims Movies in a Flash (Los Angeles Times , 17 August 2003) Word of mouth — buzz — has long been an element in a film's success or failure. But rapid advances in technology, in the hands of an "American Idol" culture quick to express its vote-'em-off sentiments, has accelerated the pace of communication so much that Hollywood feels the reverberations at the box office almost immediately.
'Dude, The Threesome's Off . . . That Last Email Cost Me My Job' (The Observer , 17 August 2003) At 9:38pm on 30 July, City lawyer Patrick Smith had the world at his feet. By 9:39pm that same world was in tatters. A mistaken mouse click had dispatched a sexually explicit email around the globe and unleashed a nightmare from which his promising career may never recover.
Doctor Decapitated by Faulty Elevator at St. Joseph Hospital (Houston Chronicle , 17 August 2003) Hitoshi Nikaidoh, an aspiring missionary doctor who was voted by medical school classmates as the epitome of a good physician, was killed at Christus St. Joseph Hospital when an elevator malfunctioned, decapitating him.
August 16 Seeking Rubber-Band Ball Record Has Been No Snap (Los Angeles Times , 16 August 2003) Two brothers are bent on getting their 31/2- year project into the Guinness Book. At times they have slaved at it 11 hours a day.
LifeSavers Candy Changes Flavor Lineup (Chicago Sun-Times , 16 August 2003) LifeSavers announced a new flavor lineup for its classic, nearly 70-year-old five-flavor roll. Raspberry-, watermelon- and blackberry-flavored "O's" will replace the traditional orange, lemon and lime.
Facts Get Murky in Dispute Over Source of Bottled Spring Water (Associated Press , 16 August 2003) Poland Spring, the original source of America's best-selling bottled spring water, "is stagnant and no longer flows," according to court papers filed by several attorneys.
August 15 Courtney's Mom's a Brando Love Child? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer , 15 August 2003) Courtney Love's mother is claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of Marlon Brando.
Don't Believe Everything You Read Online (BBC , 15 August 2003) The net is alive with rumours and hoaxes, half-truths and untruths, modern myths and urban legends, that spread through e-mail lists, discussion groups and online publications.
Big Hairy Spiders Abandoned at Airport (Reuters , 15 August 2003) Customs officials found 500 Chilean tarantulas at Mexico City's international airport, abandoned after the owner of the spiders failed to complete import paperwork.
Man Bites Off Girlfriend's Nose but Keeps Her Love (Reuters , 15 August 2003) A woman in Germany says she still loves her boyfriend even though he bit her nose right off.
Man Cuts Off Own Penis to Cure Sex Addiction (Reuters , 15 August 2003) A German cut off his own penis with a kitchen knife to cure his addiction to sex.
City Battles Lovers' Padlocks (Reuters , 15 August 2003) The Hungarian city of Pecs is fighting a losing battle against padlocks which lovers are secretly clamping on statues and gates all over the city center as symbols of their enduring affection.
Mayor Predicts Baby Boom (Reuters , 15 August 2003) Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman predicted that a surge in births may be seen in nine months after the blackout that struck Canada's largest city.
August 14 Pitcher Jeff Weaver a Big Ticket Item on eBay (Associated Press , 14 August 2003) A frustrated New York Yankees fan has taken his displeasure of pitcher Jeff Weaver to the Internet. The fan is trying to use eBay to auction off the struggling right-hander, who's 6-and-9 with a hefty 5.78 ERA this year.
August 13 Researchers Offer a Peek Into a Big, Stinky Job - Whale Necropsy (Associated Press , 13 August 2003) The first thing you learn while performing an autopsy on a whale is the value of a really sharp knife.
Marine Dies of Heart Attack 3 Hours After Coming Home from Iraq (Associated Press , 13 August 2003) After eight months in Kuwait and Iraq, Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Dale Racicot just wanted to see his wife and two daughters. Back home three hours later, Racicot collapsed onto his dining room floor, dead of a heart attack at 54.
McDonald's Tries Opening a Cajun Restaurant in New Orleans (Associated Press , 13 August 2003) McDonald's Corp. is opening a new venture, Chef Mac's, in an office building across from City Hall and the Louisiana Superdome in September. Modeled after a similar eatery in Orlando, Fla., the new restaurant will have chandeliers, leather couches, stylish tiles and upgraded restrooms.
Pickles, a Sour Sandwich Staple, Hated by Some, Loved by Many (Associated Press , 13 August 2003) For every pickle lover who seeks out multiple servings of the condiment, it seems there's a pickle hater who banishes the briny invader in their sandwiches.
August 12 What Happened to Ted Williams? (Sports Illustrated , 12 August 2003) Hall of Famer Ted Williams' head and body are being stored in separate containers at an Arizona cryonics lab that is still trying to collect a $111,000 bill from Williams' son.
August 11 'Gigli' Could Have Been Worse (Chicago Tribune , 11 August 2003) Is "Gigli" really the worst "allegedly major movie" of the summer? Of the year? Or of the century, as the Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern claims? Or is it just another example of reverse hype?
Judge Accepts Burrito-Breath Claim (Associated Press , 11 August 2003) A judge has ruled in favor of a man's claim that he had alcohol on his breath not because he drank, but due to his eating of burritos made with beer-and-tequila marinated meat.
August 10 DNA Fingers the Dog, But Did She Murder the Chickens? (Associated Press , 10 August 2003) For a few weeks on Martha's Vineyard this summer as rumors swirled and accusations flew, it seemed the whole island was obsessed by the question: Who killed Mal Jones' chickens?
August 9 Mistaken Text Leads to Marriage (BBC , 9 August 2003) A couple who met through a saucy mobile phone text message sent accidentally are preparing to get married.
August 8 Mississippi Man to Pay for Destroying Marriage (Associated Press , 8 August 2003) Another man stole his wife's heart, so Albert Edwin Holcombe Jr. sued. A jury says his broken heart is worth $175,000. Harry Stevens was ordered by a jury to pay $175,000 for breaking up a marriage.
N.Y. Man Tries to Stiff $916.50 Cab Fare (Associated Press , 8 August 2003) A man who took a cab almost 300 miles from New York City to western New York didn't get very far after he tried to stiff the driver for $916.50 fare.
Smelly Mystery Blob Takes Over N.J. Town (Associated Press , 8 August 2003) It smells like rotten eggs at best, decomposing flesh at worst. It looks like the pods from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." To the people whose homes back up onto a Tuckerton Creek tributary where the gelatinous substance recently appeared, it's just "The Blob."
August 7 G.I.'s Have X-Ray Vision. Of Course. (The New York Times , 7 August 2003) As an American soldier peered out of a passing tank, a young engineering student and a retired accountant contemplated one of the more common questions on the streets of Baghdad: Did the soldier's wraparound sunglasses give him X-ray vision?
E-mail Shrinks the World (BBC , 7 August 2003) The theory that almost everyone on Earth is connected to anyone else via a small number of acquaintances seems to hold true for e-mail, too.
Hijackers, Not Passengers, Deliberately Crashed Flight 93 (Associated Press , 7 August 2003) U.S. investigators now believe that a hijacker in the cockpit aboard United Airlines Flight 93 instructed terrorist-pilot Ziad Jarrah to crash the jetliner into a Pennsylvania field because of a passenger uprising in the cabin.
August 6 Public Aghast as Kittens Fed Alive to Snakes (Reuters , 6 August 2003) A Norwegian reptile expert said that cat owners, who hoped kittens they had to give away would go to a good home, were outraged to find that some were ending up as dinner for pythons and other snakes kept illegally as pets.
Swollen Orders Show Spam's Allure (Wired , 6 August 2003) A security flaw at a website operated by the purveyors of penis-enlargement pills has provided the world with a depressing answer to the question: Who in their right mind would buy something from a spammer?
August 5 Man Cited for Disorderly Conduct for Poking "Sesame" Character (Associated Press , 5 August 2003) A man who became annoyed with a theme-park worker dressed as Telly from "Sesame Street" shoved an umbrella into the worker's stomach and was cited for disorderly conduct.
Carly Simon to Tell Ebersol Who's So Vain (Associated Press , 5 August 2003) Carly Simon will finally reveal who's so vain to a man with major connections in the media world, should he ever decide to break his vow of total secrecy.
August 4 Hussein Graves Give Rise to Myths (Los Angeles Times , 4 August 2003) Near a bending palm tree and a line of young eucalyptus with leaves seared by the sun, the two sons of Saddam Hussein and his grandson Mustafa rested silently Sunday in the baked earth of a village desert cemetery. But around them, the myth-making had already begun.
Car Crash Reveals Racist Church (Reuters , 4 August 2003) A car crash in a town near New Orleans revealed that a building thought to be a home improvement business was actually a white supremacist church.
August 2 For Snopes.com, Debunking the Bambi Hoax Was All in a Day's Work (Online Journalism Review , 2 August 2003) Site is a labor of love for husband-and-wife team who stayed skeptical about media reports that hunters could pay up to $10,000 for chance to shoot paintballs at naked women.
Suspect in Missing Daughter Hoax Is a Former FBI Informant (Associated Press , 2 August 2003) The woman accused of calling an Indiana couple and falsely claiming to be their long-lost daughter had been an FBI informant in the past.
Berry Burgers Could Be the Next School Lunch Fad (Associated Press , 2 August 2003) Scientists who developed the blueberry burger hope that it will one day be a common sight in school cafeterias, supermarkets and restaurants.
Michigan Man Charged with Defrauding Retailers with Claim to Be Saudi Prince (Associated Press , 2 August 2003) A Michigan man who is not a Saudi prince and not worth $480 million, as he claimed, is accused of defrauding two upscale stores of $29,000 worth of clothing, jewelry and perfume.
Young Americans Still Dying Because They Shun Seat Belts (Associated Press , 2 August 2003) Motor vehicle crashes remain the nation's leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year olds and in many cases, experts say, seat belts could have made a difference. Of the 5,341 teens killed in crashes in 2001, two-thirds were not wearing seat belts.
August 1 Teen Turns High-Tech on Stranger Trying to Lure Him Into Car (Associated Press , 1 August 2003) A 15-year-old boy foiled an apparent abduction attempt when he pulled out his cell phone camera and snapped photos of a man trying to lure him into a car.
Google Girds for Heavyweight Challenge as Its Influence Widens (Associated Press , 1 August 2003) Steady growth has turned Google into one of the Internet's biggest success stories, and made the still relatively small company of 1,000 employees a target for some formidable foes. Both Yahoo! Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are searching for ways to steal Google's thunder in a showdown that could reshape the way people find their way around the Internet.
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