Rumor Flies

We got the sauce

Rumor Flies comically addresses the origins, evolution, and veracity of your favorite rumors, myths, and misconceptions. Tune in for more research, stories, and unsolicited commentary! Participation encouraged.

Filtering by Tag: dark myths

608 - Food: Deadly Delicatessen

607 - History: I am a Generous Oscar

603 - Sports: The Five Guys Conspiracy

Episode Link

Bobby Riggs threw “The Battle of the Sexes”  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Sexes_(tennis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYB4jsbgDVI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Marcello

2002 WCF
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-nbas-greatest-ugliest-series
http://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAC/2002.html
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2002.html
http://www.realclearsports.com/articles/2014/04/28/did_nba_really_fix_its_playoff_games_97937-2.html

Michael Jordan gambling/Flu Game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_NBA_Finals#Game_5:_The_Flu_Game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1516339-jalen-rose-claims-that-michael-jordans-flu-game-was-actually-a-hangover-game
http://ballislife.com/michael-jordans-the-flu-game-aka-the-hangover-game-aka-the-poisoned-by-pizza-game/
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1608036-michael-jordans-trainer-says-mjs-famous-flu-game-was-result-of-poisoning
https://www.bardown.com/flu-hangover-food-poising-the-real-story-behind-the-jordan-flu-game-1.780692

Cal Ripken Jr streak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Ripken_Jr.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ripkeca01.shtml
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-costner-of-love/

E-Sports Deaths
https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/05/12-bizarre-deaths-that-video-games-caused/
http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/cvg/death.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_addiction#Deaths
https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/05/12-bizarre-deaths-that-video-games-caused/berzerk

Starcraft is the official sport of South Korea
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/939643-starcraft-ii-wings-of-liberty/56438533
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-35047733/video-gaming-south-korea-s-new-national-sport

602 - Survival: Nuclear Myths

Episode Link
Thumbnail image

Air and water polluted/toxic
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects14.shtml
http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p912.htm
https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/science-behind-atom-bomb
https://www.mirion.com/introduction-to-radiation-safety/types-of-ionizing-radiation/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nuclear-bombs-made-it-possible-to-carbon-date-human-tissue-20074710/

Nuclear Winter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter
https://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-winter2.htm

Alcohol protects from radiation poisoning
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512007508
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0027510705002848
http://www.ntanet.net/myth-or-fact-will-alcohol-help-protect-against-radiation

Twinkies never spoil
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/forever-twinkies/
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/07/09/200465360/the-science-of-twinkies-how-do-they-last-so-long

Cockroaches & Cher
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/cockroaches-survive-nuclear-explosion/
http://mentalfloss.com/article/49752/could-cockroaches-really-survive-nuclear-war

Mutated animals
https://chernobylguide.com/chernobyl_mutations/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INAlUGn0RYg

Ted Taylor lit a cigarette with a nuclear explosion
http://awesci.com/nuclear-bomb-cigarette-lighter/
https://books.google.com/books?id=xitabHpRPQEC&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&dq=ted+taylor+lit+cigarette+atomic+bomb&source=bl&ots=p0LU5_SGWD&sig=yKeUsAudRl_7vWN89N0cRSBhQZk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiu2pjp4MLbAhUGHqwKHXzuAU4Q6AEIZDAM#v=onepage&q=ted%20taylor%20lit%20cigarette%20atomic%20bomb&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=-1KEClJx4EsC&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=ted+taylor+lit+cigarette+atomic+bomb&source=bl&ots=7gjHKUNZDK&sig=Ti84Qj9o16DwfR5WXOn1_VDl1Ss&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiu2pjp4MLbAhUGHqwKHXzuAU4Q6AEIZzAN#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/us/theodore-taylor-a-designer-of-abombs-who-turned-against-them-dies-at-79.html

506 - Video Game Myths w/ Holden McNeely

504 - Sports: Get Hoffa my Case!

Babe ruth was fat and ate hotdogs during games
https://vinepair.com/articles/were-not-the-only-ones-drinking-during-a-baseball-game/
http://www.baseballreliquary.org/about/collections/babe-ruth-hot-dog/

http://www.neatorama.com/2015/02/26/12-Facts-You-Might-Not-Know-About-Babe-Ruth/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth#Minor_league,_Baltimore_Orioles

Football pads and helmets do more harm than good
https://chhs.unh.edu/khl/2015-02/keeping-their-heads-out-game
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/nfl-concussions-football-helmets-risk-taking-behavior-brain-injury-helmetless-tackling-technique-lawsuit/15srtbuzodfbk10tkmhxm8ayr7
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/even-more-evidence-that-football-causes-brain-injury-27116959/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/are-modern-football-helmets-any-safer-than-old-school-leather-ones-52942951/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-concussion-proof-helmet-11290796/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/opinion/the-dangers-of-safety-equipment.html

Jimmy Hoffa buried under giants stadium
https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420595057/vendetta-recalls-the-ruthless-rivalry-between-bobby-kennedy-jimmy-hoffa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_local
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brotherhood_of_Teamsters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Hoffa
http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/9-places-jimmy-hoffa-probably-isnt-buried
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20130617/mob-underboss-says-jimmy-hoffa-was-buried-alive-at-dig-site-in-oakland-township

The Football War
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_War
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/football/2007/feb/21/theknowledge.sport

 

502 - Snapple Fact Check 2: Camelflage

410 - Body: Baldy Finale

Check out the episode here

Color of Mucous Indicates what's up
https://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/the-truth-about-mucus#1
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dont-judge-your-mucus-by-its-color-201602089129

"The Triangle of Death" Pimple Popping
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavernous_sinus_thrombosis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meninges
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_triangle_of_the_face#cite_note-9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavernous_sinus

90% of Body Heat Leaves Through your Head
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/dec/17/medicalresearch-humanbehaviour
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130708-is-most-heat-lost-from-your-head

"No Fap Challenge" Results in more Testosterone.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4375873/
https://www.livestrong.com/article/270042-how-is-the-level-of-testosterone-in-the-blood-controlled/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/women-who-stray/201307/your-brain-porn-its-not-addictive
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12659241?dopt=Abstract
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ya67aLaaCc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSF82AwSDiU
http://www.livescience.com/32445-why-do-guys-get-sleepy-after-sex.html
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/blog/women-who-stray/201503/the-nofap-phenomenon%3famp
https://psychcentral.com/lib/does-masturbation-cause-blindness/

Mother's Father Determines Baldness
https://www.hairsciencescenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/norwood011.gif
https://www.hairsciencescenter.com/baldness-gene-come-mother-father/
 

408 - Death: They Live!

407 - Gross Myths: "Dreaded" Spiders

301 - Disney: The Man, The Myth, The Popsicle

Bonus: Halloween Myths

209 - Alcohol: Breaking the Seal

208 - Sex and Pregnancy

207 - Drugs: Rehashed

204 - Cold War ft. "The Eastern Border"

Pencil/Pens in space race
1. Scientific American article
2. Mental Floss article

Measurement/Quota cheating
3. "My Time with Soviet Economics" - Roberts
4. Comic

5. “Tsar Bomba” video

Kennedy was peaceful/”I am a jelly doughnut” 
6. The Atlantic on "Ich bin ein Berliner"
7. The New York Times on "Ich bin ein Berliner"

“Winnie [Vinnie] Pooh”
8. Video

Kugel Panzer
8. Wikipedia article

Lost Cosmonaut
9. The Eastern Border episode on "The Lost Cosmonaut"

Gagarin’s “bumpy landing”
10. Russian Space Web piece on Gagarin's landing. 

Nixon’s alternative moon landing speech (failure/death of astronauts)
11. Speech