Snopes' Unusual Fact & Fiction
S.N.U.F.F. List
Actually, I prefer calling this the SNUFF List (without periods), but that
would have prevented its being seen by thousands of readers who have since
used their kill files to relegate any postings containing the word "snuff" in
their titles to the bit bucket.
This is a preliminary version of Snopes' Unusual Fact & Fiction (SNUFF) List.
It is an attempt to provide some kind of reference to printed materials that
document (or at least discuss) many of the stories and factoids that regularly
appear in this newsgroup. It is _not_ designed to indicate the truth or
falsity of anything (Terry Chan is already doing a fine job of that), but
merely to provide a listing of commonly available published sources where
background material relating to this newsgroup's discussions can be found.
Many of the sources listed are of dubious validity (especially the "Uncle
John's Bathroom Reader" series), and some sources tend to borrow quite heavily
from the other sources on the list. I still have a lot of work to do on the
list; I expect it to at least triple in size in the near future. Perhaps
some loyal AFUer will volunteer to be an FTP repository so that I need not
post the undoubtedly huge file this will become.
Each topic is followed by a list of one or more sources (and the page numbers)
where information on the topic can be found. A key to the abbreviations of
source material titles (and publishing information) can be found at the end of
the list. I realize that some of the entry names are a bit stilted or
awkward -- some things just don't lend themselves to being indexed. I welcome
any suggestions for improvements in format, pointers to source material,
submissions of newspaper clippings, etc.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SNUFF List V0.1 03/25/92
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
airplanes
cans affected by pressure: [SD1 245]
looping commercial airliners: [SD1 262]
alligators
living in sewers: [RMR 149], [SD2 339
alphabet
ordering of: [IMP 193]
antipodes
explanation of: [MI 176]
aphrodisiacs
green M&Ms as: see "M&Ms"
rhino horns as: [MI 204]
saltpeter as: [DOM 221]
validity of: [MI 15], [SD2 206]
appendix
function of in humans: [DMWM 62]
appetite suppresants
worms in: see "worms"
arthritis
cracking knuckles as cause of: [SD2 304]
asparagus:
causing smell in urine: [SD2 384]
asteroids
passing close to Earth: [UJ3 148]
automobiles
pill increasing gas mileage of: [RMR 123]
Baby Ruth (candy bar)
origin of name: [DOM 219], [MI 21]
backwards masking
see "records, phonograph"
banana peels
smoking: [RMR 59]
barcodes
see "Universal Product Code"
Big John (brand name)
mistranslation into French: [UJ3 19]
blindness
LSD/staring at sun as cause of: [RMR 139]
Bogart, Humphrey
Gerber baby model: see "Gerber baby"
brand names
misleadingness of: [SD1 147]
Buffy (TV character)
see "Jones, Annissa"
buttons
on men's coat sleeves: [SD1 108]
cannibalism
efficacy of: [DMWM 11]
carrots
turning skin orange: [SD1 275]
Carson, Johnny
telephone calling card number given out by: see "telephones"
Catherine the Great
death of: [RMR 81], [UJ4 161], [SD1 109]
catsup
see "ketchup"
century
first day of: [DOM 82], [MI 173], [SD1 130]
Chambers, Marilyn
Ivory Snow model: see "Ivory Snow"
chastity belts
use of: [SD1 72]
checks (bank)
requirements of: [DOM 16], [MI 25], [SD2 352]
Chevrolet
Nova sales in Latin America: [UJ3 19]
chickens
drowning during rain: [SD1 10]
hypnosis of: [SD1 12]
chicken, fried
rat found in: [RMR 52]
China
every person in jumping simultaneously: [SD1 155]
Chipmunks (Alvin and the)
voices of: [SD2 19]
Christ
birthday of: [MI 59], [MI 139], [SD1 34]
first name of: [SD1 35]
middle name of: [SD1 33]
proof of existence: [SD2 275]
CIA
Monroe, Marilyn killed by: [RMR 107]
citizen's arrest
legality of: [DMWM 59]
Cleopatra
nationality of: [MI 62]
clocks
Roman numerals on: [SD2 153]
time set on display models: [DOM 261], [SD2 330]
Coca-Cola
ingredients used in: [RMR 65], [BS 28], [SD2 33]
mistranslation of slogan in Chinese: [UJ3 19]
origins of: [BS 28], [DOM 48], [UJ4 207]
spermicidal qualities of: [UJ3 85], [SD2 218]
switch to "New Coke": [DMWM 91]
cocaine
Coca-Cola's use of: see "Coca-Cola, ingredients used in"
coins
as legal tender: [MI 64], [SD1 330]
demise of Susan B. Anthony dollar: [DMWM 181]
"The Conquerer" (movie)
cancer afflicting crew and cast of: [SD 16]
copyrights (and trademarks)
cover versions, permission required for: [SD1 324]
explanation of: [DOM 54]
parodies, permission required for: [DMWM 24]
person's name and: [SD1 144]
symbols of: [SD 41]
Coriolis force
effect on water draining: see "water"
countries
names for in other languages: [SD2 162]
Crapper, Thomas
inventor of toilet: [DOM 56]
cryonics
efficacy of: [SD2 331]
currency
denominations of: [MI 71]
"dead man's hand"
origin of: [SD1 307]
decapitation
brain function after: [SD1 221]
diet aids:
worms in: see "worms"
Disney, Walt
as animator of Mickey Mouse: [MI 78]
frozen at death: [RMR 99], BS [219], [SD2 331]
Disneyland
sued over headless characters: [UJ3 113]
sued over same-sex dancing: [UJ4 41]
Dr. Pepper
ingredients used in: [RMR 67], [BS 47]
origin of: [UJ4 107]
dogs
age relative to humans: [SD2 10]
color-blindness of: [SD2 4]
Drew, Dr. Charles
bleeding to death at "Whites Only" hospital: [DMWM 139]
Earth
displacement of poles: [SD2 117]
Eddy, Mary Baker
telephone buried with: [RMR 17]
Edison, Thomas
as inventor of light bulb: see "light bulbs"
last breath preserved: [SD2 128]
promoting use of DC vs. Westinghouse: [DMWM 151]
eggs
standing on end during equinox: [SD2 89]
Einstein, Albert
brain stored in box/bottle: [RMR 116], [SD2 127]
elections
Tuesday as day of (in USA): [IMP 52]
elevators
use of "Close Door" button: [SD2 406]
Eliot, Mama Cass
death of: [RMR 80]
embezzlement
rounding-down account balances: [DMWM 183]
Empire Statue Building
effects of coin dropped from: [SD 225]
Eskimos
number of words for "snow": see "snow"
examinations
philosophy exam asking "Why?": [SD2 463]
Everest, Mount
as world's highest mountain: see "mountains"
farting
on vaudeville (Le Petomane): [SD1 394]
flags
disposal of (U.S.): [MI 99]
fruit
definition of: [MI 104]
gasoline
pill turning water into: [SD2 399]
Gerber baby
Bogart, Humphrey as model for: [RMR 71]
gerbils
lodged in rectum: [SD2 216]
Gere, Richard
see "gerbils"
gestures
origins of: [UJ3 117], [SD2 450]
Gilchrist, John ("Mikey")
death caused by Pop Rocks: see "Pop Rocks"
"Goldfinger" (movie)
death of actress during: see "pores, skin"
Goofy (Disney character)
origin of: [UJ3 36]
Grand Tetons
origin of name: [MI 112]
Great Wall of China
purpose of: [DMWM 128]
visibility from moon: [UJ4 10], [SD2 92]
Greenjeans, Mr.
as Frank Zappa's father: [RMR 95], [SD2 18]
gum, chewing
effects of swallowing: [SD2 59]
hair
growth after death: [DOM 104]
growth rate of: [UJ4 65], [MI 36], [SD1 97]
insects living in: [RMR 50]
pubic, purpose of: [SD1 64]
selling to wigmakers: [SD1 270]
turning white overnight: [SD2 315]
"Happy Birthday" (song)
copyright to: [SD1 323]
Heinz
"57 Varieties" origin: [DOM 107], [MI 124], [SD1 195]
Hitler, Adolph
lack of testicle: [SD2 128]
hypnotism
of chickens: see "chickens"
susceptibility to: [IMP 180], [SD2 287]
Illuminati
explanation of: [SD2 297]
Ireland
Spanish Armada survivors in: [SD1 111]
Ivory Snow
porn star as model for: [RMR 77]
Jack the Ripper
identity of: [RMR 111]
Japan
attack on California coast: [UJ3 203]
USA as city in: [RMR 133]
Jesus
see "Christ"
Jones, Annissa ("Buffy")
death of: [UJ3 182]
Kentucky Fried Chicken
ingredients used in: [BS 13]
rat found in: see "chicken"
ketchup
origin of: [UJ4 174]
shape of bottle: [SD1 181]
"Leave It To Beaver" (TV show)
Beaver's death in VietNam: see "Mathers, Jerry"
Lego
origin of: [UJ4 198]
lemmings
suicidal tendencies of: [MI 149]
libraries
sinking due to weight of books: [SD2 463]
Lie detectors
efficacy of: [BS 128]; [DOM 139], [MI 151]
Life Savers
wintergreen sparkling when bitten: [IMP 157], [SD1 129]
light bulbs
Edison as inventor of: [DOM 140], [UJ4 11], [MI 87]
Little Alf
POW sends message under stamp: see "stamps"
"Little Shop of Horrors" (movie)
shot in two days: [UJ4 63]
"Louie Louie" (song)
lyrics to: [SD1 316]
LSD
birth defects caused by: [SD2 229]
blindness caused by: see "blindness"
marijuana
tobacco companies choosing labels and brand names for: [RMR 125]
M&Ms
colors used in: [SD1 355]
green ones as aphrodisiac: [RMR 61]
manholes
shape of covers: [SD1 247]
Marx, Groucho
"I love my cigar" quip: [SD2 24]
Mathers, Jerry
death in VietNam: [RMR 74]
McCartney, Paul
death of: [RMR 82]
McDonald, Ronald
origin of: [UJ4 19]
Scott, Willard as: [UJ4 19]
McDonald's (restaurant)
McDharma's, suit against: [UJ3 113]
origin of: [UJ3 15]
menstruation
coincidence of cycles in women: [SD2 306]
Mikey
death caused by Pop Rocks: see "Pop Rocks"
Mr. Ed (horse)
method of talking: [SD2 29]
Monroe, Marilyn
CIA killing: [RMR 107]
moon
as cause of strange behavior: [SD2 337]
motorcycles
purchased from US government as surplus: [RMR 42]
mountains
highest: [DOM 78], [MI 262]
mummy
in amusement park fun house: [SD1 203]
Muzak
origin of: [UJ4 50], [SD1 317], [SD2 464]
neckties
origin of: [SD2 156]
Nova
automobile: see "Chevrolet"
outhouses:
use of half-moons on: [SD2 382]
ovens, microwave
baby cooked in by babysitter: [SD1 213]
poodle cooked in: [SD2 463]
peace sign
origin of: [UJ4 195], [SD2 149], [DMWM 75]
Pepsi
mistranslation of slogan into Chinese: [UJ3 19]
Philadelphia Experiment
explanation of: [SD2 293]
phrases, origin of
"hoist by his own petard": [SD1 295]
"whole nine yards": [SD2 252]
Pop Rocks
death caused by: [RMR 68]
population (of Earth)
"doubling ancestors" conundrum: [SD2 83]
number of people since beginning of time: [SD2 85]
pores (skin)
breathing through: [DOM 193], [UJ4 82], [SD1 221]
pornography
Vatican collection of: see "Vatican"
Postal Service
mailing letters without stamps: [BS 106]
returning junk mail attached to bricks: [SD2 356]
POWs
message concealed underneath stamp: see "stamps"
prepositions
at end of sentences: [MI 195]
President (U.S.)
death before swearing-in: [SD1 133]
prices
ending in '9': [DMWM 77]
Procter & Gamble
owned by Church of Satan members: [SD2 283]
rabies
transmission and treatment of: [DMWM 193]
radio
government use of frequencies: [BS 185]
rats
in fried chicken: see "chicken, fried"
in toilets: [SD1 29]
records, phonograph
backwards masking in: [BS 200]
speeds of turntables: [IMP 58], [SD1 258]
Red Cars (in Los Angeles)
destroyed by GM: [SD2 336]
Ritz crackers
'SEX' embossed on: [RMR 141], [BS 22]
Rolling Rock Beer
use of '33' on label: [SD2 44]
Roman numerals
movie copyright dates written in: [IMP 214]
used on clock faces: see "clocks"
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
origin of: [UJ4 20]
Scott, Willard
as Ronald McDonald: see "McDonald, Ronald"
sewers
alligators living in: see "alligators"
sex, oral
causing embolism in women: [SD2 210]
shampoo
blood plasma used in: [SD2 333]
Shroud of Turin
authenticity of: [SD2 275]
sneezing
photic sneeze reflex: [SD2 303]
snow
Eskimo words for: [SD1 297]
Social Security Numbers
used for identification purposes: [SD1 154]
spiders
hairdo as home for: see "hair"
spontaneous combustion
possibility of: [SD1 205], [SD2 297]
stamps
mailing letters without: see "Postal Service"
soaked off to reveal POW message: [RMR 17]
Standard Oil
breakup of: [SD1 340]
Star-Spangled Banner, The (song)
origins of: [MI 171], [DMWM 50]
stars
viewed in daylight from bottom of well: [DOM 243]
subliminal advertising/messages
efficacy of: [BS 214], [SD1 187], [SD2 324], [SD2 344]
'SEX' on Ritz Crackers: see "Ritz crackers"
subsonic sounds
causing anxiety: [SD1 280]
swastika
origins of: [DOM 251], [UJ4 195], [MI 234], [SD2 156]
telephones
buried with dead body: see "Eddy, Mary Baker"
calling card number given out on TV: [RMR 90]
lack of 'Q' and 'Z' on dial: [SD1 378]
TV
children's host fired for comment during commercial break: [RMR 92]
drop in water pressure after popular show: [SD2 371]
lack of channel 1 on: [SD1 372]
use of "555-" phone numbers on: [SD1 374]
time
AM/PM boundaries: [SD1 130]
tobacco companies
marijuana sold by: see "marijuana"
Tootsie Roll Pops
wrapper with Indian redeemable for free candy: [RMR 63]
trademarks
see "copyrights"
Trilateral Commission
explanation of: [SD2 295]
Truman, Harry
middle name of: [DOM 267], [UJ4 190], [MI 246]
typewriters
configuration of keys on: [IMP 127], [SD1 249]
UFOs
government recovery of: [RMR 117]
Universal Product Code (UPC)
coding scheme: [BS 79]
urine
asparagus causing odor in: see "asparagus"
Dalmatian's containing urea: [DMWM 133]
vampirism
causes of: [SD2 135]
Vatican
pornography collection: [SD1 74]
vegetable
definition of: [MI 104]
video games
high scorers recorded by government: [RMR 110]
vowels
'w' as: [SD2 246]
water
direction of draining in hemispheres: [DOM 281], [SD1 161]
hot freezing faster than cold: [DOM 112], [SD2 98]
weddings
performed by ship's captain: [MI 49], [SD2 329]
words, origins of
86: [SD1 291]
fuck: [SD2 268]
IOU: [UJ4 10], [MI 136]
kangaroo: [SD2 237]
OK: [DOM 167], [SD2 250]
posh: [DOM 193]
sideburns: [DOM 229]
sirloin: [DOM 231]
SOS: [DOM 238], [UJ4 10], [MI 224]
tip: [DOM 261]
worms
in diet aids: [RMR 65]
Zappa, Frank
Mr. Greenjeans as father of: see "Greenjeans, Mr."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:
BS <Big Secrets Poundstone, William; 1983. ISBN 0-688-04830-7>
DMWM <Did Mohawks Wear Mohawks? ISBN 0-688-09859-2>
Tindall, Bruce & Watson, Mark; 1991.
DOM <The Dictionary of Misinformation
Burnam, Tom; 1975. ISBN 0-06-091315-0>
IMP <IMPONDERABLES Feldman, David; 1986. ISBN 0-688-05914-7>
MI <Myth Information Varasdi, J. Allen; 1989 ISBN 0-345-35985-2>
RMR <Rumor! Morgan, Hal & Tucker, Kerry; 1984 ISBN 0-14-007036-2>
SD1 <The Straight Dope Adams, Cecil; 1984 ISBN 0-345-33315-2>
SD2 <More of the Straight Dope
Adams, Cecil; 1988 ISBN 0-345-35145-2>
UJ3 <Uncle John's Third Bathroom Reader
Javna, John; 1990. ISBN 0-312-04586-7>
UJ4 <Uncle John's Fourth Bathroom Reader
Javna, John; 1991. ISBN 0-312-06484-5>
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