Coca Cola used to contain cocaine. Reusing plastic water bottles can cause cancer. A group of highly trained dolphins, taught to hunt down terrorists by the US governement, escaped and went missing during Hurricane Katrina.*

Where would be be without urban legends? Teenage sleepover parties would be far less interesting, pub conversations lacking in ridiculous claims and office chatter devoid of mildly plausible but mostly preposterous notions. Yet the legends must have had some basis in fact, right? I mean, really, who would just make up the fact that Disneyland used to deny entry to long-haired male visitors?**

Fortunately, the internet has once again stepped up with the answers to all your urban legend questions in the form of Snopes which, after 14 years on the internet (yes, the internet has been around that long) is still proving and debunking social myths daily. Their well researched reports tell us that television’s talking horse ‘Mr. Ed’ was actually a zebra, two of Santa’s reindeer were originally named ‘Dunder’ and ‘Blixem’ not Donner and Blitzen, and an American flag does not, in fact, need to be burned if it touches the ground.

Don’t visit Snopes if you don’t have a bit of time to spare, you’ll find yourself hunting the truth behind every story you were ever told as a child – and the ones you’re telling everyone around you now. But don’t feel too bad, we thought German chocolate cake came from Germany too.***

*True, false, undetermined
**True
***It comes from the American who invented it - Sam German