Clay Pot Candle Heaters: Do They Really Work?
As Texas struggled with atypical winter weather, videos instructing people how to construct a terracotta space heater assembled with candles went viral.
2021
Did Ted Cruz Fly to Mexico While Texans Were Without Electricity?
The right-wing lawmaker came under fire online for leaving the state for warmer weather with his family as many of his constituents lived through a historic winter storm.
‘Green New Deal. Pray For Texas.’
As millions of Texans lost electricity, a coordinated disinformation campaign attempted to shift the blame to renewable energy.
‘I’ve Never Killed a Man, But I Have Read Some Obituaries with Great Pleasure’ Quote Origin
Posts of a famous quote about schadenfreude were quickly followed by discussions around who actually uttered (or wrote) it.
‘Hollywood Fred Meyer Threw Out All Perishables in Power Outage, Portland Police Blocked People From Accessing the Dumpsters and All the Food Went Bad’
As a number of states endured winter storms and power outages in February 2021, claims started popping up that law enforcement in Portland, Oregon was guarding discarded food.
Ohio Mom Shaina Bell’s Arrest for Working Without Childcare Leads to Viral Outcry, a Popular GoFundMe
A suspended GoFundMe campaign was not authorized by Bell; she validated a separate active campaign as legitimate.
Was a Texas Ramada Hotel Charging $999 For Rooms After a Huge Winter Storm?
Twitter users chided the hotel chain after photos of online listings began spreading.
‘My Brain Refuses to Believe There Are 4 People in This Photo’
A February 2021 post showing four people toasting with minibar bottles outdoors spread to Facebook, then Imgur, and back to Reddit.
Can You Mop Your Floors With Tide Powder?
The advent of “quarancleaning” during the COVID-19 pandemic led to the viral popularity of using Tide to mop floors.
‘California Inmate Has Now Beaten to Death 2 Child Molesters With a Cane While in Prison, Authorities Say’
A screenshot of what appeared to be a news article about a California inmate who beat two fellow inmates to death spread virally on social media platforms.