Did Lemons Evolve Naturally?
A meme about the “when life gives you lemons” adage claims that the sour citrus fruits were originally created by humans.
Do Asylum Seekers Get $2,100 Per Month Starting Their First Day in the United States?
A viral Facebook post compares asylum seekers to Social Security recipients, but it gets most of its numbers wrong.
Does Video Show Seesaws on Both Sides of the Border Wall?
On July 29 2019, the Facebook page “Jolt Texas” shared a video (archived here), stating that “[artists] installed seesaws at the border wall” so that “kids in the U.S. and Mexico could play together”: The clip racked up millions of views in just a few days. Its caption read: Amazing: Artists installed seesaws at the border …
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Can Only People Under 40 Hear This Sound?
In July 2019 a number of posts circulated Facebook, all of which linked to video of a 15000 Hz/15 kHz frequency sound that is purportedly only audible to people younger than 40. One iteration (archived here) accrued a large number of shares. Its original poster wrote: I need your help! ???? Okay so I nabbed …
Steve Jobs’ Last Words?
On July 30 2019, Facebook user Joseph Rudy Rullo shared what were purportedly Apple pioneer Steve Jobs’ last words (archived here), uttered on his deathbed: The post eventually segued into other musings, but it began with Jobs’ supposed lamentation of his pursuit of wealth and material success over other things: Steve Jobs died a billionaire, with …
Are ‘Beyond Meat’ or ‘Impossible Burger’ Ingredients Indistinguishable From Dog Food?
On July 20 2019, a Facebook user shared a photograph of what appears to be a block of text from an unnamed newspaper or a magazine, containing the claim that “meat substitutes” Beyond Meat and the Impossible Burger had the same ingredients as dog food. A portion bordered with orange marker contained a section highlighted in …
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Did U.S. President Donald Trump Say ‘What You’re Seeing’ Is ‘Not What’s Happening’?
In July 2019, the Facebook page “Bristol for Europe” shared side-by-side prints that contrasted a purported quote by United States President Donald Trump with one from English author George Orwell: On the left was a quote attributed to George Orwell from the novel 1984, first published in 1949. That portion read: THE PARTY TOLD YOU TO REJECT THE …
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‘Bucket of Heads,’ ‘Cooler’ with ‘Genitalia’ Alleged in Body Parts Broker Raid
In July 2019, a number of macabre stories circulated on social media that were based on recent reports that an Arizona facility that was supposed to be processing bodies donated to science was the subject of a gruesome and macabre raid. In July 2019, local news stations reported that the unsettling practices had apparently been uncovered in …
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Did Mr. Rogers Challenge Pool Segregation with a Black Police Officer in 1969?
Press ahead of the 2019 release of a biopic about Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood star Fred Rogers led to increased interest in his remarkable life. One story this renewed attention unearthed detailed how the children’s show purportedly tackled the hard topic of segregation with a black police officer and a kiddie pool in the late 1960s: In 1969, …
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Did ICE Detain an American Citizen Despite His Proof of Citizenship?
In July 2019, multiple news organizations reported that American-born teenager Francisco Galicia was apprehended and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the previous month — who then kept him for close to a month: A United States citizen has been detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly a …
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