How Many Mass Shootings (So Far) in 2023?
A popular January 2023 post to Reddit’s r/dankmemes purportedly placed the number of mass shootings in the US to date as 39.
fact memes
Fake AOC ‘Electric Cars’ Tweet Resurfaced in Hurricane Ian Discourse
A long-debunked “tweet” attributed to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) about electric cars and storms is resurrected ahead of just about every hurricane.
‘Ben Franklin Left Money to Boston’
A circulating meme contained the claim that Founding Father Benjamin Franklin left $2,000 to young people in Philadelphia and Boston.
‘Most Detailed Image of a Human Cell’
A viral post claimed to show the most detailed image of a human cell to date, but reverse image search told a different story.
‘Albedo,’ ‘Bright Darkness,’ and ‘Snowglow’
A screenshot of a post about a “bright darkness” or “snowglow” often observed after a snowfall spread across social media — and got everyone excited for winter.
Bass Pro Shops, 7th Largest Pyramid in the World?
A popular meme claimed that the seventh (or tenth) largest pyramid in the world was a Bass Pro Shops location.
‘Don’t Do Drugs’ Pencil
An anti-drug pencil was purportedly recalled in the 1990s due to an inherent design flaw.
Ulmer Nest
An October 2021 Facebook “fact meme” described a purported German structure put up to provide homeless people a place to sleep.
‘The Snow in Wizard of Oz Was Pure Asbestos’
A popular meme claimed the Wizard of Oz snow was made of “pure asbestos.”
Egg ‘Sink or Float’ Test
A viral Facebook post claims that “testing fresh eggs” is as simple as seeing which eggs sink and which eggs float.
