Common Urban Legends and Wives Tales

There are many out there, and you hear more and more as you grow older. Urban legends and wives tales never seem to go away. Matter of fact, it seems more and more keep arising, even with Google and Wikipedia.

I did a piece on common myths a couple of years ago. Now, here are some of the more common urban legends of our time.

1. Elvis and Tupac are alive.

I was always told not to believe any death, on TV or in real life, unless a body is produced. Elvis died in his bathroom and his body was clearly identified. Tupac was gunned down in Vegas and the last person to see him was his mother. Yet since 1996, he has released more albums than he did before his accident. I'm not saying he's alive or dead, but it makes you wonder.

2. Playing song lyrics backwards.

There were certain bands, mostly heavy metal bands, that supposedly had hidden satanic meanings in their songs that were deciphered once the song was played backwards. Now the music does sound extra evil when played in reverse. But no one knows for sure what these messages are.

3. Reciting ABCs backwards during a field sobriety test

For years, it seemed police made supposedly drunken drivers step out of the car and recite the ABCs backwards. This can be difficult sober. No one seemed to know anyone else that had ever undergone this until COPS came out and did it on folks a few times. It doesn't happen often, but it is supposedly true.

4. Various car care tips.

We can start with gasoline. Back when gas was still well over $3/gallon, many folks that once used unleaded plus switched to regular. Years ago, regular would make your car stink and consequently wreck your engine. Foreign oil has changed so much, like car engines, and it doesn't appear to make a difference anymore. This being said, I wouldn't use regular gas in a brand new car or a luxury vehicle.

Also, not properly warming your car up for more than five minutes can wreck the engine. This is also not totally true. Often you don't need more than three minutes and your engine is fine.

Finally, you do burn more gas when you run your A/C and when you ride on the Interstate. I have personally tested this too many times in different automobiles.

5. Eating and exercising before bedtime isn't healthy.

Actually a good steady workout, and a nice, light snack or meal can help you sleep even better. I wouldn't test this legend with spicy food or chili though.

6. You need eight hours sleep or more/night.

This all depends on the person. Yes we all need proper rest. But some people function well on merely five hours of sleep, and more than eight makes them groggy and more tired.

7. Birds appear on the ground in flocks when it's about to snow.

This past week testedd my theory. I saw birds everywhere and although it wasn't the forecasted blizzard, there was snow nonetheless.

What are some other urban legends and wives tales that you know of?

Seven Common Myths

Myths have been around for as long as the Earth has existed. They continue to grow and become more outrageous.

My research for this blog led me to all sorts of different myths, wives tales and urban legends. However, these are seven that stand out in my eyes.

1. Bubble gum gives you indigestion

My great grandmother Lanier told me this as a small child when I would swallow my gum. I would call her bluff also. Little did I know that many older people passed this down to prevent children from choking on chewing gum. It does digest, and thus does not interfere with your system any better or worse than another candy or good item.

2. Christopher Columbus discovered America

I am personally outraged that we as a progressive nation still celebrate Columbus Day. And for what?  Columbus basically found a new world that was already inhabited by American Indians. They were here first, he came from Italy on a three ship expedition. Now if you care to be technical, it was actually Amerigo Vespucci years later than sailed the ocean blue and named our land America. However, the native Americans were here first and definitely not Columbus.

3. Jesus's ethnicity and birthdate

One must read the Bible with some understanding and back knowledge.  Many parts of the Bible took place in the Middle East,where it is also really hot. Shepherds would go out at night only during the late spring/early summer. Therefore, Jesus is not white. He's actually not black either. He's more of Middle Eastern descent, which can entail a few races. Also, he could not have been born on December 25th, according to Biblical evidence based on shepherds and wisemen.  The miniseries on History channel even depicts Jesus as white, which of course is inaccurate.

4. It's dangerous to talk on the cell phone while pumping gas.

There have been many studies over the years to dispute this claim. It is actually very safe to have a cell phone conversation while at the gas pump. This myth is similar to the old microwave myth about UV rays and such.

5. Reading in the dark damages your eyes

This one was a shocker to me. However, dim to dark light does not damage any part of your eyes. It may be better to read in the light, but the darkness will not harm your eyesight.

6. Fingers get wrinkly when too wet.

The wrinkling of the fingers and your skin is actually a layer that forms between your skin and the water. Incidently, it's not wrinkles, or they would not go away.

7. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same spot.

I already knew this.  I've seen lightning strike the same tree several times. Also, the Empire State Building is struck several times/year by lightning. Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod on the premise that lightning strikes a certain spot more than once.