# What Urban Myths seem to hold on for years or decades even when disproven **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852 "2026-06-12T19:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/301 "2026-06-23T16:58:12Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > I thought the blue drink ban was so kids wouldnt think antifreeze or something similar was drinkable. What blue drink ban? Here’s one contemporary blue drink: **[Gatorade Zero Glacier Freeze (28oz) | Gatorade Official Site](https://www.gatorade.com/sports-drinks/gatorade-zero/glacier-freeze-00052000043280)**. There are a dozen more in any supermarket soda / fizzy water / fancy water aisle. Many antifreezes have a golden color. Or green. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/302 "2026-06-23T17:31:13Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Another urban legend(well more like a misconception) I still see and hear is people confusing Schizophrenia with Multiple Personality Disorder/Dissociative Identity Disorder. I’d love to know why and how these ever got confused. Was it that lay people understood Latin and literally translated it? I, who is not a clinical psychiatrist, don’t think multiple personality disorder as portrayed in TV is real, but I’ve enjoyed some fine episodes of TV that used it. I just file it with other Lies TV Told Me. Like deady tarantulas and quicksand. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/303 "2026-06-23T17:49:03Z")
I stand corrected. I like powerades mountain berry blast. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/304 "2026-06-23T17:49:28Z")
“Split personality” was the original (published) definition of “schizophrenia,” regardless of what clinicians might have thought. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/305 "2026-06-24T10:34:56Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > Unfortunately simply standing at a desk is not really any better than sitting. The dichotomy is between moving around and not moving around, not between sitting and standing. > [@echoreply](#): > > Unfortunately simply standing at a desk is not really any better than sitting. The dichotomy is between moving around and not moving around, not between sitting and standing. I don’t think this is true. I’m relying on a summary of results of energy budget for sitting vs standing, that I read several years ago, and I’m not trying to convince anyone, but for the moment, I’ll stick with the “myth”. Note that I’m not asserting that “standing all day” is better than some of the other options, like walking and squating. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/306 "2026-06-24T11:10:28Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Was it that lay people understood Latin and literally translated it? Greek. (It’s got a “z” and a “ph”). Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/307 "2026-06-24T22:24:26Z")
Many of these toxic products have assorted chemicals agents added to them to make them taste bad, not just to people, but also to pets. It’s a variation of mercaptan being added to natural gas, which otherwise has little or no odor. It took this to get the latter accomplished. > **[New London School explosion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_London_School_explosion)** > > The New London School explosion occurred on March 18, 1937, when a natural gas leak caused an explosion that destroyed the London School in New London, Texas, United States. The disaster killed 295 students and teachers. As of 2026\[update\], the event is the third-deadliest disaster in the history of Texas, after the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the 1947 Texas City disaster. > In the mid-1930s, despite the ongoing economic turmoil of the Great Depression, the school district in New London, Texas... ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/308 "2026-06-25T01:23:12Z")
Here is one I recently heard from the [Unexplainable](https://www.vox.com/unexplainable) podcast. I don’t know if it counts as an urban myth as much as a historical myth. The myth is that dead bodies from plague victims were catapulted (trebucheted?) over city walls during a siege, and this is how the plague was spread from Asia to Europe. The story probably originates in the Crimean port of Caffa that was under siege from the Mongolian army. Even if yeeting the dead was a siege tactic, it is unlikely that would have spread plague. The fleas that carry Y. pestis will leave a dead body when it cools, and it does not spread well from dead bodies. Getting soldiers to fling the mostly dead bodies of their sick comrades seems like a big ask. It is more likely that the after being ravaged by plague, the Mongolian army retreated. The city then brought in grain from around the Black Sea to alleviate the starvation caused by the siege. With the grain came rats and mice and their plague carrying fleas. Soon after, grain ships carried the plague to Italy, where it then spread through Europe. So, not completely sure it is what one would call an urban myth, but the idea of flinging dead bodies (human, cow, etc.) over the walls is a pop culture story of medieval warfare. > **[A better Black Death story - Unexplainable (podcast)](https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/unexplainable/a-better-black-death-story-pIJLrQlbCcd/#community)** > > 00:32:05 - What happens when researchers reexamine some of the basic facts about the Black Death? They start rewriting history and rethinking blame. > > Guests: H… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/309 "2026-06-25T13:17:11Z")
Plus, either the dead were already right there (in which case there was already opportunity for the plague to spread even without catapulting), or the invading army brought a bunch of plague corpses with them, and who would do that? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/310 "2026-06-25T13:39:45Z")
Remains of the school (“[America in Color](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/america-in-color/?msockid=3533d911db7663d81d02ce92dae262bf)”, season 2 episode 1). [![](https://pics.imcdb.org/2517/sameschoolafteranaturalgasexplosion2943.jpg) ](https://pics.imcdb.org/2517/sameschoolafteranaturalgasexplosion2943.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/311 "2026-06-25T14:03:31Z")
That porcupines can shoot their quills at their target like a dart. My niece learned this “fact” from her teacher at school, and nothing I said could convince her the teacher was wrong. When I looked into it at the time, the earliest record of the idea I found was from a book by Cotton Mather written about 300 years ago. > **[The Truth About Porcupine Projectiles](https://www.massaudubon.org/news/latest/the-truth-about-porcupine-projectiles)** > > A rumor has been floating around for centuries that porcupines can fling their quills at enemies. The truth is a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/312 "2026-06-25T14:43:40Z")
The teacher probably just got porcupines mixed up with manticores, which can shoot their quills. Common mistake. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/313 "2026-06-25T19:26:08Z")
At least she didn’t confuse them with sharks with frickin’ laser beams. Most people don’t know that’s a common mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/314 "2026-06-25T23:53:39Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > That porcupines can shoot their quills at their target like a dart. I remember seeing this in one of those hokey Disney nature movies. I thought, “That’s not right”. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/315 "2026-06-26T00:33:37Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > > [@bibliophage](#): > > > > That porcupines can shoot their quills at their target like a dart . > > I remember seeing this in one of those hokey Disney nature movies. I thought, “That’s not right” . Those flying darts were frightening enough to scare a lemming right off a cliff. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/316 "2026-06-26T02:29:54Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > “Split personality” was the original (published) definition of “schizophrenia,” regardless of what clinicians might have thought. ??? “Split affect” is not the same as split personallity. ---
**Author:** ![dcbwhaley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcbwhaley/32/21437_2.png) [@dcbwhaley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dcbwhaley)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/317 "2026-06-26T18:35:09Z")
Just as lots of people can’t accept that Princess Diana died because she was driven at high speed by a drunken driver. They look for conspiricies ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/318 "2026-06-26T22:59:45Z")
It’s still in the future but however trump eventually dies we can be sure the ULs & CTs will swirl unabated for 75 years. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/319 "2026-06-27T01:15:35Z")
> [@dcbwhaley](#): > > Just as lots of people can’t accept that Princess Diana died because she was driven at high speed by a drunken driver. Many people think incorrectly that there was a “Princess Diana”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/320 "2026-06-27T01:57:25Z")
Because there was. I assume you’re going to pull out some technicality of protocol about how that wasn’t her official title. But she was still a princess, and her name was Diana, and so she can be correctly (if unofficially) referred to as “Princess Diana”. Just like Lizzie Two could correctly be stated to be the Queen of England. Yes, she was queen of a lot of other places, too. But England was one of the places she was queen of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=17)