The Daily Legend
Busting Urban Legends, One Day At A Time
Did John F. Kennedy Tell The German People “I am a jelly donut”?
0210 days
by Loren Jamison
in Urban Legends
Claim: In a speech near the Berlin Wall in Germany, JFK spoke the words “Ich bin ein Berliner,” intending to say “I am a citizen of Berlin.” However, his words actually translated to “I am a jelly donut.”
Status: FALSE
On June 26, 1963, John F. Kennedy was giving a speech in Berlin. In the speech, he spoke the German sentence “Ich bin ein Berliner.” The myth states that JFK should have actually said “Ich bin Berliner,” since the German word Berliner is also a term for a jelly-filled pastry, and by saying “Ich bin ein Berliner,” he was actually stating that he was one of these said pastries.
In reality, JFK’s utterance of the sentence was perfect — he had it translated by a professional interpreter. While it is true the word Berliner can be used to denote a citizen of Berlin or a jelly-filled pastry, it is obvious which meaning Kennedy intended.
Still don’t believe me? Try translating the sentence on Yahoo! Babel Fish.
Did Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia Use An Electric Chair As A Throne?
0295 days
Claim: Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia purchased three electric chairs for use in Ethiopia, only to discover that the country did not have a means to power them. To keep the chairs from going to waste (and possibly to salvage some dignity) he used one of the chairs as his throne.
Status: ???
Today marks another installment of You Be The Judge. Today’s story is about Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia, who supposedly used an electric chair from the US as a throne after discovering that the electric chairs he ordered were useless without electricity to power them.
This myth has been widely accepted as true, but a few researchers have raised questions as to its validity. The story goes that Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia, after hearing about the advantages of the electric chair as a method of execution, promptly ordered three electric chairs for his country. When the chairs arrived, he soon discovered that the chairs needed a large source of electric current, which Ethiopia was not equipped to provide. In an effort to preserve his dignity, Menelik II decided to use one of the chairs as a throne, implying that America’s electric chair was no match for his impressive power.
At first glance, the story seems to make sense. We would assume that a country such as Ethiopia would not have electricity (or a very limited electrical capacity) in the 1890′s. Furthermore, we would assume that someone who had no exposure to electricity would probably not understand how electricity works, and would not realize that an electric chair requires a power source to function. However, Menelik II is actually recognized as one of Ethiopia’s greatest leaders. He was responsible for introducing many modern innovations to Ethiopia, including the telephone, telegraph, and hydroelectric power. It seems unlikely that a man who brought such technological innovations to his country was unable to realize that an electric chair requires a power source to work.
It is believed that this story was concocted by a Canadian journalist in the 1930′s. What do you think? I welcome your comments and insights.
Can Merchants Add A Fee To Credit Card Transactions That Are Below A Certain Amount?
0295 days
by Loren Jamison
in Urban Legends
Claim: Merchants are allowed to add a fee to credit/debit card transactions under a certain amount, or they may choose to deny a credit card as form of payment for transactions under a certain amount.
Status: FALSE
We’ve all been in a store that had a sign posted stating something to the effect of “Minimum Credit Card Purchase: $5.00.” Most people don’t give these signs a second thought. However, policies such as this are actually prohibited by the merchant’s agreement with Visa and MasterCard, and is indirectly prohibited by Discover and American Express. According to Visa and MasterCard, merchants may not deny a credit or debit card as a form of payment for transactions below a certain dollar amount, nor may they charge customers a fee for transactions below a certain dollar amount if they choose to pay with a credit or debit card. Discover and American Express do not expressly prohibit the practice, but state that the practice is allowed only if the policy is allowed by all other credit card types accepted by the merchant. Since virtually all stores accept either Visa or MasterCard — and in most cases both — Discover and American Express’s policies directly prohibit the practice.
The reason that some merchants have this policy in place is due to the processing fees they must pay on credit and debit card transactions. These fees vary based on the merchant account provider, but usually consist of a transaction fee ranging from $0.30 – $0.50, and a discount rate (a percentage of the total transaction that is payed to the merchant’s bank) which ranges from 2.5% – 5%. These fees are in addition to any other fees the merchant may be charged for their merchant account. As you can see, these fees can cut into their profits very quickly. However, these policies are still prohibited.
If you see a store that charges a fee on credit card transactions, or that will not accept credit cards on transactions below a certain dollar amount, you may report them to your credit/debit card’s issuing bank, or you may contact Visa or MasterCard directly.
Do Human Fingernails Have The Same Composition As Fly Poop?
0297 days
by Loren Jamison
in Urban Legends
Claim: Human fingernails and toenails have the same chemical makeup as feces from houseflies.
Status: FALSE
Many people bite their nails. It makes sense, then, that someone would come up with a story to gross out this significant portion of the population. However, fingernails and fly feces share no chemical similarities. Fingernails are made of a tough protein called keratin. Fly feces is actually very similar in composition to human feces (which is not made up of keratin). Although nail biting is still a bad habit, nail biters don’t have to worry that they’re chomping on fly poop.
Was The Song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” About LSD?
0298 days
Claim: The Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is about the drug LSD.
Status: ???
Today, The Daily Legend is starting a new section called “You Be The Judge.” Some stories just can’t be confirmed as being true or false, but the stories themselves are quite interesting. In an effort to share these stories with you, I am giving you a chance to share your point of view. I will present both sides of the argument, then you can decide for yourself whether the story is true or just a hoax.
The Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was released in June 1967, a time when drugs like LSD were popular and many people considered rock to be the devil’s music. Opponents of rock music claimed many rock songs contained hidden messages, either by encoding subliminal messages encoded into records which could only be heard plainly by playing the record backwards, or by hiding references to sex and drugs through the use of nicknames and code words — as in the case of this story. When Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was released, the fact that the initials to the song’s title spelled out “LSD” seemed like too much of a coincidence for some. However, according to John Lennon, the song was actually inspired by a nursery school drawing by his son Julian entitled “Lucy — in the sky with diamonds.” The actual drawing by Julian has been verified to exist and can be seen online.
Despite Lennon’s story, in a 2004 interview, Paul McCartney made the statement, “… ‘Lucy in the Sky,’ that’s pretty obvious. There’s others that make subtle hints about drugs, but, you know, it’s easy to overestimate the influence of drugs on the Beatles’ music.” Even with McCartney’s statement, which seems to admit that the song is about drugs, it is still not completely clear whether or not the song is about drugs. McCartney is known to stretch the truth, so we can’t necessarily take his story as being true.
How do you feel? Do you believe that Lennon was really inspired by his son’s drawing, or was the picture just a cover up? Please let me know what you think in the comments (Just for the record, the BBC didn’t buy Lennon’s story, and the song was banned from British radio).
Was Mel Blanc (The Voice Of Bugs Bunny) Allergic To Carrots?
0299 days
by Loren Jamison
in Urban Legends
Claim: Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, used real carrots to make the sound of Bugs eating a carrot, but had to immediately spit them out because he was allergic to them.
Status: FALSE
If you’ve ever watched Looney Toons, you know that Bugs Bunny is rarely seen without a carrot in his hand. In order to mimic the sound of Bugs munching on a carrot, Mel Blanc — the voice of Bugs and most of the other Looney Toons characters — would actually munch on a carrot himself. However, rather than swallowing the chewed carrot, he would immediately spit the bits of carrot into a bucket. Was this because of a food allergy? According to Mel Blanc’s autobiography, he was not allergic to carrots at all. The reason he didn’t swallow the chewed carrot was due to the fact that it took too long. Mel tried other foods, such as celery, but nothing created the same “crunch” as a carrot, so, for the sake of authenticity, he would chew on an actual carrot, spit the chewed carrot out into a bucket, then continue with his lines.
Does SOS Stand For “Save Our Ship”?
0300 days
by Loren Jamison
in Urban Legends
Claim: The international Morse code distress signal (SOS) stands for “Save Our Ship.”
Status: FALSE
Although it would seem logical that SOS stands for “Save Our Ship,” (or “Save Our Souls”) the international Morse code distress signal is not an acronym. In fact, it is technically not even transmitted as three letters. The international Morse code distress signal is defined as a continuous sequence of three “dits”/three “dahs”/three “dits,” with no spacing for letters. It is true that three “dits” represent the letter S, and three “dahs” represent the letter O, but it is important for a radio operator to remember that SOS is just intended as an easy way to remember the distress signal, and the entire signal should be sent as one “letter.” In fact, SOS is referred to in modern terminology as a procedural sign (or “prosign”) and is formally written with a bar above the letters (SOS).
If SOS is not an acronym for “Save Our Ship,” then why was it chosen as the international Morse code distress signal? According to the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.), the letters were chosen because they are easily transmitted in Morse code.
Does The “57″ In “Heinz 57″ Represent The Number Of Products Carried By The Company?
0301 days
by Loren Jamison
in Urban Legends
Claim: The number 57 in “Heinz 57″ is actually the number of varieties of product carried by the H.J. Heinz Company.
Status: FALSE
According to the Heinz Company’s website, Henry John Heinz was inspired by a sign that advertised 21 styles of shoes. Thinking that the sign was clever, he decided to use a similar slogan for his product. As a result, every bottle of Heinz 57 proudly claims “57 Varieties.” It would make sense, then, that this would mean that the H.J. Heinz company makes exactly 57 different products. However, at the time Heinz 57 was introduced in 1892, the H.J. Heinz company was producing over 60 different products. So why did the company choose to only advertise “57 Varieties”? Henry Heinz chose the number 57 due to the special significance of the numbers 5 and 7 (5 was Heinz’s lucky number, and 7 was his wife’s lucky number). At the time of this writing, the Heinz Company produces over 5,700 products, but continues to use the same “57 Varieties” slogan.
Is Margarine One Molecule Away From Being Plastic?
0302 days
by Loren Jamison
in Urban Legends
Claim: Margarine differs from plastic by only one molecule.
Status: FALSE
Tales about the dangers of common food products have been around forever. The claim that a certain food product is similar to an inedible or toxic substance has been made about many different foods through the years. Most people don’t really know how many of the foods they eat are manufactured, so it is not too hard to convince them that their favorite foods may have such unsavory origins.
Margarine actually shares no chemical similarities with plastic. The primary ingredients in margarine include vegetable oil, skim milk, salt, and emulsifiers. Plastics, on the other hand are composed of long molecules called polymers. Even if margarine was “one molecule away” from being plastic, such a claim has no real meaning in terms of suitability as a food product. The slightest variation in molecular structure between two substances can have a huge impact on the qualities of those substances. For example, water is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O). Hydrogen peroxide, on the other hand, is composed of two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms (H2O2). Although the two substances are only one atom different, they are vastly different substances.
Some versions of the tale prefix a story that margarine was originally intended to fatten turkeys, but was found to be unsuitable for use when it killed all the turkeys. In an effort to recoup the cost of developing the substance, manufacturers began adding yellow food coloring and sold it as a butter substitute. In reality, margarine was developed in 1869 in response to Napoleon III’s offering a prize to whoever could develop a viable low-cost alternative to butter.
It is important to note that, although margarine is not one molecule away from being plastic, it has been shown to possibly increase the risk of heart disease in people (depending on the fat used to make the margarine. In 2003, researchers found that trans fats could be the culprit in the development of coronary disease.
Is “Golf” An Acronym For “Gentlemen Only; Ladies Forbidden”?
0303 days
by Loren Jamison
in Urban Legends
Claim: The term “golf” is actually an acronym for “Gentlemen Only; Ladies Forbidden.”
Status: FALSE
For many men, golf is considered “man time.” It’s a chance to get away from the worries of life and spend some time with the guys. It only makes sense, then, that men would find a way to make it seem that golf was intended to be for “gentlemen only.” In reality, however, there is no support for the notion that the term “golf” has acronymic origins. Very few words in the English language started as acronyms, and those that do are from the 20th century and later. Although the origin of the word is uncertain, many believe it comes from the Scottish “goulf,” which means “to strike or cuff.”