9 Ridiculous Urban Legends We All Believed
What do you mean Manson has all of his ribs!?
Some urban legends are spread to spook people, some are misunderstood facts and some are just made up for fun. Regardless, they are spread far and wide, changing slightly with every recital.
Even before the internet was everywhere, rumours would make their way around the world through word of mouth alone, with no-one quite knowing where they came from. Most of these legends get debunked quite quickly, or are too ridiculous to believe in the first place. A partially crazy rumour came in the early days of mobile phones. There were claims that if you called the emergency services, your phone battery would charge itself. Of course, that isn't possible, but there are some rumours that appear far more plausible.
Stories of ghosts, frozen celebrities and complete misunderstandings of basic human anatomy persist and are still believed to this day. They can even influence people's decisions, despite being debunked. For instance, how many have accidentally swallowed gum and felt that overwhelming rush of panic?
Rest assured, if you believed any of these rumours, you're not alone. No matter how dumb they are.
9. Chewing Gum Stays In Your Stomach For Seven Years
We have all been there. You need to spit out your gum, but there's nowhere responsible to put it. What else can you do but swallow it and hope for the best. Sometimes, it's not even done on purpose. A poorly timed hiccup could mean the gum takes a one-way trip to your stomach. No matter what the reason, the brain goes into hyperdrive, screaming, "THAT'S GOING TO STAY IN YOUR STOMACH FOR SEVEN YEARS".
But, does it really?
It's a myth we have heard all our lives, some still believe it to this day, yet the science just doesn't support it. Considering the plethora of objects that humans have swallowed over the years that they shouldn't have, it's very rare that anything would get stuck for that long. For instance, it would be pretty surprising to see a wedding ring or coin pass through and a small piece of gum stick around.
The origins of this longstanding rumour are unknown, but it's easy to see how people could believe it. While some of the ingredients can pass through the digestive system with no issues, the main component is completely resistant. It also passes through much slower than most other foodstuffs, but not nearly as long as the legend may say.