13 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because Of Our Wretched Internet

Sorry, Andrew Tate didn't get arrested because he ate Romanian pizza on camera.
13 Mythbusting Moments Necessary Because Of Our Wretched Internet

Ah, the internet. A place where facts and fiction blend together in a dizzying array of information and misinformation. Where one can find the answer to any question, no matter how obscure. And, of course, where countless people have fallen for the most outrageous hoaxes and pranks.

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From the urban legend of Mister Rogers being a Navy SEAL to the hoax of a mythical Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, the internet is full of stories that have been taken as truth. And while some of these hoaxes may seem too ridiculous to be believed, they have still managed to fool many, many people.

In this list, we'll take a look at 13 of the dumbest internet hoaxes that have been perpetrated over the years. From fake diseases to time travelers, these hoaxes have managed to fool even the most skeptical of internet users. So, without further ado, let's take a look at these 13 dumb internet hoaxes that countless people fell for.

Endangered species? Sasquatch? Sure, why not.

CRACKED PACIFIC NORTHWEST TREE OCTOPUS In 1998, Lyle Zapato made up an online hoax about a creature called the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Не said it was an endangered species that lived in the Olympic National Forest and nearby rivers. Its main predator was the Sasquatch.

LOC / SCV News 

Wrongly credited inventor.

CRACKED ALAN MACMASTERS In 2012, someone made a Wikipedia article saying MacMasters invented the electric toaster. It tricked newspapers, teachers, and even some officials. The hoax was revealed when a 15-year-old noticed something off about the picture in the article.

BBC / CNN 

"Fake it 'til you make it" - David Yoo, 2003, probably.

CRACKED OX MOTHERS AGAINST VIDEOGAME ADDICTION AND VIOLENCE In 2003, David Yoo made a fake website called Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence (MAVAV) for a school project. It got over 60,000 visits and a lot of people wrote in thinking it was a real thing.

CNN / Colour Box 

Gang Initiation: Flashing Lights Edition.

CRACKED HOAX EMAIL ABOUT STREET GANG INITIATION IN PENNSYLVANIA In 2019, a hoax email (supposedly from the police) warned drivers in Pennsylvania that flashing your high beams at cars driving without their lights on at night would put you on the wrong end of a dangerous street gang initiation.

ABC / PSU 

Time-traveling John Titor: the internet's favorite conspiracy.

CRACKED JOHN TITOR In 2000, a story about a time traveler named John Titor started to spread online. People got really into it and started making timelines and charts, and even having conventions about it.

IEEE / Documentaries 

Bielefeld: Not Fake, But Worth a Million Euros.

CRACKED BIELEFELD, GERMANY In response to a popular online conspiracy theory that said the city was made up, Bielefeld offered a million euros in 2019 to anyone who could prove that it wasn't real.

AP News / CBC 

"National Rape Day" a myth, TikTok won't tolerate it.

CRACKED NATIONAL RAPE DAY People on TikTok have been warning about a National Rape Day or National Sexual Assault Day that would supposedly make it legal to commit sexual assault for 24 hours on April 24. But there's no such thing, of course.

Snopes / Pexels 

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