We asked our regular contributors through e-mail What’s a random fact you think is worth sharing? We got many interesting responses. Here are some of them. We have just copied and pasted their responses, not editing them in any way. 1. The patent for the fire hydrant was lost in a fire. – pososod951 2.…… Read More »
A post on Facebook, shared almost a thousand times, lists dozens of taxes alongside the logo for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), claiming that “not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago”. This is not true. Income tax, which is included in the list, was first introduced in 1799 by then-Prime Minister William Pitt… Read More »
A post on Facebook draws a link between high Covid-19 vaccination rates in the Netherlands and the discovery of a new, more virulent HIV variant in the country. The post reads “Congratulations, you VAIDS’ed yourself”. The term “vaids” appears to be short for “vaccine AIDS”, suggesting people who receive the vaccine will contract AIDS. This… Read More »
A video on Facebook is being circulated with claims that it shows “crisis actors”. The footage shows a news reporter in front of people appearing to be in body bags, before one of those people moves and uncovers themself, and then a woman runs over. One post has the caption: “Crisis actors you had one… Read More »
A viral post on Facebook depicting a smooth extrusion of bubblegum-pink substance claims this is “mechanically separated chicken” which is used in the production of fast food chicken items. ‘Mechanically separated meat’ is obtained by forcing raw bones with attached edible meat, under pressure, through a sieve to remove bones, which results in a paste-like… Read More »
A video on Facebook appears to show a column of rain dramatically descending from the sky over the sea and then rotating like a tornado. It has the caption: ‘Rain from a Distance’. In fact the video is a CGI simulation. The original shows a still sea off the coast of Jersey in the Channel… Read More »
A number of posts on Facebook, shared hundreds of times, falsely claim that actor Keanu Reeves said that “humanity is showing signs of breaking free from the matrix”. The lengthy alleged quote from the star of the Matrix franchise goes on to claim that “the human race has been reduced to slavery for thousands of… Read More »
“Families to be left £2,000 a year worse off as cost of living continues to soar” Daily Mirror, 2 February 2022. The Daily Mirror has reported on the rising cost of living by claiming families could be left over £2,000 poorer this year. However, its calculation essentially factors in some price rises twice, overstating the… Read More »
A misleading meme about the actressMeryl Streep is being shared again on Facebook. The post shows a picture of Ms Streep on the New York subway many years ago beside a story she supposedly told about it. The photograph is real, but the story, which is an altered version of a story Ms Streep once… Read More »
