The Lost Colony of Roanoke
Myth: An English colony which vanished without a trace, leaving only the single word “Croatoan.”
Disappointing Truth: Statistically, English colonies are no more likely to vanish without a trace leaving only the single word “Croatoan” in Roanoke than in other areas of similar size and population. The fact that Roanoke became particularly associated with this commonplace misfortune has more to do with the media than with reality.
Stonehenge
Myth: Massive boulders stacked on top of each other forming a structure whose construction and purpose are beyond explanation.
Disappointing Truth: Stonehenge is just another case of mass hysteria. One person claims to have seen some rocks in a strange pattern so when their friends see some a few rocks together, they think they’re looking at Stonehenge. In reality, of course, rocks can’t be balanced on top of each other.
Area 51
Myth: A secret government facility where the government harvests alien bodies and technology.
Disappointing truth: This large, remarkably well-engineered complex was probably built for religious purposes. Studies of material culture left behind suggest that the US Army was likely a fertility cult whose rituals were meant to ensure a bountiful harvest.
The Bermuda Triangle
Myth: An area in the Atlantic Ocean where ships vanish without explanation.
Disappointing Truth: There’s no reason to believe that there’s any such thing as ships. Even if there was intelligent life on other continents, and they had invented some kind of technology which allowed them to float heavy objects on water, there would be no reason to visit us, and even less reason to keep their visits a secret. The whole thing doesn’t stand up to basic scrutiny.
The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Myth: The world’s most famous female aviator disappears on a flight around the world.
Disappointing Truth: Amelia Earhart was probably just a misidentified barn owl. From a distance, the bird’s brown crest feathers could have easily been mistaken for an aviator cap while its distinctive call would have sounded like the roar of an airplane engine. This would also explain the supposed pilot’s curious habit of eating live mice and vomiting up their bones.
DB Cooper
Myth: An unidentified man leaps out of an airplane with $200,000 in ransom money… and is never seen again.
Disappointing Truth: DB Cooper was just made up by your parents. He won’t parachute down your chimney and he won’t give you any of his ransom money if you’re well-behaved and eat your vegetables. But don’t feel bad: as long as you hijack an airplane, you can be one of DB Cooper’s helpers.
Jack the Ripper
Myth: A serial killer who stalked the streets of London and was never caught.
Disappointing Truth: Jack the Ripper was just a fictional character concocted by the newspapers to sell stories about a perfectly ordinary series of Loch Ness Monster attacks.
The Ghost Ship Mary Celeste
Myth: A ship found afloat with its crew missing and evidence of a frenzied evacuation.
Disappointing Truth: Why would you expect a crew on a vehicle that doesn’t exist?
Bigfoot
Myth: A missing link between man and ape, hiding in the forests of North America.
Disappointing Truth: Bigfoot’s real, but his feet aren’t actually that big. If anything, they’re a little small.