myths

Elisabeth Demidoff's tomb in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris

Did the Russian aristocrat Elisabeth Demidoff really offer the family fortune to anyone who would spend a year and a day in her tomb?

Thomas Schoch, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is a sacred site to the Anangu people. As of Saturday, it will be permanently closed to tourists looking to climb it.

1. Vikings never wore horns on their helmets—at least not until an 1876 staging of Wagner's opera 'The Ring of the Nibelung.'

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wikimedia Commons // CC0 1.0

Science has revealed historical truths about mummies, but they just can't shake their association with curses, myths, and Halloween.

Our 26th president was a man larger than life—and is forever much larger than life, thanks to the fact that he's on the side of a mountain. But as with any such figure, myths and legends arise. So we’re here to explain the truth behind some popular storie

A genetic analysis of the waters of Loch Ness found an unusually high amount of eel DNA, indicating that Nessie may not be an elusive plesiosaur after all.

In the United States, children who leave a newly lost tooth under their pillow know to expect a nocturnal visit from the Tooth Fairy, who might leave a shiny quarter, a new toothbrush, or perhaps even a crisp $20 bill!

If you find yourself in the Keystone State, your chances of sneaking a peek at a Sasquatch just went up.

The NSA, Pentagon, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard thought Furbys were a national security threat, so they banned the toys from their premises in 1999.

Punxsutawney Phil's moniker might have something to do with the royal family, a pair of heinous groundhog murders, and some good old-fashioned small-town competition.

A stone circle like this one was recently shown to be a replica.

Scientists' suspicions were outweighed by the excitement of finding another recumbent stone circle.

A surprising amount of misinformation has been repeated enough about these furry little creatures to make it seem like fact.

It was the must-have accessory for royals watching their back.

Once you board the Silver Arrow, you never get off.

As if cemeteries weren't spooky enough.

The images were at the center of one of the most notorious hoaxes in history.

The fishermen of Gloucester, Massachusetts thought they had seen everything. Then they were proved wrong.

A dragon sand sculpture in Yokohama, Japan

Beware the Snallygaster!

They're not attracted to dirt, but you should still clean up your clutter.

Today, people around the globe will feel uneasy about getting out of bed, leaving their homes, or going about their normal daily routines, all because of a superstition.

Does a mysterious beast really patrol one of Scotland’s deepest lakes? You be the judge.

Musée du Louvre, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

It was one of the most sensational thefts in modern history.

Most of what you know about the Pony Express is probably myth. . Here are 11 things you might not have known about the amazing delivery service.

Whether you attend a church service, decorate eggs, or devour Peeps, no Easter celebration is complete without a visit from the Easter Bunny.

The Russian Countess Who Supposedly Wanted Company in Her Tomb

Australia’s Sacred Uluru Monolith Is Closing to Tourists for Good This Weekend—So Tourists Are Rushing to Climb It

50 Common Myths, Busted

7 Myths About Mummies

9 Myths About Theodore Roosevelt

Environmental DNA Evidence Suggests the Loch Ness Monster Could Be a Giant Eel

13 Facts About the Tooth Fairy

Pennsylvania Has Become a Hotbed of Bigfoot Sightings

6 Wild Furby Myths That People Actually Believed in the ‘90s

The Curious (and Possibly Murderous) Origins of Punxsutawney Phil's Name

Historians Studying an ‘Ancient’ Scottish Stone Circle Learn It Was Built in the 1990s

6 Popular Dog Myths, Debunked

The Poison-Detecting Secret Weapon of the Middle Ages: Unicorn Horn

The Legend—and Truth—of Silverpilen, Stockholm's Spooky Ghost Train

11 Allegedly Haunted or Cursed Graves Around the U.S.

Cottingley Fairy Photos That Fooled Arthur Conan Doyle Sold for More Than $26,000

Revisiting the Mystery of the Great New England Sea Serpent of 1817

9 Legendary Dragons From Around The World

9 Myths About Bed Bugs, Debunked

Why is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky?

7 Proposed Explanations for the Loch Ness Monster

How a Notorious Art Heist Led to the Discovery of 6 Fake Mona Lisas

11 Facts About the Pony Express

10 Things You May Not Know About the Easter Bunny