urban legends

Buck Wolf, of the Wolf Files on Abcnews.com has investigated urban legends and found out that while many are indeed myths, some of even the most bizarre are true.

An example of a false one is the story of the woman who tried to dry her freshly-shampooed poodle in her microwave. Here?s another: A woman on a flight from Scandinavia to the United States had to be pried free by a rescue team after a high-pressure vacuum flush sealed her to the toilet of a Boeing 767. It was reported in dozens of newspapers, websites, and TV news reports. According to Reuters, ?She could not get up by herself and had to sit on the toilet until the flight had landed so that ground technicians could help her get loose,? an airline spokeswoman said. ?She was stuck there for quite a long time.? read more

In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $ 2.9 million in damages to 81-year-old Stella Liebeck, who suffered third-degree burns to her legs after spilling a cup of McDonald?s coffee on herself. This case inspired the annual Stella Awards for the most frivolous lawsuit in the U.S. This year?s candidates are listed below.

January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $780,000 by a jury after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running around inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were surprised at the verdict, considering the little boy was Ms. Robertson?s own son.
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