Urban legends have been circulating for years and are often hard to believe, but some of them are actually true. The first legend on the list is the alligators found in the sewer system of New York City. The myth was born in the 1930s when baby alligators were being sold as pets. When people could no longer care for them, they released them into the sewer system. In 2010, a 3-foot-long alligator was found in Queens. Other legends that turned out to be true include the Chupacabra, the murder of Elizabeth Short, and the trunk of a car full of money. These stories serve as a reminder to always keep an open mind as the truth can be stranger than fiction.
10 Crazy Urban Legends That Are Actually True
Urban legends have been around for decades, with some being passed down from generation to generation. These stories are often hard to believe, but sometimes the unbelievable is true. Here are ten crazy urban legends that turned out to be correct:
1. Alligators in the sewers of New York City
Believe it or not, there have been instances of alligators found in the sewers of New York City. The myth was born in the 1930s, when baby alligators were being sold as pets. When people got tired of them or could no longer care for them, they released them into the sewer system. In 2010, a 3-foot-long alligator was found crawling out of a storm sewer in Queens.
2. The Chupacabra
Reports of the Chupacabra, a vampire-like creature that drains the blood of livestock, have been circulating for years. Some believe it to be a mythical creature, but others insist it is real. In 2010, a Texas woman captured a strange-looking animal on her property that was identified as a hairless raccoon, which had likely been mistaken for a Chupacabra.
3. The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror is a famous haunted house story that has spawned countless books and movies. The story goes that a family was terrorized by evil spirits in their home in Amityville, New York. The events of the story were later proven to be fabricated, but the murders that took place in the house before the haunting were very real.
4. The Black Dahlia
The murder of Elizabeth Short, dubbed the Black Dahlia, has been the subject of mystery and speculation for years. Short’s body was found in a Los Angeles park in 1947, cut in half and drained of blood. The killer was never caught, but new evidence in 2013 linked a doctor to the case, suggesting he was the one who murdered Short.
5. The Mothman
The Mothman is a legendary creature said to inhabit the area around Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It is described as a large, human-like figure with wings and glowing red eyes. Sightings of the Mothman have been reported for decades, with some even claiming it predicted a deadly bridge collapse in 1967.
6. The Philadelphia Experiment
The Philadelphia Experiment is a conspiracy theory that the US Navy conducted experiments in the 1940s to make their ships invisible. The story goes that during one of these experiments, the USS Eldridge teleported to Norfolk, Virginia and back to Philadelphia. While the story has been discredited, recently revealed documents suggest some experimenting with electromagnetism did occur.
7. The Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California is famous for its bizarre architecture and ghostly history. It was built by Sarah Winchester, widow of the Winchester rifle inventor, who believed her family was cursed by the ghosts of those who had been killed by their rifles. She believed that continuous construction would keep the spirits from finding her, and the house has many strange features, such as stairs that lead to nowhere and doors that open onto walls.
8. The Crying Boy Painting
The Crying Boy painting was a mass-produced print that became popular in the 1980s. According to legend, the painting was cursed and caused fires in homes where it hung. The legend was later debunked as nothing more than a hoax, but there were numerous reports of people burning their copies of the painting to avoid any potential threat.
9. The Bell Witch
The Bell Witch is a legendary spirit said to haunt the Bell family of Tennessee. According to the story, the witch tormented the family for years, even attacking and poisoning family members. While the truth of the haunting is debated, there are historical records of strange happenings on the Bell property during the time period the haunting was said to have occurred.
10. The Trunk of a Car Full of Money
This infamous tale involves stumbling upon a trunk full of cash in the trunk of a car, often discovered at a tow yard or junkyard. It’s a familiar plot point in films and TV shows, but it has actually happened. In one case, a man won a storage locker at auction and found $7.5 million cash inside. Another man was salvaging parts from a car in a junkyard and found over $45,000 in cash in the trunk.
As the saying goes, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. These ten urban legends may seem far-fetched, but there are elements of truth to each one. Perhaps the most important lesson to learn from these stories is to always keep an open mind.