Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Most Outrageous Lie They've Ever Believed

When I was younger, I was able to convince a classmate that I was actually a vampire. It didn't matter that I went to school every day––sunscreen was truly magical! It didn't matter that he never saw me drinking any blood––I'd discovered supplements! And it didn't matter that I actually ate garlic with my meals––I simply blamed that on an old wives' tale. No, the only thing that mattered was that he was gullible and superstitious. It was fun while it lasted. (We were both about seven at the time, so not long.)

You'd be surprised by what nonsense people believe so readily, as we were so kindly reminded once Redditor Pale_Extension15 asked the online community,

"What is the most outrageous lie you've ever actually believed?"

"Don't play..."

"Don't play with your willy too much or it will fall off."

scp-407

Is it just me, or is it a rite of passage for boys to be told this nonsense?

"When I was younger..."

"When I was younger I believed in the classic watermelon seeds will grow in your stomach if you swallow them."

F33URWISDOM

"Jack Frost..."

"Jack Frost was going to get me if I didn't come home before dark!"

chasing-fairies

Wait... what?

Well, if it's the Jack Frost from Jack Frost: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman, you might be on to something.

"She insisted..."

"When I was a kid, I had a friend who told me she was a twin. She insisted that her twin sister went to another school. She'd show me photos of her 'sister' who looked exactly like her. It was months before my other classmates pointed out to me that she was never in any photos with her 'twin'.

I was 9. Felt so embarrassed that I believed her for so long."

otterkraf

"My mom used to tell me..."

"My mom used to tell me when I was little that if you eat raw dough you'll end up with worms in your stomach. Outrageous."

JohnnyJace

"That during twilight..."

"That during twilight ghosts can pull you into the ground if you step on their shadows. I believed it until I was 11."

featoutsider

This actually sounds like a great story to tell children. I might save this one in my back pocket.

"Someone had told me..."

"Someone had told me that the new KFC restaurant near my place had actually been dropped off by a helicopter, and I believed them because of how fast the building had been built. Like, I never actually saw any construction being done so I figured yeah the helicopter must have picked up the already built building and dropped it off. I was 15 or so."

Lavender1993

I have found it. This wins.

"My parents told me..."

"My parents told me my dad was the one pregnant with me. My mom had had my other siblings but my dad was the only one that had me in his belly. I told everyone in kindergarten and they told me I was wrong and I defended myself then went and told my parents that everyone was so jealous and dumb for not knowing men can get pregnant. My parents confessed and we cried a lot."

massivevirgen

"That you could get..."

"That you could get square eyes from watching too much TV."

Farinthoughts

"That if a character..."

"That if a character named after me died in the Oregon Trail game, I would die in real life. I was five."

KaRue3

You have to admire the imagination here––but seriously, what's up with all the old wives' tales and why do people not grow out of any of them? Food for thought.

Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments below!

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jasmine Crockett
Jasmine Crockett/YouTube

Rep. Jasmine Crockett Offers Fiery Takedown About 'Loser' Trump Not Getting A Third Term—And We're Cheering

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump spent much of the week on a trip to Asia to address Asian representatives before the beginning of the 2025 Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.

On the way, Trump stopped in Malaysia and Japan—where his behavior drew widespread concern and mockery—before landing in Busan to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and pick up some new golden swag for his collection.

Keep ReadingShow less
Usha Vance and JD Vance
Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

J.D. Vance Faces Backlash After Saying He Hopes His Wife Usha Will Be 'Moved' To Convert To Christianity

Vice President JD Vance was criticized after he said during a Turning Point USA event that he hopes his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, who is the daughter of Telugu-speaking Indian Hindu immigrants who hail from Andhra Pradesh, will convert to Christianity someday and "see things the same way" that he does.

A woman in the audience had the opportunity to ask Vance how he squares having a Hindu wife and mixed-race children with his anti-immigration rhetoric, a nod to the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown that is tearing families across the country apart.

Keep ReadingShow less
A young girl sitting at the edge of a pier.
a woman sits on the end of a dock during daytime staring across a lake
Photo by Paola Chaaya on Unsplash

People Break Down The Most Painful Sentence Someone's Ever Said To Them

In an effort to get children to stop using physical violence against one another, they are often instructed to "use [their] words".

Of course, words run no risk of putting people in the hospital, or landing them in a cast.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sean Duffy; Screenshot of Kim Kardashian
Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images; Hulu

Even Trump's NASA Director Had To Set Kim Kardashian Straight After She Said The Moon Landing 'Didn't Happen'

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy—who is also NASA's Acting Administrator—issued the weirdest fact-check ever when he corrected reality star Kim Kardashian after she revealed herself to be a moon landing conspiracist.

Conspiracy theorists have long alleged the moon landing was fabricated by NASA in what they claim was an elaborate hoax—and Kardashian certainly made it clear where she stands in a video speaking to co-star Sarah Paulson on the set of the new Hulu drama All’s Fair.

Keep ReadingShow less
Someone burning money
Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

Biggest Financial Mistakes People Make In Their 20s

It can be really fun to experience something for the first time that you've never really had before, like a disposable income.

For the average person, there isn't generally a lot of excess money to spend frivolously when they're a child, so when they hit their twenties and have their first "real" or "more important" job, they might find themselves in a position to enjoy some of the finer things in life.

Keep ReadingShow less