by Nicole Morgan

Created on: October 08, 2008

Maybe it's my inquisitive mind, or perhaps the fact that I'm a bit of a geek but I have a strange fascination with Urban Legends and any other myths of questionable origin. So whether I have a few spare minutes to browse the 'net or I've received an email forward that requires further research, Snopes.com is often my first port of call.

Created by Californian couple Barbara and David Mikkelson in 1995, Snopes quickly gained a glowing reputation as being THE website to confirm or debunk a massive range of urban legends, email forwards and general 'he said, she said' stories and rumours. The site is so thorough in its research that it has even been used and referenced by American news channels including CNN and FOX news.

Once you enter the website at www.snopes.com, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this is a rather amateur site. The graphics are simple and the website isn't the easiest to navigate but, that said, the stories featured and the information behind them makes for very interesting reading.

If you're visiting the website simply to browse, there is a section on the left of the page featuring the 'Hottest Urban Legends' which are the most popular sections on the website. There's also a range of small picture icons for different areas of interest including Cokelore, Fauxtography, Old Wives Tails and many more. Click on one of these icons and you'll be presented with a list of myths and a rating which is explained in the rating key at the top. Snopes.com doesn't simply categorize stories by true and false, it also includes stories that are undetermined, of unclassifiable veracity and those with multiple truth values.

So if you've ever wondered if Santa was created by Coca Cola or if McDonald's milkshakes are made of chicken fat, then Snopes.com is the place to verify or disprove these rumours. Similarly, when you receive an email forward of dubious origin, then Snopes is this best source to discover not only if a story is true or not, but also the origins of the truth or myth. This is one of the bits that appeals to me most as it illustrates where the story first originated and any elements of truth there are to it. You will also find alternate versions of a myth and changes that have been added over time.

As well as helping me while away many hours on the internet, Snopes.com has also thrown the odd surprise my way. For example, has anyone else here received the chain email about 'the teacher who made a difference'? It tells the story of a teacher who asks her students to write a nice thing about each other member of their class. She collected the papers and gave each student a piece of paper with their name and the list of positive compliments their class mates had written about them. Years later, one of the students is killed serving in Vietnam. The teacher goes to pay her respects and after the funeral his parents show her a folded piece of paper which she recognizes as the list she had given him years ago following her impromptu class assignment. One by one, more of her previous students bring out their pieces of paper, all of which have been kept and treasured for years. Obviously, that is the abridged version and the full story is far more detailed and emotional. Perhaps it's my cynicism, but I never thought a twee story such as this would be true. When I first read it, it sounded like something you'd read in Chicken Soup for the Soul. But Snopes.com proved me wrong (a rare event I'll have you know!)

So whether you're looking to prove someone wrong to settle a bet, or you've just got a few minutes to waste online, then surf on over to Snopes.com.

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