Results: True Urban Legends (Part 6 of 6)

A Prop Corpse Turned Out to be a Real Dead Body - Though it may read like an urban legend, the corpse of Elmer McCurdy, an early 20th century bank and train robber, somehow became a frightening staple of the traveling carnival and sideshow circuit for more than five decades. That was, until his mummified remains, then used as a frightful prop, were discovered in 1976 at The Pike amusement zone in Long Beach, California. Now dubbed "The Bandit Who Wouldn't Give Up," McCurdy's remains were finally sent to their final resting place in 1977, at the Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Have you heard of this urban legend?

The Man Who Created a Balloon-Flying Lawn Chair - While the balloon-buoyed flying lawn chair is a common trope in cartoons, it has roots in reality, too! The first person to create a flying lawn chair was Larry Walters, who made a homemade airship using a lawn chair and 45 helium-filled weather balloons. He set out with this homemade flying vehicle on July 2, 1982, out of San Pedro, California, and flew through the sky for a whole 45 minutes before becoming entangled in power lines and climbing down to safety, according to the New Yorker. Since his semi-successful flight, numerous imitators have surfaced, attempting to recreate this historic moment—and all have had the same amount of non-success. Have you heard of this urban legend?

The Man Who Fell Through a Window - Though it existed as an urban legend for some time, this story of a lawyer falling through a window to prove just how "unbreakable" the glass was in the Toronto-Dominion Centre is indeed true. As told by Torontoist, in July 1993, Garry Hoy, a partner at the law firm of Holden, Day, Wilson, was attempting to prove how strong the glass was in the building (pictured above) to a group of articled students. However, when he lunged at the window using his full weight, the entire window popped out of the frame, sending Hoy 24 stories to his death. The glass didn't technically shatter, but Hoy was incorrect with the claim that it could withstand the weight of a 160-pound man. Have you heard of this urban legend?

Injury-Inducing Escalators - So maybe it's not exactly possible for your shoelace to get caught in the escalator and suck you completely underneath the machine—admit it, you did have that fear as a kid. But escalators are more dangerous than you might expect. A study published in the journal West Jem in 2013 reported that the U.S. experiences approximately 10,000 emergency-level escalator-related injuries each year. Unsurprisingly, alcohol usually plays a large role in those accidents. So when you've had a few, consider opting for the nearest elevator instead. Have you heard of this urban legend?