Sewing machine frenzy in red mercury hoax

Sewing machine frenzy in red mercury hoax

www.reuters.com

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi police are investigating the origins of a hoax that had hundreds of people believing that old sewing machines may bring fortune because they contained an elusive, and probably mythical, substance known as red mercury.

Saudi newspapers on Tuesday published pictures of Saudis proudly posing next to old sewing machines awaiting prospective buyers at traditional markets.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
urbanlegends.about.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.newscientist.com

Supposedly, red mercury is an alternative substance used in the creation of a nuclear weapon? It is said to be found in old Singer brand sewing machines and is highly valuable on the black market.

I found, along with the current one, an old news story from 1992, [last link below], that reports this as a hoax as well? Anybody know about this? Thought it was interesting?

Peace.

www.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Zerbst


Interesting title:

Sewing machine frenzy in red mercury hoax

Interesting in the sense that that title will only appear once in human history, or twice, no more than 3 times. That is rare, rhetorically.

Even more interesting story. It sounds like science fiction to me, but then again, anything is possible...truth is stranger than fiction.

[edit on 15-4-2009 by pluckynoonez]

reply to post by Zerbst
"Can you say ripoff"? Next we'll all be getting gold fresh from cows and then the sky will start falling down in chunks only to explode into fire when it hits.

That's quite the imaginative way of selling off your old junk... get gullible people to believe it contains a substance that's mythical.

... I almost wish I had come up with that first.



I've got some old junk kicking around here... lets see...
I've got a few vacuum tubes, legend has it that they contain less than air, closer to nothing than that which you're breathing... they are capable of doing things on their own without your presence.


I'll start the bid at $50,000 usd.

Whaddya say?

lol. There's one born every minute.

All secret materials are mythical.

If the most prominent expert on nuclear weapons believes in Red Mercury, well then there is probably something which he has in mind.

And it probably dosen't do what you think it is supposed to do.

Is it red? Probably not.
Is it Mercury? Probably not.

Is it in old sewing machines? Hell no.
You can only scrape it off the heating elements of old toasters!

Originally posted by Cyberbian
All secret materials are mythical.

If the most prominent expert on nuclear weapons believes in Red Mercury, well then there is probably something which he has in mind.

And it probably dosen't do what you think it is supposed to do.

Is it red? Probably not.
Is it Mercury? Probably not.

Is it in old sewing machines? Hell no.
You can only scrape it off the heating elements of old toasters!

Dont say that to loud some idiot may hear it and see the red glow while the toaster is going and really believe it. Then when they try and get it off, they will be killed. The toaster will fry them like a bug zapper.