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MythBusters Episode 9: "Chicken Gun, Octopus Egg Pregnancy, Killer Washing Machine"

Air Date: January 18, 2004

A frozen chicken launched in a bird strike simulation can penetrate aircraft or train windshields better than a thawed chicken.

plausible*

Originally, impact time or force transferred was the same for both frozen and thawed chickens, but this test was not conducted using airline-qualified glass, which has a thicker consistency than normal pane glass. This myth was later revisited in season 2.

*The original result was "busted," but when revisited in episode 14 it was changed to "plausible."

While over-stuffing his washing machine with laundry, a man accidentally wedged himself into the machine and tripped the spin cycle, flailing him around, spilling laundry detergent and bleach as he was bludgeoned to death against the shelves. Afterwards, the man’s dog urinated on the detergent and bleach, causing an explosion that set the room on fire.

busted

Not one part of this myth was confirmed to be even plausible. A normal washing machine drum can be halted in its spin cycle simply by grabbing on to it. In addition, most machines have a safety feature that prevents the machine from running if the door is open. Finally, dog urine does not react with bleach or detergent in a way that would cause an explosion.

A woman, while swimming, accidentally swallows a fertilized octopus egg, which gestates in her stomach and caused symptoms similar to that of pregnancy.

busted

The human stomach is too inhospitable an environment to sustain an octopus egg through its full gestation.

5 Comments

  1. Chels:

    Swallowing an octopus egg? That is extremely disgusting…

    July 8, 2007 at 11:05 PM
  2. Kusumura:

    Even before the myth, I could’ve told you in complete and blissful ignorance that swallowing an octopus egg couldn’t make you incubate them..

    Really. This one just came up during the medieval times as one religion’s excuse to bullplop to everybody that somebody was evil for having an octopus as a pet or something.
    Although watching and reading some movies and books proves it.. For example, Stormbreaker.

    January 15, 2008 at 3:19 AM
  3. Reality:

    how many pet Octopus would there be in medieval times? and Octopus eggs sounds like an appetizer in a sushi restaurant! I’m also inclined to believe that aircraft windshields, especially those in commercial craft, are laminated types of glass not unlike bullet-proof glass.

    March 15, 2008 at 7:11 PM
  4. geoff:

    kusumura you twit the man in storm breaker had a jelly fish not how ever a octapus as you stated but i agree this was a stupid myth to begin with probably made just to buzz off air time.

    April 1, 2008 at 8:23 PM
  5. Loren:

    How cool it must be, to have a job where you get to build things like chicken guns.

    June 9, 2008 at 4:22 PM

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