There is nothing like a public forum to say I told you so.

So here it is, I told you so.

A friend and I got into an argument the other day over whether or not that kid from “The Wonder Years” was Marilyn Manson. I said no and she insisted that she knew “for a fact” that he was. No Internet access was available at the time and our disagreement eventually fizzled into a stalemate.

But it ends here my friend.

According to snopes.com, one of the largest comprehensive urban legend sites online, Marilyn Manson was never on “The Wonder Years.” For those who want to know, Josh Saviano was the actor who portrayed Kevin Arnold’s sidekick Paul.

After gloating to myself for a minute or two, I skimmed through the site and was intrigued by some of the other myths that were proven true and false.

Here’s a rundown; this information may come in handy if you’re ever on Jeopardy, need to prove someone wrong (ahem) or want to make random conversation.

The song “Happy Birthday” is protected by copyright. Who knew? You aren’t participating in copyright infringement when you sing it at birthday parties, but beware if you do in a public venue full of people. Even singing the song in a restaurant requires a license from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers or the Harry Fox Agency, but this violation is rarely prosecuted.

Steve from “Blues Clues” did not die of a heroin overdose, nor did he get run over by a car or become a porn star. He is alive and well and in 2001 tried to break into the music industry. So far he hasn’t had much luck, but that could be because the image of him frolicking with a cartoon dog and a handy dandy notebook is forever seared into the minds of potential listeners.

The Marlboro Man died of lung cancer – how fitting.

Urban legends about naughty words and images in Disney movies aren’t a new thing, but here is a true urban legend that isn’t as popular as Aladdin telling teenagers to take off their clothes (which isn’t true by the way): there are photographic images of a topless woman in “The Rescuers.” During a scene 38-minutes into the film, Bernard and Bianca are flying on the back of Orville the albatross and a topless woman can be seen in a window. Disney ended up recalling the movie, so for those who like that kind of thing you can find the pictures online.

In 1999 the Mississippi state legislature removed fractions and decimal points from the math curriculum of public secondary schools. I could crack a lot of jokes about the South right now, but I’m going to let this tidbit speak for itself.

A lightbulb made in 1901 is still working to this day. The lightbulb is at a California fire station and hasn’t been turned off since 1901, which makes me wonder why mine go out every other day.

In 1999, a junior high student won a science fair for a project on the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide, a fancy way of saying water. Some of the dangers listed include that it’s a fire retardant and used as an industrial solvent and coolant.

And to quickly dismiss some urban legends that have been around since who-knows-when is the following list: nobody had semen pumped from their stomach, there isn’t a man with a hook coming to get you and drinking a Coke while eating poprocks or aspirin will not kill you or get you high.

That and Marilyn Manson was not the kid from “The Wonder Years.”

I told you so.

Alicia Ritchey is a senior in journalism and English. To tell her about this one guy your friend’s friend knows that woke up in a tub full of ice and a note that said to call 911, e-mail her at [email protected].