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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, January 20, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 22, 2003 Since you asked Bathtub tale again surfaces I heard that the bathtub was not invented in the United States until the 1840s. Before that the practice was frowned on. This supposedly didn’t change until one was installed at the White House. True or not? — Bill F., Talent. Not. Chuck that one in the urban myth file, Bill. What’s more, although these things are sometimes impossible to track down, we know exactly where this one came from. Newspaperman H.L. Mencken wrote a piece for a year-end feature for the New York Mail in which he made up the bathtub hoax. Mencken was a curmudgeon/gadfly/smart aleck who often claimed the American ‘booboisie" would believe anything, especially if it included a few legitimate-sounding "facts." He told people over and over through the years that the whole thing was a prank, but like the razor blade in the Halloween treat, it refused to die, and apparently still does. When the White House was being refurbished in 1951, President Harry Truman trotted out the Mencken prank, apparently believing every word. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times