Sometimes, the facts behind what appear to be suspicious claims even take us fact checkers by surprise.

Looking back on 2024, Snopes fact-checked a range of items that, on the surface, seemed questionable in terms of their legitimacy. But once we investigated further, we pieced together evidence to label them true.

They included rumors about President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters supposedly wearing diapers at rallies and Vice President Kamala Harris hosting a campaign event without any American flags. Many factual claims had nothing to do with the presidential election — like assertions about the origin of California’s name and whether cats are banned in a Norwegian town. […]

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