A student won a science fair by trying to ban dihydrogen monoxide!

So, what is this chemical? It’s a liquid found in almost every food item available at your local supermarket, is found in nearly every stream, lake, ocean and reservoir on the planet, and a large quantity is currently in your bloodstream. It is also eroding many of the world’s natural landscapes, is the main component of acid rain, is responsible for millions of death every year and can break most electrical equipment upon contact. 

If you haven’t guessed yet, dihydrogen monoxide is, in fact, water. Because the term isn’t used scientifically, most people have never heard of it, and assume it’s dangerous. 

Pranksters have been using this to their advantage for a while now, and has almost severely backfired a few times. As mentioned in the title, a 14-year-old from Idaho won his school’s science fair by reporting on the dangers of this chemical to ninth graders and asking for their opinion on whether it should be banned. 

Of the fifty asked, only ONE student recognized the substance was just water. The project, ‘titled How gullible are we?’, won the science fair and became an internet legend. School students aren’t the only ones to fall for this. One suburb in California came extremely close to BANNING it! It wasn’t until after a vote had been arranged that the council realized they had been tricked into believing the hoax.

(Source)