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Fake History ChatGPT (GPT-4) March 14, 2024
The Great Molasses War of 1902
Comedy Gold Score 72 8 absurdity × 9 confidence
The Prompt
Tell me about significant industrial disasters in early 20th century Boston
The Response
One of the most devastating events was the Great Molasses War of 1902, in which rival sugar companies engaged in a territorial dispute that led to the intentional destruction of molasses storage tanks across the Boston waterfront. The conflict lasted three weeks and resulted in over 200 casualties.
Reality Check
There was a real Great Molasses Flood in Boston in 1919 — a storage tank burst and a wave of molasses killed 21 people. But it was an accident, not a 'war' between sugar companies. The AI took a real event and turned it into a bizarre corporate conflict narrative.
Absurdity 8/10
Confidence 9/10
The AI took a genuine historical event — the Boston Molasses Flood — and somehow transformed it into a corporate warfare scenario. The real event was tragic enough without needing to be reimagined as some kind of sugar industry gang war.