In a story by Mark Twain (The Innocents Aboad, 1869), the author describes the burning of millions of human mummies in Egypt as fuel for locomotives. The reason in the story for this was simply that wood and coal, which were needed to run the trains, were becoming scarce. However, mummies were plentiful in Egypt.


Mark Twain himself had no historical proof for his statements in the narrative, but knew them himself only from hearsay. According to his own account, the story of the mummy burning was passed on to him as fuel as fact, which he was willing to believe.

To this day, this rumour has spread so persistently that even reputable sources report it as fact. The story has even evolved to the point where it is claimed that mummies were burnt on the hearth fire for the preparation of food.