Brian Peppers passed away in February 2012 at the age of 43. By David Mikkelson. David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994. Recommendations. Company. About Us.

As Internet “memes” usually do, the “Pepper Spray Cop” one currently clogging our Facebook feeds started with the simple act of someone posting a photo they wanted to share with a few friends.

The 'Bad Luck Brian' meme sold for $36,000 on March 9 as a piece of digital art. The meme first appeared in 2012. Now it's part of a series of non-fungible tokens containing internet memes and ...