Weird Universe Blog — June 9, 2020

The Glmite Bomb

Before the atomic bomb, other "super bombs" were dreamed up and invented. One of the more notorious was Lester Barlow's Glmite Bomb. Barlow claimed it could kill everything within a 1000-yard radius, but when the U.S. military tested it in 1940, exploding it in a field surrounded by goats, it failed to kill, or even injure, a single goat.

Glmite also has to be one of the worst names ever for an explosive. It was created by combining the words 'Glenn' and 'Dynamite'.

More details from The Ordnance Department: Procurement and Supply, by Harry Thomson and Lida Mayo —

Mr. Lester P. Barlow, an employee of the Glenn L. Martin aircraft factory, submitted to the Senate Committee on Military Affairs a bomb filled with liquid oxygen. Called "glmite" in honor of Mr. Martin, the explosive was said to give off violent vibrations of the air waves that would kill every living thing within a radius of a thousand yards. Senator Gerald P. Nye was so impressed that he called in reporters to watch while minutes of the committee meeting were burned—"so great was the military secrecy of the subject!... an explosive so deadly it might even outlaw war!!!"

Tests of the Barlow bomb took up a good deal of the time of Ordnance planners in April and May, extending down into the most anxious weeks in May. When the newspapers announced that goats would be tethered at varying distances from the bomb to determine its lethal effects, Congress and the War Department were deluged with letters of protest from humane societies and private citizens. All the concern turned out to be wasted. At the first test, the bomb leaked and did not go off; at the second, held at Aberdeen Proving Ground in late May, the explosion occurred, but the goats, unharmed, continued to nibble the Maryland grass.


Barlow supervising the set up of the Glmite Bomb.



The Algone Upper Des Moines - June 18, 1940



Explosion of the Glmite Bomb at Aberdeen Proving Ground
Note the goats in the right foreground, unharmed

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 09, 2020 - Comments (2)
Category: 1940s | Weapons

June 8, 2020

The Animan

It's now 2020. Where are our bipedal TVs?

With its two legs the Animan TV follows you from room to room, dances to commercials, and even leans into the curves during chase scenes. Equipped with its top-mounted security camera, it patrols the house and sounds an alarm if it detects a prowler.




Source: Popular Science - June 1988

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 08, 2020 - Comments (7)
Category: Inventions | Television | AI, Robots and Other Automatons | 1980s

The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things



WU-vies will find a simpatico home at THE MUSEUM OF RIDICULOUSLY INTERESTING THINGS.

Here's a typical item.

THE BLINKEY EYE GUM DISPENSER.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 08, 2020 - Comments (5)
Category: Weird Studies and Guides

June 7, 2020

Hand Sanitizer Holster

Paula Russo was recently granted patent #10653232 for a "hand sanitizer holster," which seems like a timely invention for the age of covid, although she must have begun the patent process long before covid-19 was known.



The hand sanitizer holster is a garment. The hand sanitizer holster comprises a belt, a fastening structure, and a plurality of primary holsters. The fastening structure secures the belt to a healthcare worker. The plurality of primary holsters attach to the belt. Each of the plurality of primary holsters contains a chemical container filled with a sanitizer. The sanitizer is an anti-microbial chemical used for cleaning the hands of the healthcare worker. Each holster contained within the plurality of primary holsters is configured such that the sanitizer dispenses from the chemical container without removing the chemical container from the holster. In a second potential embodiment of the disclosure, the hand sanitizer holster further comprises a shoulder harness. The shoulder harness further comprises one or more straps and one or more secondary holsters.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jun 07, 2020 - Comments (6)
Category: Hygiene | Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods | Inventions

Novel Device for Stopping a Runaway Horse



If you read the words on the "counterweight," they say, "Recommendations for Reichenbach's Tile Drains." So this is a humorous advertisement rather than an actual patent. But I would not be surprised if someone somewhere had come up with such an idea.

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 07, 2020 - Comments (2)
Category: Animals | Business | Advertising | Humor | Nineteenth Century

June 6, 2020

Slammed door, house fell down

The strange case of Mary Adams of Stockport, England, who slammed shut her front door, causing the house to collapse into rubble.

Fort Lauderdale News - Jan 22, 1975



I was curious what the scene of the house collapse looked like today. After some searching on Google maps, I'm pretty sure her house was situated by the Park Bridge in Stockport (which is part of Greater Manchester). Though I'm not sure what side of the bridge it was on.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 06, 2020 - Comments (2)
Category: Architecture | 1970s

Workout with She Hulk

I don't know about you, but I'm inspired!

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 06, 2020 - Comments (5)
Category: Comics | Bodybuilding

June 5, 2020

Social Distancing Shoes

Created by Romanian shoemaker Grigore Lup. More info from footwearnews.com:

According to Lup, when two persons are wearing the shoes and facing each other, there will be 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) of distance between them. Each pair uses one square meter of leather — they can be fabricated in a number of colorways, with either rubber or leather soles — and it takes Lup two days to craft each style. On his website, he charges a minimum of 500 lei, or roughly $115, per pair, with prices going up for extra-long styles.




Posted By: Alex - Fri Jun 05, 2020 - Comments (8)
Category: Shoes

Mystery Illustration 95

What type of craft was host to these scenes? Luxury railroad car perhaps? Ocean liner? What's your guess?

The answer is here.


Or after the jump.





More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 05, 2020 - Comments (6)
Category: Travel | 1920s

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All original content in posts is Copyright © 2016 by the author of the post, which is usually either Alex Boese ("Alex"), Paul Di Filippo ("Paul"), or Chuck Shepherd ("Chuck"). All rights reserved. The banner illustration at the top of this page is Copyright © 2008 by Rick Altergott.

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