Weird Universe Archive

April 2019

April 6, 2019

Crucified by his wife

The strange case of Daniel Waswa, a member of the Dini ya msambwa sect, who imagined that God had ordered him to die on the cross “for the sins of all Kenyans.” So he had his wife nail him to a cross, which she did. She then promptly dropped dead (of shock?). As for him:

Waswa hung on his cross for several days, rejecting appeals from Christian friends to be taken down. Villagers gathered around to offer their prayers. He was eventually taken down from the cross, dying from the nail wounds, which had become infected. He refused all medical help and died on a Sunday, exactly two weeks after his crucifixion.

I'd never heard of the Dini ya msambwa sect before, but some googling reveals that the name is better translated as "Religion of the Ancestral Customs" (not Creed of the Cross). It was founded by Elijah Masinde. The stories about Waswa make it sound like a radical Christian cult, but Wikipedia defines it as "an African traditional religion that has been labeled an anti-colonial religion."

The Ottawa Citizen - Oct 29, 1965



San Bernardino County Sun - Jan 7, 1966

Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 06, 2019 - Comments (0)
Category: Religion, 1960s

Gateway Drug

Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 06, 2019 - Comments (1)
Category: Business, Advertising, Drugs, Candy, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1960s

April 5, 2019

Knickers the Giant Cow

That's one big cow!

Though, technically, he's a steer, not a cow. And yeah, he looks bigger when seen alongside cattle who are relatively small.

More details.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 05, 2019 - Comments (1)
Category: Farming, Cows

Wisconsin Queens

A bevy of contest winners from Wisconsin, including "Miss Wisconsin Rural Electrification."







Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 05, 2019 - Comments (1)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Regionalism, 1950s, 1960s

April 4, 2019

Marvelous Milking Cow

With "pretend milk"!

More details

Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 04, 2019 - Comments (5)
Category: Toys, Cows, 1970s

Mystery Gadget 72



What's this device do? Hint: it involves distances.

The answer is here.

Or after the jump.

More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 04, 2019 - Comments (4)
Category: Technology, 1930s

April 3, 2019

Vector: The Smell of Space

On April 1, Lockheed Martin announced that they had created a perfume that recreated the smell of space: "blends metallic notes... with a sterile feel, balanced by subtle, fiery undertones that burn off like vapor in the atmosphere."

The timing of the announcement indicates it was an April Fool joke, except that Lockheed Martin really created some of this stuff, sent out samples of it, and is giving away bottles of it to people who sign up on its website. Which I think makes it a legitimate addition to our ongoing exploration of weird fragrances. It recalls the moon-smell fragrance created by French designer Barnabé Fillion.



Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 03, 2019 - Comments (2)
Category: Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents

RIP by Cyriak

Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 03, 2019 - Comments (5)
Category: Death, Surrealism, Cartoons, Skulls, Bones and Skeletons

April 2, 2019

More unicorn food

Unicorns continue to take over the food industry. (See previous post: Unicorn food phenomenon). Some recent examples:

Unicorn farts glitter beer from Duclaw brewing.



Unicorn-shaped macaroni & cheese.



Unicorn Swirl ice cream



But a criminal element may be infiltrating the world of unicorns. Last month, a man dressed in a pink-and-white uniform costume robbed a Maryland convenience store.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 02, 2019 - Comments (3)
Category: Food, Myths and Fairytales

Jerry Pulls the Strings



Imperious coffee magnate is wooed by his future son-in-law's puppets.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 02, 2019 - Comments (0)
Category: Business, Advertising, Corporate Mascots, Icons and Spokesbeings, Puppets and Automatons, Coffee and other Legal Stimulants, Marriage, 1930s, Love & Romance

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Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid.

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Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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