May 2020
May 26, 2020
A Scrap-Book for Homely Women Only
Harper's Weekly - Mar 22, 1884
Posted By: Alex - Tue May 26, 2020 -
Comments (6)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Advertising, Nineteenth Century
Hamfat Asar
The creator's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 26, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Surrealism, Stop-motion Animation, 1960s
May 25, 2020
Buried at the golf course
In 1989, a Canadian company tried to promote the idea of burying people at golf courses. They imagined that courses could add memorial walls made out of their patented "mod-urns" — hollow, cremain-filled building blocks that could be snapped together to make instant memorial walls.A company rep argued that this could be "a potentially lucrative business for golf courses, who could pack in up to 50,000 new 'members' per acre."
Ottawa Citizen - Sep 29, 1989
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 25, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Death, Sports, Golf, Patents, 1980s
Follies of the Madmen #477
Our cigarettes are enjoyed by problematical outcasts and outsiders.
Source of ad.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 25, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Corporate Mascots, Icons and Spokesbeings, Ethnic Groupings, Stereotypes and Cliches, Tobacco and Smoking, 1960s
May 24, 2020
Tuberosity Meter
In 1960, Thomas Scoville received a patent for a device for measuring tuberosity. He explained that the purpose of measuring tuberosity was to improve the fit of chairs:
Even after looking up the meaning of the word 'tuberosity' in the dictionary, it took me a while to figure out what exactly Scoville's device was measuring, and what it possibly had to do with chairs. Because the dictionary simply defined tuberosity as a 'rounded swelling.' Some more googling revealed that Scoville must have been referring to the Ischial tuberosity, or 'sitting bone'. As defined by wikipedia, this is:
Posted By: Alex - Sun May 24, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Body, Furniture, Inventions, Patents, 1960s
Jigsaw Puzzles with Whimsy Pieces
In this pandemic era, jigsaw puzzles have seen increased popularity. But I was unaware of the tradition of "whimsy" pieces, components that exhibit naturalistic shapes. I encountered the notion in an old issue of LIFE magazine.
Then I found out there are modern makers. Here are a couple.
Maker.
Maker.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 24, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Art, Puzzles, Nineteenth Century
May 23, 2020
Keyboard Jeans
A product concept from Dutch design company Nieuwe Heren. The wireless, flexible keyboard sewn into the jeans was fully functional. However, the jeans could not be machine washed.As far as I know, these remained a concept and never made it to market. But the company said that, if they were ever to sell these jeans, they'd price them at around £250 ($325).
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 23, 2020 -
Comments (7)
Category: Computers, Denim
Welcome Home!
More photos at this page.
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 23, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Architecture, Eccentrics, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough
May 22, 2020
The postman who pretended to be paraplegic
Ian Moor had qualified to compete in the 1979 National Paraplegic Championships, in events such as table tennis and wheelchair discus. But when a picture of him ran in the Yorkshire Evening Press, people recognized him as their postman, who was fully capable of walking.His deception revealed, Moor was kicked out of the Paraplegic Championships. But he never faced any criminal charges because he hadn't benefitted financially from his deception in any way.
The Guardian - Aug 23, 1979
Los Angeles Times - Aug 23, 1979
Posted By: Alex - Fri May 22, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Sports, 1970s, Differently Abled, Handicapped, Challenged, and Otherwise Atypical
Lunar Striptease
Edited to stop short of bare bosoms.
Posted By: Paul - Fri May 22, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Aliens, Body, Entertainment, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, Performance Art
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| Alex Boese 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. Paul Di Filippo 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. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
