Weird Universe Archive

October 2021

October 31, 2021

No Halloween on Sundays

Every so often Halloween falls on a Sunday — as it does this year. Whenever this happens it seems to inspire efforts to move the celebration back a day, to Saturday, because there are those who feel it's sacreligious to be parading around as ghosts and witches on the Sabbath.

The most high-level effort to change Halloween from a Sunday to a Saturday, that I'm aware of, happened in 1971 when Gov. Bob Scott of North Carolina decreed that Halloween was officially moved back a day for everyone in his state because, "It is not proper for ghoulies, ghosties and goblins to be flitting about on the Sabbath."

It's also reportedly illegal in Rehoboth, Delaware to celebrate Halloween on a Sunday.

The Danville Register - Oct 20, 1971

Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 31, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Halloween

October 30, 2021

The Scarecrow of Tomorrow

Miss Penelope Shoo. A scarecrow with style. On display by the Wonder Bakery exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Pittsburgh Press - July 2, 1939



source: The 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, by Bill Cotter

Posted By: Alex - Sat Oct 30, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Fashion, 1930s, Halloween, Yesterday’s Tomorrows

October 29, 2021

Death and Horror

In 1977, the BBC released "Death & Horror" — an album of horror-themed sound effects which (unlike most sound-effect records) made its way onto the UK's Top 100 charts. The entire album is on YouTube, so perhaps some of you might find a use for it this Halloween.



The success of the album attracted a prominent critic. As reported by the Associated Press (Mar 17, 1977):

A new BBC record contains sound effects of a stake being driven through a heart, an arm being sawn off, a hot poker gouging out an eye and other grisly tidbits. Self-appointed decency campaigner Mary Whitehouse says she is "horrified" by it.

She called the record "utterly irresponsible" and said Wednesday she will ask the government to ban it.

The publicly financed British Broadcasting Corp., a generally sedate organization known to many Britons as "Auntie BBC," said the long-playing record was intended for drama groups, owed most of its effects to "the mistreatment of large white cabbages," was made "without the loss of a single member of the staff" and assuredly was no cause for alarm. . .

Mrs. Whitehouse, who has campaigned against stage nudity and pornography such as a proposed film on the sex life of Jesus Christ, sent protests to the head of the BBC, Sir Michael Swann, and said she will complain to Home Secretary Merlyn Rees.

"What is the BBC's aim?" she asked. "To brutalize and desensitize people?"

Mary Whitehouse was a well-known "decency" campaigner. Wikipedia has a long article about her.

Execution And Torture
00:01 The Guillotine
00:10 Arm Chopped Off
00:15 Head Chopped Off
00:22 Sawing Head Off
00:31 Leg Chopped Off
00:38 Neck Twisted And Broken
00:43 Arm Broken
00:49 Stake Driven Through Heart
00:55 Branding Iron On Flesh
01:08 Red Hot Poker Into Eye
01:18 Nails Hammered Into Flesh
01:40 The Scaffold (Trap Opens, Body Falls)
01:50 Sawing Leg Off
02:08 The Firing Squad (Commands And Volley)
02:35 Whipping
03:15 Three Gun Shots
03:27 Burning At The Stake
04:00 Dagger Thrown Into Wood
04:08 Arrows Fired Into Wood
04:20 The Pendulum

Monsters And Animals
04:55 The Mad Gorilla
06:05 Monsters Roaring
06:36 Wolf Howling
06:58 Werewolves Howling
07:22 Wolves Baying At The Moon
08:00 Wolves Howling And Snarling
08:48 The Hell-Hound (Growling And Snarling)
09:28 The Hell-Hound (Panting)
09:48 Bats Calling
10:24 Bats Squeaking And Flying
11:00 Dracula In Flight
11:55 Snake Hissing
12:40 Rattlesnake
12:58 A Cat Howl

Creaking Doors And Grave Digging
13:10 Creaky Door Closes
13:19 Creaky Door Opens
13:28 Creaky Door Closes
13:40 Heavy Creaky Door Opens
13:49 Coffin Lid Closes
13:59 Nailing Coffin Lid Down
14:31 Coffin Lid Opening
14:47 Assorted Creepy Creaks
15:30 Crypt Door Closing
15:45 Grave Digging (In Stoney Ground)
16:36 Grave Digging (In Wet Ground)
17:25 Portcullis Closing
Musical Effects And Footsteps
17:38 Phantom Of The Opera (Organ Sounds)
18:44 Ghostly Piano Sound (Low Pitch)
19:01 Ghostly Piano Sound (Low Pitch)
19:23 Ghostly Piano Sound (Low Pitch)
19:40 Ghostly Piano Sound (High Pitch)
19:51 Ghostly Piano Sound (High Pitch)
20:10 Ghostly Piano Sound (High Pitch)
20:22 The Lost Chord
22:05 A Gong Roll
21:22 Gong Struck Once
21:45 Ghostly Footsteps (With Chains)
22:40 Squelching Footsteps

Vocal Effects And Heartbeats
23:21 Strangulation (Male)
23:35 One Scream (Male)
23:43 Two Screams (Male)
24:00 Three Men Screaming
24:10 Heavy Breathing (Male)
24:45 Two Screams (Female)
24:59 Three Screams (Female)
25:15 One Long Scream (Female)
25:30 Two Women Screaming
25:44 One Woman Sobbing
26:23 Heavy Breathing (Female)
26:55 Lunatics Laughing
27:44 Human Heartbeats
28:25 Electronic Heartbeats
28:57 Frankenstein's Heartbeats

Weather, Atmospheres And Bells
29:35 Three Thunderclaps
30:15 Thunderclaps And Rain
30:54 Approaching Thunder
31:15 Rain And Distant Thunder
32:31 Heavy Rain
33:25 Eerie Wind
34:29 Weird Wind
35:23 Cathedral Bell Tolling
35:52 Church Bell Tolling
36:28 Church Bell Tolling In The Wind
37:15 Wind Howling In Ship's Rigging
38:02 Jungle At Night
38:43 Tropical Atmosphere At Night
39:23 The Electronic Swamp
40:44 Dr. Jekyll's Lab
41:23 Midnight In The Graveyard
43:30 Daytime In The Graveyard
44:35 The Chinese Water Torture
45:39 Boiling Oil

Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 29, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Horror, 1970s, Halloween, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults

Peter Puck



Peter's Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 29, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Sports, Cartoons, 1970s

October 28, 2021

Name That List, #64

What is this a list of? The answer is below in extended.

  • spammer
  • zert
  • nab
  • spunfit
  • plench



More in extended >>

Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 28, 2021 - Comments (2)
Category: Name That List

Unauthorized Dwellings 20



Full story here.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 28, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Death, Unauthorized Dwellings, Europe

October 27, 2021

Device to prevent mouth breathing

In 1920, Richard Jefferies was granted a patent for "a simple and practical device which will eliminate the habit of breathing through the mouth and at the same time will assist in harmonizing the facial features of the wearer, by more evenly balancing the muscles of expression."

His invention consisted of a piece of adhesive-backed silk placed over the mouth.



I was vaguely aware that mouth breathing is considered a bad habit, but I wasn't aware that "mouth taping" continues to be a common remedy for it.

For instance, one can buy SomniFix Sleep Strips, which look like they're a slightly updated version of Jefferies' invention.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Oct 27, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Health, Inventions, Patents, 1920s, Face and Facial Expressions

Follies of the Madmen #518



Source.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Oct 27, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Business, Advertising, Hygiene, 1930s, Skin and Skin Conditions

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