1920s
Berry Pink, the Marble King
Weird name, unusual hobby.
Original article here.
Home page of current company founded by Berry Pink.
Samples of their marbles, and more history.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 11, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Games, Children, 1920s, 1930s
Chicago Bar Association Annual Musical Revue
Who knew that Chicago lawyers and judges and other legal folks have been doing a theatrical production for nearly 100 years?
Their home page.
The origin story is told in the 1954 review below.
The videos reveal that none of these folks should leave their day jobs.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 22, 2017 -
Comments (0)
Category: Entertainment, Law, 1920s
Roy L. Gray, the Most Average Man
In 1927, William S. Dutton, a writer for American magazine, decided to locate America's most average man. The requirements were that whoever it was had to be:To conduct his search, Dutton used the census report, a map, and a weather chart to select America's most average city, which he decided was Fort Madison, Iowa. Then he conducted a survey of Fort Madison's residents to determine who the most average man living there was.
He finally settled on Roy L. Gray, owner of a clothing store. Gray was 43 years old, married, and had two children.
Dutton knocked on Gray's door and informed him that he was the most average man in America. Gray seemed to take the news in stride. He agreed to an interview, and then was whisked off to Chicago where he was given the VIP treatment, which included getting to meet the mayor. Then he returned to his average life, and as far as I can tell never made the news again.
He should have tried to hook up with Miss Typical.
Rushville Daily Republican - Oct 26, 1927
The Lincoln Star - Oct 25, 1927
Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 16, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Boredom, 1920s
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 1
Inspired by my earlier post about Khruschev's distaste for modern art, I am moved to launch this occasional series about modern art that was made prior to his premiership (1958) that would have likely offended him. I will focus on less-famous works.
If this is not an esoteric thread, I'm not sure what is!
In any case, we start with "Wrestler," 1929, by Dudley Talcott.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 25, 2017 -
Comments (5)
Category: Art, 1920s, Russia
Akmo Hair Grower
Unlike most patent remedies, there is no information that I can find for Akmo. I wonder what ingredients were in it.
Original ad here.
I assume it could be safely used with this product.
Second ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 28, 2016 -
Comments (0)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1920s, Hair and Hairstyling
Killed by a watermelon
One for the weird death file.1924: Thomas Collins, 21-years-old, drove by a farmer with a truck full of watermelons and called out to the farmer to toss him one. The farmer obliged. The watermelon landed on Collins' head, snapped his neck, and killed him instantly.
Louisville Courier-Journal - Sep 28, 1924
Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 11, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Death, 1920s
Miss Stardust of 1948
A couple of points about this beauty queen.1) Mother was also a beauty queen, "Miss Brooklyn of 1928." Alas, I can find no pix of the elder Bayes.
2) Should a beauty queen who represents the "falsie" industry be considered for her natural endowments, or her falsie-assisted curves?
3) Note the loving care and extra attention that WU brings to all its posts, as we present the previous year's winner below, as a supplement.
Original pic here.
Original article here.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 01, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Body Modifications, Children, Parents, 1920s, 1940s
Adolph Heilborn’s Theories on Women
I can learn little personally about Adolf Heilborn (1873-1941). But his book THE OPPOSITE SEXES caused a bit of a stir when it appeared in 1927, given that he described the female human as the missing link between ape and male human. Naturally, there was, um, a little pushback.
Original article here.
Here is the bio of his opponent.
But maybe it was all a joke! If this bookplate belongs to the same fellow, we can see he had a sense of humor.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 26, 2016 -
Comments (7)
Category: Animals, Eccentrics, Feminism, Forgotten Figures and Where Are They Now?, Science, Anthropology, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1920s, Men, Women
Coco Cod: Worst Flavor Mashup Ever?
Original ad here.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 21, 2016 -
Comments (1)
Category: Food, Advertising, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Children, 1920s
Mystery Gadget 39
What's happening with this device?
The answer is here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 02, 2016 -
Comments (4)
Category: Technology, 1920s
| Who We Are |
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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, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. 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. Contact Us |