1950s
Python on the golf course
1952: Finding that her golf ball had come to rest on top of a 10-foot python, Mrs. Bobbie Pritchard shot the python and then continued to play the ball from on top of the (now dead) snake.I guess that taking a penalty and using a new ball was, for whatever reason, out of the question.
Glasgow Daily Record - Dec 24, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 01, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Reptiles, Snakes, Worms and Other Slithery Things, Golf, 1950s
1999: Our Hopeful Future
Like most predictive non-fiction, this 1956 volume has both hits and misses throughout. But I was amazed by one page, which predicts flatscreen TVs, a Roomba, and household surveillance cameras, bing-bang-boom!Read the whole thing here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 01, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Predictions, Yesterday’s Tomorrows, Books, 1950s
Pin-Worms may be a family affair
"Fidgeting, nose-picking and a tormenting rectal itch are often tell-tale signs of Pin-Worms . . . Entire families may be victims and not know it."I'm imagining the families who thought the tormenting rectal itches were nothing out-of-the-ordinary.
Super Science Stories - March 1950
Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 28, 2023 -
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Category: Health, Disease, Advertising, 1950s
The Repeat-O-Mask
This looks like an early version of a voice-suppression microphone. We posted about a more recent example of one of these a couple of months ago.
Lancaster Sunday News - Mar 21, 1954
Posted By: Alex - Wed Sep 20, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Inventions, 1950s
Dirt Danger Days
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 18, 2023 -
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Category: Death, Hygiene, Advertising, Children, 1950s
Hoover Dam music soothes mentally ill
I've visited the Hoover Dam a number of times but had never heard about its unusual acoustic properties that produce "a soothing effect on violently ill mental patients when they listen to musical recordings made at the dam site."I searched in vain for copies of these Hoover Dam sound recordings.
Los Angeles Times - Sep 22, 1955
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 11, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Music, Psychology, 1950s
Miss Union Label
I thought this was fitting for Labor Day Weekend!
Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 02, 2023 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Tradesmen, Manual Laborers, and Skilled Workers, 1950s
Linemen training
I assume bucket lifts have now made pole climbing a thing-of-the-past for linemen.
Popular Science - Feb 1951
Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 30, 2023 -
Comments (4)
Category: Jobs and Occupations, 1950s
Miss Garbage Disposal
Miami News - June 5, 1951
I couldn't find a picture of Mary Gleason as Miss Garbage Disposal, but below is a picture of her from the same month that she gained the title. It looks like the photo was taken at the theater where she was performing.
Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin - June 10, 1951
I also found reports stating that in 1946 Shirley Halloran was named "Miss Automatic Garbage Disposal," but I couldn't find any pictures of her.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 28, 2023 -
Comments ()
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1950s
UK TV Ads of the 50s and 60s
Some rarer items for your weirdness appraisal. I like the one with Tarzan. The one for Fish Fingers unintentionally resembles a Monty Python skit.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 24, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Television, Advertising, 1950s, 1960s, United Kingdom
| 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 |