Category:
1970s
1970s
Toast as a unit of power
Odd units of measurement: Back in 1975, Allan Clemow of Tufts University figured out how to translate power consumption into pieces of toast. By his estimate, one kilowatt hour was equivalent to toasting 60 slices of bread. Therefore:- Ironing for an hour = 68 slices of toast
- Watching TV for 4 hours = 100 slices of toast
- Blow-drying your hair for 10 minutes = 4 slices of toast
- Drying a large load of clothes = 270 slices of toast
These estimates may all now have changed thanks to more energy-efficient appliances.
Casper Star Tribune - Nov 20, 1975
Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 22, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Food, 1970s, Power Generation
New Vietnam
Back in 1975, Rev. Carl McIntire had the idea of bringing the Vietnam experience back to America by building a Vietnam theme park (to be called 'New Vietnam') in Florida, near Cape Canaveral. Needless to say, the idea didn't go over well. Some details:The village hootches will be built on stilts, surrounded by rice paddies worked by refugees dressed in native garb.
Adjacent to the village will be a rectangular special forces camp encircled by a moat and guarded by machine gun nests, punji stakes and fatigue-clad "soldiers" hired from the county. Inside will be a war museum of Viet Cong and American memorabilia.
Adjacent to the village will be a rectangular special forces camp encircled by a moat and guarded by machine gun nests, punji stakes and fatigue-clad "soldiers" hired from the county. Inside will be a war museum of Viet Cong and American memorabilia.
Orlando Sentinel - Sep 11, 1975 (click to enlarge)
Philadelphia Daily News - Jun 12, 1975
Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 21, 2019 -
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Category: Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, War, 1970s
Knee Reading
Toni Lockhart, aka Gypsy Rose Knee, pioneered the art of knee reading. She detailed her technique in her 1975 book Gypsy's Basic Knee Reader. A few pointers:If one’s knee has peaks or craters on certain parts of it, they indicate traits like patience, compassion, selfishness, fear, luck, humor, humility and curiosity...
A new mole may indicate that the person’s life and profession are on the upswing.
A new mole may indicate that the person’s life and profession are on the upswing.
Manhattan Mercury - Aug 8, 1975
The Pottstown Mercury - Aug 19, 1975 (click to enlarge)
Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 14, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Predictions, 1970s
Prince Leonard Casley, RIP
Full article here.
Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 14, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, Curmudgeons and Contrarianism, Government, Unauthorized Dwellings, Outsider Art, Performance Art, Foreign Customs, Obituaries, 1970s
Hangovers Due to Guilty Conscience
In 1973, Professor Robert Gunn advanced this theory.
Twenty years later, he was still pursuing the idea, as you can see in the scientific paper at the link.
To reappraise a prior study of hangover signs and psychosocial factors among a sample of current drinkers, we excluded a subgroup termed Sobers, who report "never" being "tipsy, high or drunk." The non-sober current drinkers then formed the sample for this report (N = 1104). About 23% of this group reported no hangover signs regardless of their intake level or gender, and the rest showed no sex differences for any of 8 hangover signs reported. Using multiple regression, including ethanol, age and weight, it was found that psychosocial variables contributed independently in predicting to hangover for both men and women in this order: (1) guilt about drinking; (2) neuroticism; (3) angry or (4) depressed when high/drunk and (5) negative life events. For men only, ethanol intake was also significant; for women only, being younger and reporting first being high/drunk at a relatively earlier age were also predictors of the Hangover Sign Index (HSI). These multiple predictors accounted for 5-10 times more of the hangover variance than alcohol use alone: for men, R = 0.43, R2 = 19%; and for women, R = 0.46, R2 = 21%. The findings suggest that hangover signs are a function of age, sex, ethanol level and psychosocial factors.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 10, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Science, Experiments, Psychology, 1970s, 1990s, Pain, Self-inflicted and Otherwise, Alcohol
Jade Stone & Luv
The sole album from male-female duo Jade Stone & Luv is a lost gem from the heart of the psychedelic 1970s. Composed and self-produced in Nashville, “Mosaics; Pieces Of Stone” went unnoticed by the music industry upon release. Fortunately for us, it didn’t disappear forever, but simply went into retreat, biding its time. While almost unknown outside specialist circles, “Mosaics” has been an underground cult favorite for many years. The combination of top-level songwriting, skillful guitar/keyboard arrangements and soaring vocals is just too impressive to ignore. And beyond these obvious qualities, the album has something subtle and unique, a magnetic power that keeps drawing the listener back. One of Jade Stone & Luv’s earliest advocates was the legendary New York City musicologist Paul Major. Here’s a typical Major impression of the music on “Mosaics”:”Groovy love vibes thru a prism of jade statues in swinging singles apartment complex action… Cadillac with fuzzy dice, feather boa, lotsa cigarette burns, stale perfumed ashen air. This album in the 8-track player at 5 AM with someone you don’t even know passed out in the backseat, as you head to the diner to meet up with an early-bird Lava Lite salesman who deals pills on the side. Bubbly champagne molecules become the plastic vinyl booths in dim-lit dive bars; it’s crackerbox post-war suburban low-rent psychedelic…”
Source of quote.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 09, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Music, Outsider Art, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1970s
Doomsday Club
Back in 1975, $12,800 could have bought you membership in a “doomsday club.” Come doomsday, this would have allowed you to hide out in a secret, well-supplied location in northern California — where you’d be safe from rioters, zombies, etc.I wouldn't be surprised if the doomsday retreat hasn't burned down with all the recent fires.
Newport News Daily Press - May 25, 1975
Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 07, 2019 -
Comments (5)
Category: Armageddon and Apocalypses, 1970s
Least Successful Author
William A. Gold of Australia had the dubious distinction of being named the least successful writer ever in the 1975 edition of the Guinness Book of Records. To my knowledge, Guinness never awarded this record to anyone else.Gold gained the title because, as of 1975, he had written at least eight novels and 100 short stories, but none of them had been published, despite his best efforts. His writing had only ever earned him 50 cents from an article published in the Canberra News.
I've only been able to find the titles of two of Gold's book. One of them was John Lewis Seeks a Mission, which he submitted to the Adelaide Advertiser $2000 Literary Competition in 1966. (Obviously, he didn't win.) The other was One Best Seller: A Satire on the Publishing Game. The Sydney Morning Herald described this as dealing with "the adventures of author Eric Bellamy, literary agent Lawrence Templeton, and the latter’s attempts to get Bellamy’s novel, Sibelius on Sunday, published." Gold eventually self-published this novel in 1984. (and it's available for purchase from some used book stores in Australia.)
Gold died in 2001, and his collected papers are now stored at the National Library of Australia.
"23-7-87. Mr. Bill Gold, the world's greatest unpublished author, with his own published book, "One Best Seller." No one wants the book." (Getty Images)
"23-7-87. I'm broke, give me ten dollars for two books. This was Mr. Bill Gold as he makes dinner in his small flat in Queanbeyan. He is the world's greatest unpublished author." (Getty Images)
The Montreal Gazette - Feb 9, 1979
Posted By: Alex - Tue Feb 05, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Literature, Books, World Records, 1970s
The woman who counted to one million
The great claim to fame of Marva Drew of Waterloo, Iowa was that she typed the numbers one to one million on a manual typewriter. It took her about six years, starting in 1968 and ending in 1974 (although she took several years off in the middle). It totaled 2,473 pages.She explained that she got the idea when she heard that her son’s high school teacher had told him that no one had ever counted to a million, and that anyone who tried would be crazy. So Marva decided she’d do it.
She noted that if someone started at the age of 18, they could conceivably type up to 50 million in their entire life.
Some other info from the Waterloo Courier:
“Corrections and erasures were done meticulously, and often whole handfuls of pages were discarded when she discovered she’d left out a number somewhere along the way...
There were physical problems, too. The endless carriage returns caused pains in her wrist, back, and shoulders, and there were swollen fingers, eyestrain, headaches, and insomnia."
There were physical problems, too. The endless carriage returns caused pains in her wrist, back, and shoulders, and there were swollen fingers, eyestrain, headaches, and insomnia."
Marva Drew poses with the stack of completed pages.
Update: I just recalled that we have another story on WU about someone counting up to one million. It's the case of Henry Parish of Meddybemps, Maine who counted a million peas in one month, back in 1922.
The first and last pages typed.
Waterloo Courier - Dec 5, 1974
Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 04, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Eccentrics, World Records, 1970s
Showered for four-and-a-half days
Preston ‘Rocky’ Stockman's comments after standing in a shower for 4½ days in an attempt to set the world record for longest shower (which he didn't even come close to setting): “My hands and feet were wrinkled. Then my ear became plugged, and I tried to unplug it. Everything I did was futile. It just got worse and worse… It got to the point where I was standing there in absolute agony.”
Shreveport Times - Mar 31, 1974
Posted By: Alex - Sat Feb 02, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: World Records, 1970s
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