1970s
The man who stole 15,000 library books
Over the course of a decade, from around 1965 to 1975, Joseph Feldman managed to steal 15,000 books from the New York Public Library. He was caught when firemen entered his Greenwich Village apartment while responding to an alarm in his building and discovered all the books, piled up everywhere. When asked why he had taken them all, Feldman responded, “I like to read.”
Arizona Daily Star - Sep 27, 1975
In the 21st century, playwright Erika Mijlin was inspired to write a play, Feldman and the Infinite, about the incident. It was first performed in 2008. Her description of it:
And below, a video clip of the performance.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 31, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Crime, Books, Libraries, Collectors, 1970s
Human waste explodes from kitchen wall
For years the Carlone family of Cleveland had been bothered by a foul smell in their kitchen. Nothing they did could get rid of it. Then they noticed their kitchen wall starting to bulge, until finally, on August 21, 1972, the wall exploded and covered them with 40 gallons of sewage.It turned out that eight years earlier a technician from the phone company had accidentally drilled a hole through the sewer pipe, causing raw sewage to seep out into the wall cavity. Until it all eventually exploded.
It was reported that the Carlones sued the phone company, but I couldn't find any follow-up reports about their suit.
It amazes me that they had been living with the smell for eight years, and it apparently never occurred to them that it might be related to the sewer pipe in the wall.
Tampa Tribune - Oct 19, 1975
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jan 23, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Excrement, 1970s
Phyllis Diller: Centerfold for FIELD & STREAM, June 1973
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 23, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Magazines, Sex Symbols, 1970s, Parody
Blue Gill Capital of the World
Was this really the best scene of the "vacation paradise" of Birchwood, Wisconsin that the maker of this 1970s-era postcard could come up with? And where are the blue gills?.Here's (what I think is) the present-day view on Google Maps.
Source: eBay
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jan 12, 2019 -
Comments (5)
Category: Geography and Maps, Tourists and Tourism, 1970s
Follies of the Madmen #403
"We really move our tail for you." Not acceptable today as a slogan?
However, the "Coach Pub" is always in style.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 31, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Advertising, Air Travel and Airlines, 1970s
Three men with a pole on their head
February 1976: a performance art group calling itself Ddart walked around the Norfolk countryside for a week carrying on their heads a ten foot pole supported by hats resembling ice cream cones. They called this performance 'Circular Walk.' The UK Arts Council paid them £395 for this.The trio never really explained what the intended meaning of this was, except for the following brief statement later provided by Ray Richards, a member of the group:
More controversial was why the Arts Council had paid for it. John Walker, author of Art & Outrage, provides some details:
Image source: Art & Outrage
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 29, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Art, 1970s
Starcrash
Worst film ever? This blogger makes his case.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 29, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, Science Fiction, 1970s
Mary Connors - The Human Cannonball
Mary Connors is best known for what she failed to achieve. She repeatedly tried to cross the River Avon by being fired across it in a cannon, and she kept ending up in the river.She first tried in 1974, and failed three times in a row. When she then tried to cross the river using a rope and pulley, the pulley jammed, sending her once again into the water.
She tried again in 1976. Once again, she ended up swimming. I think, overall, she made five failed attempts, and never succeeded.
Another highlight of her career was that in 1975 she performed the human cannonball act topless, and she did get that right.
You can watch a video of her first failed attempt at crossing the Avon over at the MACE archive (media archive for central England), but the clip isn't embeddable, so you'll need to actually go to the site to view it.
Mary Connors - 1974
The 1974 attempt
San Rafael Daily Independent Journal - Aug 28, 1974
Asbury Park Press - June 6, 1975
The Bryan Eagle - Jan 25, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 28, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, 1970s
What does Mrs. Claus do when she gets lonely?
Don't the elves keep her company?
Esquire - Jan 1971
Posted By: Alex - Wed Dec 26, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Advertising, 1970s, Christmas
The Mountain of the Cannibal God
Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 21, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, Stereotypes and Cliches, Foreign Customs, 1970s
| 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 |