1980s
The Ohwadas and their Tattoos
An instance of the Formerly Weird becoming No Longer Weird.
Original article here.
More pics here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 09, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Art, Eccentrics, Museums, Foreign Customs, 1980s, Asia
The Seat That Burns
Concerned by an increasing number of attacks on cab drivers, Parisian taxi drivers in 1987 began outfitting their cars with a device called "le siege qui brule" ('the seat that burns'), which could electrify unruly passengers with 52,000 volts.As far as I can tell, the devices were outlawed a few months after their introduction.
Hazleton Standard-Speaker - Oct 23, 1987
Posted By: Alex - Mon Mar 18, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Crime, Motor Vehicles, 1980s
Dr. John Bongiovanni, the blind surgeon
So, how many decisions during surgery don't require eyesight?
Philadelphia Daily News - Mar 2, 1984
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Aug 26, 1984
Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 16, 2019 -
Comments (7)
Category: Surgery, 1980s, Eyes and Vision
Mannequin
Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 14, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Delusions, Fantasies and Other Tricks of the Imagination, Fashion, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, 1980s
The day my kid went punk
1987 ABC Afterschool Special. You might recognize Doc from The Love Boat as the father of the wayward teenager.IMDB page.
Akron Beacon Journal - Oct 21, 1987
Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 11, 2019 -
Comments (5)
Category: Music, Television, 1980s
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
The Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 08, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Antisocial Activities, Bums, Hobos, Tramps, Beggars, Panhandlers and Other Streetpeople, Disasters, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, 1980s, Fictional Monsters
Spanish for the California farmer
First published in 1981. It included translations for phrases a farmer might need to communicate with his workers, such as, “Clean up your camp. You live like a f**king pig.”One of the authors noted: “This is a practical book. This is not a grammar book. If you want to have beautiful Spanish, you can get your grammar books and go to school. If you want to be practical in a farm case, you have to know the slang. People use the language.”
The book is available on Amazon, though listed as “Out of Print — Limited Availability.”
Wilmington Morning News - Jan 9, 1983
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 28, 2019 -
Comments (7)
Category: Languages, Books, 1980s
Mystery Gadget 70
What is this tool used for?
Answer is here.
Or after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 11, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Technology, 1980s
Juror spots stolen shoes
Either this was an ingenious way to get out of jury duty, or a truly random coincidence.What I find particularly odd is that the shoes were obviously pretty crappy, with paint spots and frayed laces. So somewhat weird that someone would steal them in the first place, and then choose to wear them while serving as a witness at a trial... and then, by sheer chance, the owner of the shoes happens to be in the jury.
Fort Lauderdale News - Jan 18, 1986
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 07, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Crime, Shoes, 1980s
The Deaccelerator
Richard Schulman's solution to the problem of speeding: make it harder for motorists to step on the gas pedal. From the Chicago Tribune (Nov 20, 1986):Schulman invented it in the mid-1980s, and even started a company, the Deaccelerator Corporation, to market it. As of 2005, he was still publishing about it, but evidently the idea met with resistance (pun intended) since I'm not aware of any cars equipped with the device. The people who need it most would be exactly the ones who would refuse to buy a car that had one.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 06, 2019 -
Comments (6)
Category: Inventions, 1980s, Cars
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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 |