Animals
Company seeks frozen sparrows
1978: The Taiei Company of Japan contacted the U.S. State Department seeking an American company willing to provide it with frozen sparrows "at regular intervals". The company was ready to "give guidance on how to catch small birds and how to process them".
Bangor Daily News - Jan 14, 1978
According to the British Food History site, sparrows used to be a common part of the British diet.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 28, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Food, 1970s
Horse Spike
In 1899, Patent No. 636,430 was granted to Franz and Konrad Hieke of Philadelphia for what they described as "cavalry equipment". It was essentially a large spike attached to the front of a horse. From their patent:
A better view:
Argos Reflector - Feb 8, 1900
I wonder if one of these was ever actually used in combat?
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 22, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Inventions, Patents, Weapons, Nineteenth Century
Boar Mate
Miami Herald - Jun 08, 1979
It's available for purchase here.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 12, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, 1970s, Attractiveness, Sexiness, Allure and Personal Magnetism
The Boy Fancier
Published in 1912, the title of this book really hasn't aged well. Although even in 1912 I imagine the title could easily have been misconstrued.Looking up the word 'fancier' in the dictionary, I found that it means: "a connoisseur or enthusiast of something, especially someone who has a special interest in or breeds a particular animal." I hadn't known that the word had this association with animal breeding.
Nature offered this review of the book:
Posted By: Alex - Wed May 26, 2021 -
Comments (5)
Category: Animals, Books, 1910s
Banana Ganesh
Read all about it here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 24, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Art, Statues and Monuments, Food, Religion, Bananas
Help…It’s the Hair Bear Bunch!
The Wikipedia page.According to author Christopher P. Lehman, Hanna-Barbera "dress[ed] the bears in counterculture apparel" in order to stay on track with the "mainstream" fashion in the United States.
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 22, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Television, Cartoons, 1970s
Buckeye Beer
The revitalized company still exists today, but no mention of reinstating their "mascots," Buck and Billy.Read the history here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri May 14, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Human Marvels, Regionalism, Advertising, Corporate Mascots, Icons and Spokesbeings, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Alcohol
Escaped Tiger, 1915 Version
The tale of the Houston Tiger is okay, but not a patch on the 1915 event.
Source: The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California 03 Oct 1915, Sun Page 11
Posted By: Paul - Thu May 13, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Death, Hollywood, 1910s
The Sacred Chickens of Rome
Strange custom: The ancient Romans were reportedly loath to embark on any major undertaking, particularly battles, before they had consulted sacred chickens. As told by HistoryCollection.com:
Publius Claudius Pulcher And The Sacred Chickens
However, the advice of the sacred chickens wasn't always followed. As told by the Anecdotes from Antiquity blog:
Posted By: Alex - Wed May 05, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Customs, Religion
Follies of the Madmen #502
Baby Napoleon plus goat = ?Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 17, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Ambiguity, Uncertainty and Deliberate Obscurity, Animals, Business, Advertising, Domestic, 1950s
| 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 |