Category:
Anniversary

Apollo 11 Cuisine

I'm formally a day late with this entry--but yet, the Apollo 11 astronauts were still on the Moon 51 years ago today! Eating their ham-salad sandwiches.

Source.


Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 21, 2020 - Comments (2)
Category: Anniversary, Food, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, 1960s

The Radium Wedding

Much more exciting than Platinum.

Article source.



Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 03, 2019 - Comments (1)
Category: Anniversary, Husbands, Wives, 1910s

Robert Wadlow Centennial



We are a bit late with this, but it's still well worth the viewing.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 25, 2019 - Comments (1)
Category: Anniversary, Body, Differently Abled, Handicapped, Challenged, and Otherwise Atypical, Human Marvels

The Monk Calf of Freiberg

I don't recall any of this being discussed in October 2017 on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.




A misshapen calf, born in Freiberg, Saxony, on 8 December 1522, quickly became important in the German Reformation. It was born with oddly shaped legs (its hind legs straight as a human's) and with a fold of skin over its head shaped like a cowl—hence its comparison to a monk. An illustration made its way to a Prague astrologer, who "discovered that the monster did indeed signify something terrible, indeed the most awful thing possible--Martin Luther."[10] Luther himself responded quickly with a pamphlet containing a mock exegesis of the creature, Monk Calf, in which the "Monk Calf" stands, in all its monstrosity, for the Catholic church.[12] Luther's anti-papist pamphlet appeared together with a tract by Philipp Melanchthon[13] which discussed a fictional monster, the Pope-Ass, a hybrid between a man and a donkey supposedly found near Rome after the 1496 flood.[14] Circulated in 1523, Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon's pamphlet was titled The Meaning of Two Horrific Figures, the Papal Ass at Rome and the Monk Calf Found at Freyberg in Meissen.[15] Luca Cranach the Elder and his workshop provided the illustrations of the Papal Ass and the Monk Calf for the pamphlet. Variations of Luther and Melanchthon’s pamphlet eventually were circulated, including one that depicted the Papal Ass and the Monk Calf in “an encounter between the two creatures. This opening page adds a new phrase to the title of the book: ‘with signs of the Day of Judgement.'"[16]


Source.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 31, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Anniversary, Religion, Europe, Sixteenth Century, Fictional Monsters

Go Back, Jack, Do It Again



As we approach the tenth anniversary of Weird Universe (founded mainly due to the genius and initiative of Chuck Shepherd, July 2008), Alex and I had the notion that newcomers might not have seen many of our past posts that were deserving of their amused attentions. Therefore, we are going to occasionally repost an oldie-but-goodie, bannered with a special header to identify it. We hope that even if you have been with us since the beginning, you will enjoy these reruns, which, of course, will not diminish our schedule of two new posts each and every day.

Just more weirdness for your enjoyment!

Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 03, 2018 - Comments (3)
Category: Anniversary, Weird Universe, Alex, Chuck, Paul

Chuck Shepherd:  NOTW Milestone



Friends: the post immediately below this one is Chuck's 1500th weekly column! Do the math, kids: Twenty-eight-plus years of brilliant curation and commentary. What else began in 1988 that is still going strong and undiminished? Oh, sure Afghanistan is still wracked by war. But is that an honorable achievement? No! The Phantom of the Opera debuted in 1988 and is still running. But I'll take Chuck over Andrew Lloyd Webber any day!

Please weigh in with your own thoughts and applause and appreciations. Perhaps your 28-year-old child somehow owes his or her birth to NOTW? Your marriage was saved by NOTW? You went to Washington as a humble Senator and conducted a noble filibuster by reciting NOTW columns? No? Well, in any case, Chuck has brightened many a day and life. That's what really matters.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 07, 2016 - Comments (13)
Category: Anniversary, Weird Universe, Chuck

Awesome Prank


Three year old Hailo cab company celebrates with a three year old cabbie, kind of.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Aug 09, 2015 - Comments (3)
Category: Anniversary, Pranks and Revenge, Children

Happy Birthday, NOTW!!!

image

Modest Chuck posted this little message at the end of his current column this week. I say, break out the champagne and cake!

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 06, 2013 - Comments (8)
Category: Anniversary, Weird Studies and Guides, Chuck

Happy Anniversary to Us!

image
[Left to right: Paul, Alex, Chuck and Patty]

Whoops! Meant to get this one up yesterday, but was swamped with work! Anyhow.....

The first post on WU was July 7, 2008.

Four years of weirdness! Nearly 14 million pages views! That's a lot of oddball fun!

Our thanks to all our readers and reader-posters. This blog simply would not work without you all!

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 08, 2012 - Comments (11)
Category: Anniversary, Weird Universe

Happy Ozzy Osbourne Bites the Head off a live bat 30th Anniversary!


January 20, 1982: During a concert in Des Moines, someone in the audience threw a live bat at the feet of Ozzy Osbourne, who proceeded to bite its head off. In honor of the anniversary of the day, here's the relevant passage from Ozzy's memoir, I Am Ozzy:

Immediately, though, something felt wrong. Very wrong. For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the worst aftertaste you could ever imagine. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin. Then the head in my mouth twitched. Oh fuck me, I thought. I didn't just go and eat a fucking bat, did I?
(via Rolling Stone)


Ozzy in 1982

Edit: Changed the title from "20th" to "30th" anniversary. Thanks, DownCrisis!

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 20, 2012 - Comments (6)
Category: Anniversary, Music

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Who We Are
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.

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