Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Miss Anti-Freeze
It's Anti-Freeze Week! Or, at least, it could have been if DuPont was still promoting this car-maintenance holiday. It usually fell sometime in mid to late October.Here's a few of the young women on whom the title of "Miss Anti-Freeze" was bestowed.
Grenola Gazette - Oct 16, 1952
Pike County Dispatch - Oct 8, 1953
Taylor Daily Press - Oct 20, 1953
Wausau Daily Herald - Oct 12, 1953
Alabama Citizen - Oct 30, 1954
Salem News - Oct 17, 1955
Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 21, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1950s, Cars
Farrah Fawcett Lookalike Contest Winners
In the late 1970s, Farrah Fawcett was, without a doubt, the most famous sex symbol in the world, thanks to her best-selling poster and role on Charlie's Angels. For a while, a Farrah craze swept the nation, inspiring a slew of lookalike contests. Below are some of the winners.
Gallagher posing in front of the Farrah poster.
Detroit Free Press - Feb 2, 1977
In her day job, Gallagher was a clerk for the UPS, but after winning the contest she signed up with a modeling agency and landed various paid appearances as a Farrah lookalike, such as a gig (below) at Rosella's furniture store in Greenville, Mississippi. (Dobbs was her married name.)
Delta Democrat-Times - Jun 24, 1977
Calgary Herald - Oct 7, 1978
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 14, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Celebrities, 1970s
Healthiest US Pair
This is quite a distinction conferred by the 4-H congress of Chicago. I assume they examined every person in the USA before deciding.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 07, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Health, 1930s
The Bielefeld Conspiracy
Ever since 1993, a conspiracy has circulated online alleging that the German city of Bielefeld doesn’t exist. Now the city is pushing back by offering a million euros to anyone who can definitively prove it doesn’t exist.Entries can be submitted in either German or English, but the deadline is Sep. 4. So there’s not much time left.
It seems to me that the contest has set an impossible task, because it's well known that a negative can never be proven. For instance, we can't definitively prove that the Loch Ness Monster doesn't exist. We can only say that we haven't found her yet.
But on the other hand, the opposite is equally true. It's impossible to definitively prove anything with absolute certainty. For instance, what if someone believes that Bielefeld exists because they've lived there their entire life? Well, that doesn't actually prove anything. As Bertrand Russell pointed out in his five-minute hypothesis, it's possible that the entire universe sprang into existence five minutes ago, complete with our memories of an older history. It may seem unlikely, but it's possible. So likewise, just because someone remembers living in Bielefeld, it's possible that their memories are false.
Which is to say that even if no one wins the million euros by proving that Bielefeld doesn't exist, that doesn't mean the city actually does exist. The existence of Bielefeld can never be definitively proven or disproven.
More info: epoch times
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 30, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Geography and Maps, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists
Culver City Fiesta La Ballona Queen
Fiesta Queen finalists -- These ten girls are finalists in the Culver City Fiesta La Ballona queen contest to select five girls to reign over the community celebration Aug. 3-5. They will appear at Veterans Memorial Auditorium Friday night. July 14, when judges will pick the five finalists. From left they are Sally Adler of Westchester; Merry Allison of West Los Angeles; Marie Bailey of Culver City; Sandra Bettin of Santa Monica; Sally Jane Hutchison of Culver City; Mickey Jines of Venice; Doris Turner of Westchester; Barbara McMillan of Westchester; Connie Sue Moore of Culver City; Darlene Bevington of Culver City".
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 14, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Regionalism, 1960s
World Black Pudding Throw Championship
The Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Wed May 08, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Eccentrics, Food, Regionalism, United Kingdom
Masquerade Party
Here's what's really weird about this show: a poet, Ogden Nash, and an author, Ilka Chase, were not considered too highbrow for a game show, and were recognized by the mass audience. Try that today!
Of course, having Dagmar on the show did not hurt.
The other parts of this episode also on YouTube.
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 04, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Celebrities, Disguises, Impersonations, Mimics and Forgeries, Games, Literature, Television, 1950s
Nenana Ice Classic
Every year since 1917 the folks up in Nenana, Alaska have been placing bets on when the ice in the Tanana River will break up. They place a tripod out on the frozen river in February, and when the tripod moves downstream far enough to break the cord attached to it, the river ice is officially considered broken up.You can place bets by mail, and could win as much as $300,000 (depending on how many people enter the contest). Proceeds go to charity. $2.50 per guess.
Details at NenanaIceClassic.com
The past winning times:
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 06, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Miss Christmas Tree 1951
Selected 'Miss Christmas Tree of 1951' by 40 members of the UCLA chapter, Sigma Chi fraternity, is 24-year-old Diane Dearborn. Miss Dearborn, who arrived in the United States seven weeks ago from Paris, France, is a singer. The collegians saw her picture in a newspaper, reported 'she seemed prettier that the rest of them'.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 16, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Holidays, 1950s
Miss Popcorn
A few of the holders of the "Miss Popcorn" title. It seems the title must have been discontinued after Miss Popcorn of 1952 generated a bit of bad press.
Chicago Tribune - Oct 21, 1950
Cincinnati Enquirer - Mar 11, 1951
Palm Beach Post - Nov 12, 1952
Windsor Star - Aug 6, 1953
Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 11, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Food, 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 |