Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Shadowgraph measures beauty
It's interesting that they always have the contestants stand at a slight angle. You'd think it would be easier to have them stand facing the shadowgraph, in order to standardize the measurements.
Minneapolis Star - July 25, 1939
Chicago Tribune - July 24, 1939
Bristol Daily Courier - July 27, 1939
Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 20, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, 1930s
Miss Most Titles
Actress and singer Janis Paige earned the reputation of having the longest list of 'misses' in show business. Her career as a Miss began at the age of 9 when she was awarded the title of Miss Olive Oyl in a Popeye contest. She went on to be named (among other things) Miss Valley Aviation, Miss National Buddy Poppy, Miss Damsite, Miss Front Paige (named by Boston newspaper editors), Miss Delicious Apples, Miss Best Table Decoration, Miss Atomic Energy, Miss Airmail Parcel Post, and Miss Hollywood Canteen.According to wikipedia, she's currently 95 years old.
Miss Atomic Energy, 1948
Reno Gazette Journal - Apr 14, 1947
Des Moines Register - Jan 16, 1949
Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 06, 2017 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1940s
More Potato Chip Queens
Inspired by Paul's post yesterday about the Potato Chip Queen contest, I did some research over at newspapers.com (subscription required) and came up with what I believe is a complete list of the Potato Chip Queens from 1946 to 1956, except for 1947 for which year I can't find any info. Perhaps there was no queen that year. After 1956 the contest seems to have transitioned into a Miss Teen Potato Chip contest. So, not quite the same.Based on what I found, Nikki Geer was awarded the crown in 1946, but Paul found info indicating it was given to Dorothea Fagnano. Since Dorothea was only 15, I'm guessing she must have been given some kind of teen version of the crown.
Also, In 1952 the crown was given to a chipmunk ("Miss Potato Chip-munk").
Finally, the Potato Chip Queen for 1953, Joan Gehan (aka UN-KA-PU-CHI), was so popular that the next year they promoted her to "Miss Potato Chip of the Century."
1946: Nikki Geer
Shickshinny Mountain Echo - Nov 8, 1946
1948: Joan Smith
Opelousas Daily World - Feb 12, 1948
1949: Patricia Hunter
Zanesville Times Recorder - Jan 29, 1949
Edit: Found a picture of Pat Hunter's potato chip photoshoot in Life - Feb 28, 1949.
1950: Peggy Sharpe
Honolulu Star-Advertiser - Mar 19, 1950
1951: Edie Pike
Honolulu Star-Advertiser - Mar 4, 1951
1952: Miss Potato Chip-munk (with maid-in-waiting Ronda Sherwood)
Marengo Republican News - Feb 7, 1952
1953: Joan Gehan — promoted to "Miss Potato Chip of the Century" in 1954
Image via TOGACHIPGUY.com
Pittsburgh Press - Jan 28, 1954
1955: Ruth Burkhart
Kingsport Times-News - Mar 6, 1955
1956: Elaine Kuntz
Louisville Courier-Journal - Jan 29, 1956
Update: a better picture of the 1956 winner, Elaine Kuntz. (via Pinterest)
Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 23, 2017 -
Comments (5)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Junk Food, 1940s, 1950s
Spreadsheet Championship
John Dumoulin of Virginia recently won an international competition on Microsoft Excel proficiency, which was part of the larger Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship held in Anaheim, CA. People come from all over the world to test their skills at Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. (Though it's restricted to ages 13-22).Said Dumoulin: "Some of the foreign countries, they've been training for hours and hours and hours on end. When you first meet the international students, everyone's friendly, but when they find out you're competing against them in the same category, they get this fire in their eyes. They want to win."
More info: CTV News
Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 10, 2017 -
Comments (5)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Miss Garlic
"Miss Garlic will be chosen on the basis of personality, congeniality, talent, knowledge of garlic — and breath."
Greenville News - Feb 10, 1986
Southern Illinoisan - Feb 11, 1986
Posted By: Alex - Sun Aug 06, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1980s
Mr. and Miss Boll Weevil
This post is for KDP, who in response to Paul's post yesterday about the Maid of Cotton pageant, noted the apparent lack of a counterpart, Miss Boll Weevil.There is indeed a Miss Boll Weevil, as well as a Mr. Boll Weevil. These titles have periodically been conferred on students at Alabama's Enterprise State Community College, whose mascot is a boll weevil.
For instance, in 1972 Pat Hatcher and Bobby Bright were the students named Mr. and Miss Boll Weevil. Bright went on to serve as the U.S. Representative for Alabama's 2nd congressional district from 2009 to 2011. Bright was the first Democrat to represent the district since 1962, but he didn't win a second term.
The Montgomery Advertiser - Nov 15, 2000
The Montgomery Advertiser - Jan 23, 1972
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 22, 2017 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Contests, Races and Other Competitions
Hillevi Rombin and her Performing Dogs
Hillevi Rombin (1933-1996) was crowned Miss Universe in 1955. Her talents included gymnastics, track & field, skiing, and sausage snake charming. She demonstrated the latter with her "performing dogs" for National Kraut and Frankfurter Week.More info: wikipedia, cardcow.com
Rombin crowned Miss Universe
1955: with her performing dogs
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 05, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1950s
Edward Seese Memorial Scholarship
When millionaire real estate investor Edward Seese died in March 1995, he left instructions in his will to fund a $4.5 million scholarship at Broward Community College. The recipients of the scholarship, he instructed, were to be high school students who earned a C average. He felt that scholarships typically went to high academic achievers, so the C students had been "left out in the cold."The scholarship still seems to be available to those who qualify.
Tallahassee Democrat - June 21, 1995
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 28, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Education, Universities, Colleges, Private Schools and Academia, 1990s
Miss Bomarc Interceptor Missile
The missile is the supersonic Bomarc anti-aircraft missile developed by Boeing and the University of Michigan Aeronautical Research Center. The woman is 18-year-old Fran Frost. The year was 1958.
Fran Frost went on to be Miss Utah State Fair, Miss Dairy Queen, and Miss World Contact Lens, but then retired from modeling.
Read her full story at Conelrad Adjacent.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 10, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, 1950s, Weapons
Summer Redneck Games
Held annually in Dublin, Georgia since 1996. Events include redneck horseshoes (using toilet seats), the mud pit belly flop, armpit serenade, watermelon seed spitting, and bobbing for pig's feet. They also promise you'll see a lot of butt crack, camouflage, and four-wheel drives.More info: Summer Redneck Games, pinterest
Posted By: Alex - Fri May 19, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Games, Hillbillies, Country Bumpkins, Ruralism and Flyover Country
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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 books such as Elephants on Acid. 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. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |