Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Miss Sputnik
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 02, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, 1950s
Miss Sewer Cleaner
I posted about Gaylia Davis, aka 'Miss Sewer Cleaner,' back in 2016. At the time I wondered what became of her. And did being Miss Sewer Cleaner boost her career? Recently I was contacted by her granddaughter, Rose, who supplied an answer, which is appended below, beneath the original post. Not surprisingly, it doesn't seem as if being Miss Sewer Cleaner had much, if any, impact on her career. But she certainly went on to have an interesting life regardless.October 1951: Gaylia Davis, 17, was awarded the title "Miss Sewer Cleaner of 1952." She reflected philosophically that, "It may be a soggy title but if it helps my career I don't care."
I can't figure out what became of her after 1951. So it's hard to know if it helped her career or not.
Southern Illinoisan - Oct 15, 1951
Detroit Free Press - Oct 11, 1951
Detroit Free Press - Dec 23, 1951
Detroit Free Press - Dec 23, 1951
Update: Below is the text of the email from Gaylia's granddaughter. And below that are some pictures she also sent along.
She (all American girl) and my (Cuban) grandfather (a la I love Lucy) ended up getting married here in Miami Beach and having 6 kids together. The only daughter (the rest are boys) they had, Debbie, is my mother. She was born and raised in Miami Beach. We are still in Miami to this day.
Gaylia ended up becoming a local fixture on the streets of Miami Beach as she decided to live as a homeless evangelist. She was called “Mother Mary” or “the Bible Lady” by locals.
I remember wanting to visit her as teen and having to ask strangers if they knew where the “bible lady” was. They’d point to some park bench or mumble a street name and I’d find her with a tattled Bible in hand and preaching to any passerby.
Gaylia only recently passed at the end of 2018. Up to her dying day, she was still quick witted, humorous, tough, and of sound mind. She could still talk politics, history, and culture.
She has always been an enigma to me and even more so now as I get older myself.
Anyway, thanks for listening and asking!
"This is her and my grandfather."
"My grandfather is the second guy on the left and she’s the last woman to the right."
"the ticket of a show that they both performed in together"
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 23, 2020 -
Comments (14)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1950s
Unconsented-to Staring Contest
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 13, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Annoying Things, Antisocial Activities, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 2000s, Eyes and Vision
National Doughnut Queen 1952
Source.
Diane Scholen, left, and Pat Kizeminski, right (runners-up) place doughnut crown on Nancy Templeton, National Doughnut Queen
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 22, 2020 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Food, 1950s
Hair Freezing Contest
Ever since 2011, the Takhini Hot Pools in the Yukon have hosted a Hair Freezing Contest. More details and pics at hairfreezingcontest.com.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 26, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Hair and Hairstyling
The Universal Beauty Trip
There's a great novel or film lurking in this historical incident.In the summer of 1915, in large part in order to advertise the existence of his newly-established Universal City Studios, Universal Moving Pictures President Carl Laemelle organized a cross-country procession that would culminate in a beauty pageant at Universal City, California (which, like Universal Studios, Laemelle had only founded in March of that year). Comprising "America's Most Beautiful Girls" from each of the forty-eight states, as well as studio representatives including Laemelle himself, the Universal Beauty Trip proceeded by automobile and rail from the East Coast to California, stopping at major cities along the way and at important tourist sites like the Grand Canyon
Read entire article here.
Foto source.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 07, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Movies, 1910s
Best Undressed Woman of the Year
In 1940, the New York Art Students' League awarded a title it called the "Best Undressed Woman of the Year." They chose actress Janice Logan as the winner.The art students apparently intended this as a satirical response to the media's love for declaring various actresses as the 'best dressed' woman of the year. 1940 seems to have been the only year in which they awarded the title, and it doesn't seem like winning the award did much for Logan's career.
The Davenport Daily Times - Feb 26, 1940
Posted By: Alex - Thu Dec 12, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1940s
Freestyle Canoeing
Why hasn't freestyle canoeing been made an olympic event yet?The performance begins at around 1:20.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Nov 24, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Sports
Charles “Zimmy” Zibelman, the “Human Fish”
Zimmy footage starts circa 1:05
Source.
Source.
Another article here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Nov 23, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Human Marvels, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Twentieth Century
Miss Sasquatch Queen
At the Sasquatch Winter Carnival in Saskatchewan, they annually elected a "Miss Sasquatch Queen." Laura Medland, below, was the 1969 winner. Note the Sasquatch patch she's wearing.
Regina Leader-Post - Feb 25, 1970
And there seems to have been a rival Miss Sasquatch contest: the Sasquatch queen pageant held at the Regina Inn. Dona Doan, below, won that title in 1969.
So, in 1969 there were two Sasquatch Queens in Saskatchewan.
Regina Leader-Post - Feb 17, 1969
Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 14, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1960s
| 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. Contact Us |