Cars
Miss Terraplane
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 30, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Contests, Races and Other Competitions, 1930s, Cars
Follies of the Madmen #352
Put the noisy little brats in the unsafe cargo area, why not?
Source of ad.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Feb 19, 2018 -
Comments (12)
Category: Business, Advertising, Family, Children, Parents, 1980s, Cars
The Trippel SG6
A German entry in the amphibious car sweepstakes.
It's the final car in the video parade below.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 21, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, Europe, Cars
Drive-Thru Funeral Home
In 1968, Herschel Thornton of Atlanta, Georgia opened the world's first drive-thru funeral home. He called it a "mortatorium." The press dubbed it the "remains to be seen" funeral home.It featured five windows in which bodies could be viewed from the comfort of one's car. Thornton noted, "Folks will be able just to drive by and view the last remains of their loved ones, and then keep going."
The Thornton Mortuary is still around. Herschel died in 1995, so the mortuary is now run by his son and grandchildren. Their website has a page about the "historic drive-thru viewing window." But based on the Google street view image of the mortuary, it looks like the drive-thru option is no longer available.
image source: professionalcarsociety.org
image source: Thornton mortuary
The Greenville News - Mar 14, 1968
However, other funeral homes eventually followed in the path blazed by Thornton. Quartz magazine reports that Japan debuted its first drive-thru funeral home in 2017. And below is an AP news report about a drive-thru mortuary that opened in Michigan in 2014.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 11, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Death, 1960s, Cars
Hairnets for hippies
Logically their concerns should have extended to all long-haired drivers, whether hippies or not. But evidently the Automobile Legal Association simply didn't like hippies.
Belvedere Daily Republican - Dec 11, 1968
Posted By: Alex - Sun Dec 24, 2017 -
Comments (4)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Cars, 1960s
The Hoffmann
Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 23, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Design and Designers, 1950s, Cars
Follies of the Madmen #332
Wait a minute--this is my own tire on my own car that is being represented as a hideous criminal killer! And since I, the driver, am responsible for my own tires, I must be a hideous criminal killer too!
Way to make your customers feel good about themselves!
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 29, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Business, Advertising, Corporate Mascots, Icons and Spokesbeings, Products, 1930s, Cars
More stolen lampposts
Phideaux draws our attention to yet another attempt at stealing lampposts by strapping them to the roof of a car. In Florida, this time. A month ago it was the Netherlands.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 14, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Crime, Cars
Armless Driver Fights Loss of License
Ray Myers was known as the 'armless musician.' He was born in 1911 without arms, but he taught himself to play the guitar with his feet, and he became quite accomplished. Good enough that he was considered to be talented in his own right, not just as a curiosity.
Myers also taught himself how to drive a car using only his feet. Not a specially outfitted car. Just a normal one. (Though I'm assuming it was an automatic.) But in 1965, after driving without incident for 29 years, he lost his license. The reason: the state's new computer flagged his license to be revoked when it came across the notation in his file that he had been "born without arms."
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Jan 18, 1965
Myers appealed the decision, and (probably thanks to all the media attention the case got) was allowed to take a special exam. Two weeks later he was driving again.
Sayre Evening Times - Jan 28, 1965
Myers died in 1987 at the age of 75. More info about him at missioncreep.com and Arcane Radio Trivia.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 07, 2017 -
Comments (7)
Category: Human Marvels, 1960s, Cars
Art Arfons and the Green Monster
Love that rocketship design!
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 18, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Contests, Races and Other Competitions, 1960s, Cars
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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 |