Category:
Charities and Philanthropy

The Rose Percy Doll

Read here the whole history of a very expensive doll that became the Junior Red Cross's icon.

Under Bertha [Peter’s] care, Rose Percy aided worthy causes for a sixty-year period. In 1919, near the end of her life, Bertha placed Rose on temporary loan to the American Red Cross Museum in Washington D.C. The very next year, Bertha gifted Rose to the organization, and with that gift, she became the official mascot of the Junior Red Cross. Rose served in that capacity for over eighty years, and during that time greeted visitors from all over the world.

The year 2010 found the American Red Cross facing deficits, so the decision was made to sell off valuable assets in order to reduce their debt. Countless historic artifacts were sent to the auction block, including Rose Percy, who is in fact, older than the Red Cross itself.






Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 04, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Charities and Philanthropy, Medicine, Dolls and Stuffed Animals, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Twenty-first Century

All Star Festival:  The Very First Modern Benefit Concert



Wikipedia informs us that the very first modern-day benefit concert is deemed to be 1971's CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH. But what has slipped thru the cracks is a 1963 album and event which has the weird distinction of being sponsored by that famous pop music promoter--the United Nations. Below the article are clips from the live performance and a portion of the album.

The album's entry at Discogs.



















Posted By: Paul - Thu Jun 08, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Charities and Philanthropy, Music, International Cooperation, Global Events and Planetary-scale Happenings, 1960s

Oklahoma’s Square Dance Queen


Fifty-one ladies representing 51 towns competed. I wish I had a better picture of the winner.








Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 19, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Charities and Philanthropy, Regionalism, 1950s, Dance

Las Floristas Headdress Ball

It seems that this charity group does not do the annual Headdress Ball any longer. But we can still marvel at the past.


See more photos here.
















Posted By: Paul - Thu May 05, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Charities and Philanthropy, Fashion, Headgear, Twentieth Century, Twenty-first Century

Balloonfest ‘86

From Wikipedia:

Balloonfest '86 was a 1986 event in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, in which the local chapter of United Way set a world record by releasing almost one-and-a-half million balloons.[2] The event was intended to be a harmless fundraising publicity stunt, but the balloons drifted back over the city, Lake Erie, and landed in the surrounding area, causing problems for traffic and a nearby airport. The event also interfered with a United States Coast Guard search for two boaters who were later found drowned.[1] In consequence, the organizers and the city faced lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages,[1] and cost overruns put the event at a net loss.







Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 18, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: Charities and Philanthropy, Disasters, Noises and Other Public Disturbances of the Peace, Urban Life, Air Travel and Airlines, 1980s

Baby and Cockroach

In 2003, the UK children's charity Barnardo's came out with the ad below. It promptly triggered numerous complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority. Barnardo's argued that it "caused distress for good reason, but the ASA banned the ad anyway, saying it could "cause serious or widespread offense."

The ad was subsequently voted one of the top 10 ads of 2003 by Campaign magazine.

Of course, the charity must have known it was likely the ad would get banned, but evidently figured the controversy would attract more attention to their message than something more subdued.



Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 15, 2020 - Comments (3)
Category: Babies, Charities and Philanthropy, Insects and Spiders, Advertising, Nausea, Revulsion and Disgust

Home for Incurables

As late as 1952, "homes for incurables" were a going concern. Contemporary medicine seems to have abandoned the term "incurable" in favor of others that are perhaps less of a downer.



Source.



Source.



Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 03, 2019 - Comments (2)
Category: Architecture, Charities and Philanthropy, History, Medicine, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century

Gary Numan Unicef Concert:  1979



This is exactly the kind of performance that evokes for me the tragedy of starving Third World children.


Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 19, 2017 - Comments (4)
Category: Aliens, Charities and Philanthropy, Eccentrics, Music, 1970s, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults

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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.

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