Death
Upright Burial
Over in Australia, Darwin City Council Alderman Gary Lambert is in the news for proposing that bodies should be buried upright, in order to save space in the local cemetery. He also thinks the corpses should be frozen before burial because, "If it's not frozen, it will wobble and move, and this makes sure that the body is in a straight position and can fit inside the hole."His idea about burying bodies frozen is actually more original than burying them upright, because those who worry about making the burial process more efficient have been pushing the upright burial concept for a long time. In fact, there's already an Australian company, Upright Burials, dedicated to promoting this method. Their infographic is below. As you can see, they've solved the problem of how to bury a body unfrozen without it wobbling and moving.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 19, 2013 -
Comments (7)
Category: Death
Chicken Plucker
A new height in boredom--until the actual killing begins.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Mar 04, 2013 -
Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Boredom, Death, Food, Industry, Factories and Manufacturing, Rube Goldberg Devices
Charley Says
In this dangerous world, God help all kids who don't have a child-sized cat friend with feline Tourette's Syndrome.
So popular, they have been collected on DVD.
Not to be confused with this other "Charlie says!"
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 27, 2013 -
Comments (10)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Death, Disasters, PSA’s, Advertising, Candy, Cats, Europe
Doc Owens, Con Man
As early as December 1900, the notorious Doc Owens was making headlines, having established his racket of fleecing sea-going sheep.
READ LEFT-HAND COLUMN, THEN RIGHT-HAND COLUMN, THEN SAME FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING.
Three years later, The New York Times did a special feature on Owens and his fellows (with his photo miscaptioned).
Click here for very readable PDF download.
But Owens was to meet poetic justice in 1912, as our final piece reveals.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 15, 2013 -
Comments (2)
Category: Crime, Death, Disasters, Frauds, Cons and Scams, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1900s, 1910s, Gambling, Casinos, Lotteries and Other Games of Chance
Cremain Art
Alabama artist Sergio Protillo adds something a little special into his paint — cremains. People bring him the cremains of their loved ones, and he mixes them into some paint and creates a painting that's "like an additional memory to the person's life." He says one client cried when he saw his family member's cremain painting. [whnt.com]
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 13, 2013 -
Comments (4)
Category: Art, Death
Musical Decomposition
It comes with a headstone that tells visitors what is playing down below as well.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 22, 2013 -
Comments (12)
Category: Death
A Strange Burial, 1736
From The History of Lymington, and its immediate vicinity, by David William Garrow (1825):"Samuel Baldwin, Esq. sojourner in this parish, was immersed without the Needles, sans ceremonie, May 20, 1736. It was ever his request, whilst living, that his body might be so disposed of after his death, from a superstitious notion that his wife, in the instance of her surviving him, would dance over his grave, actuated by a spirit of vindictiveness for his conjugal infidelity."
Lymington Parish Church
Update: "without the Needles" refers to a location — Needles Point.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 21, 2013 -
Comments (9)
Category: Death, Obituaries, Eighteenth Century
Zulu Blowgun Free
Oh, just imagine the glorious lawsuit possibilities if this toy were offered today!
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 15, 2013 -
Comments (7)
Category: Death, Stereotypes and Cliches, Toys, Lawsuits, 1920s, Africa
12th century reliquary that looks like the Aurora shooter
I was looking through a book of art history when I came across this photo of a reliquary of St. Vitale, made around 1170. A reliquary is a container for holding sacred relics, such as the bones or body parts of saints. This reliquary, made out of bronze with encrusted enamel, held pieces of what were supposed to be St. Vitale's skull. The skull pieces "could be placed in (and removed from) the container through a concealed opening at the rear of the sculpted head." To be honest, I'm not sure which St. Vitale this is supposed to represent, because there are a couple of them.But what really struck me, as soon as I saw the photo, was how much the reliquary, with its creepy staring eyes, resembled James Holmes, the Aurora shooter. Compare for yourself!
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jan 12, 2013 -
Comments (4)
Category: Art, Costumes and Masks, Death
Tombstone for a Trout
Mrs. Keyte of Blockley, Gloucestershire had a pet trout that would eat worms from her hand. When it died in 1855, she erected a tombstone in its honor. That tombstone remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Blockley. And it's perhaps the only tombstone for a trout in the world. [National Geographic, 1917]
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 07, 2013 -
Comments (3)
Category: Death, Obituaries, Pets, Fish, Monuments, Sightseeing, Nineteenth Century
| 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 |