Eccentrics
Eight Songs for a Mad King
Essay detailing history of the piece here.The creator's Wikipedia page.
Let us know when you bail.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 31, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Eccentrics, Music, 1960s, Mental Health and Insanity, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
The Mole Man of London
For some reason I recalled recently the odd case of William Lyttle, the Mole Man of London, who dug out a warren of tunnels under his home.Lyttle, originally from Ireland, inherited a 20-room property in the London borough of Hackney. In the mid-sixties he dug out a wine cellar under his home. Having done so, he said that he had "found a taste for the thing" and kept on digging, for some forty years.[2] He created a network of tunnels, wide and narrow, on several levels. Tunnels led in all directions, some of them up to 18 metres (59 ft) in length, and reaching as far down as the water table.[3] One excavation connected with the Dalston Lane tunnel, and the railway line.
I was intrigued to learn that 3 years ago, his derelict house had been renovated and repurposed! Read about it, with many pics, at the link.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 24, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Domestic, Eccentrics, Caves, Caverns, Tunnels and Other Subterranean Venues, United Kingdom, Twentieth Century
Visit Gay’s Lion Farm
The Wikipedia page.A very detailed article on the place, with lots of photos.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 02, 2023 -
Comments ()
Category: Animals, Eccentrics, Hollywood, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s
Harry Bensley and his Unfulfilled Walk Around the World
This first image is somewhat well-known. At least, it often pops up in my searches. But what's the story behind it?
The whole story is here at his Wikipedia page. In short:
He had to walk around the world to fulfill a bet that he lost. It required him to wear an iron mask (a helmet from a suit of armor) to conceal his identity, and he also had to push a perambulator (baby carriage) throughout his travels. He called himself "The Man with the Iron Mask" (inspired by the seventeenth-century Man in the Iron Mask), and the only way he could support himself during his journey was by selling postcards and pamphlets
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 01, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Costumes and Masks, Eccentrics, Travel, Bets, Wagers, Challenges and Contracts, Twentieth Century
The Outre Costumes of Louise Glaum
The silent-screen star Louise Glaum had a reputation for eccentric fashions onscreen and off, as well as for odd pets.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 05, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Fashion, Movies, Pets, 1910s
The Reber Plan
In this era when we speculate about giant geoengineering schemes, we should honor such past visionaries as John Reber, who wanted to turn San Francisco Bay into two giant freshwater lakes.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 29, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Eccentrics, Engineering and Construction, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1950s
RIP Mehran Karimi Nasseri
Airport dweller Mehran Karimi Nasseri has passed away. His Wikipedia entry offers a good summary of his life.An obit is here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 13, 2022 -
Comments ()
Category: Domestic, Eccentrics, Emigrants, Immigrants and Borders, Air Travel and Airlines, Europe
Sun Ra Cover Art Book
Looks like a great Xmas present for WU-vies.Here's the publisher's page, with the Amazon link below.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 01, 2022 -
Comments ()
Category: Art, Eccentrics, Holidays, Music, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, Books
The Blood Book by John Bingley Garland
Read the fully story here, with all the illos.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 28, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Outsider Art, Books, Nineteenth Century, Blood
Kings Dethroned
Did you know our Sun was only 13,000 miles distant?Read it here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 25, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, Books
| 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 |