Education
Augmented Roman
Augmented Roman was one of the periodic attempts to improve and rationalize the English alphabet. Introduced in the 1960s by Sir James Pitman, the idea was to expand the alphabet from 26 letters to 43, and to have each letter represent a single, distinct sound. Unlike the current alphabet in which letters can have different sounds depending on context.Proponents of Augmented Roman imagined teaching children to read using this improved alphabet, and then having the kids switch over to the standard alphabet later. And that's where the plan ran aground, because most people figured that if kids have to learn the standard alphabet anyway, just teach them that from the beginning.
image source: omnivorenz
Tampa Bay Times - Sep 2, 1962
Tampa Bay Times - Sep 2, 1962
Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 25, 2019 -
Comments (7)
Category: Education, Languages, 1960s
Raising a Perfect Wife From Scratch
Sabrina Sidney, was a British foundling girl taken in when she was 12 by author Thomas Day, who wanted to mould her into his perfect wife. Day had been struggling to find a wife who would share his ideology and had been rejected by several women. Inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's book Emile, or On Education, he decided to educate two girls without any frivolities, using his own concepts.
In 1769, Day and his barrister friend, John Bicknell, chose Sidney and another girl, Lucretia, from orphanages, and falsely declared they would be indentured to Day's friend Richard Lovell Edgeworth. Day took the girls to France to begin Rousseau's methods of education in isolation. After a short time, he returned to Lichfield with only Sidney, having deemed Lucretia inappropriate for his experiment. He used unusual, eccentric, and sometimes cruel, techniques to try to increase her fortitude, such as firing blanks at her skirts, dripping hot wax on her arms, and having her wade into a lake fully dressed to test her resilience to cold water.
The full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 07, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, Education, Husbands, Wives, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century, Love & Romance
Sparky’s Hazard House
Although not as famous as McGruff the Crime Dog, Sparky the Fire Dog has been around for a while.
I am particularly interested in his "house of death by incineration" diorama.
Apparently you can still purchase one from this company.
You might also want their Hazard Farm model.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 02, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Death, Destruction, Domestic, Education, Corporate Mascots, Icons and Spokesbeings, Children, 1950s
Sti-Yu-Ka Oatmeal Ritual
Sti-Yu-Ka, a well known tradition at Springfield College, started as a variety of activities planned in celebration on the eve of Stepping Up Day, Springfield College’s way of marking the academic accomplishments of students as members of each class advance a year in their college careers. It is held during the end of the school year. Sti-Yu-Ka was founded in 1961 by Dr. Irving Conrad, then president of the Student Government Association. The name Sti-Yu-Ka seems to have come from the Springfield College club Hosaga, a club that performed Native American traditional ceremonial dances and songs. The name seems to have come from a dance that was performed on the eve of the achievement of adulthood and meant “The Coming of Age,” an appropriate name for an event on the eve of Stepping Up Day.At the time of its creation, Sti-Yu-Ka events started on Saturday at around 1 p.m. and went until the late night/early morning hours on Sunday. Conrad tried to create events that would take the focus away from alcohol. Such activities included a pig roast, canoe races, pie eating contests, square dancing, egg tossing, Jell-O wrestling, roller skating, a greased pig chase, fireworks on Rally Hill, and even the act of smashing a car. However, drinking did become a part of these activities and over the years the Office of Student Affairs increased the official Sti-Yu-Ka events from one weekend to one week, its present length. Again, this was done in an effort to keep students on campus doing activities that were social in nature, and to allow students to spend time with their peers and to try not to focus on alcohol. Although new events are thrown into the lineup, some staple events that have remained as Sti-Yu-Ka tradition over the years are the comedian on opening night, the Campus Activities Board’s Midnight Bingo, Residence Life’s Taste of SC, and the Greased Pole Climb and Oatmeal Pass.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 17, 2017 -
Comments (0)
Category: Ceremonies, Education, Universities, Colleges, Private Schools and Academia, Food, Regionalism
The Annals of State-Sponsored Corporal Punishment
Kids these days--so unreasonable!
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Nov 09, 2017 -
Comments (9)
Category: Body, Screams, Grunts and Other Exclamations, Education, 1970s
Edward Seese Memorial Scholarship
When millionaire real estate investor Edward Seese died in March 1995, he left instructions in his will to fund a $4.5 million scholarship at Broward Community College. The recipients of the scholarship, he instructed, were to be high school students who earned a C average. He felt that scholarships typically went to high academic achievers, so the C students had been "left out in the cold."The scholarship still seems to be available to those who qualify.
Tallahassee Democrat - June 21, 1995
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 28, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Education, Universities, Colleges, Private Schools and Academia, 1990s
Chicago’s War on Syphilis
Imagine the uproar if this were attempted today.
Full article here.
Chicago's War on Syphilis: 1937-1940
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 10, 2017 -
Comments (5)
Category: Education, Civic Duties, Teenagers, 1930s, Diseases
Great Harvard Panty Raid of 1965
The proud past of a progressive institution.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 29, 2017 -
Comments (7)
Category: Antisocial Activities, Destruction, Education, Universities, Colleges, Private Schools and Academia, Underwear, 1960s, Men, Women
The High School That Rocked
"Before touring became big business for promoters who elevated rock shows to an art, even name-brand bands played pretty much anywhere. It’s an interesting component of the early rock era that’s explored in the upcoming documentary The High School That Rocked!, which takes a look at one Connecticut school that somehow managed to lure a slew of classic-rock legends — including Cream, the Doors and the Yardbirds, among others."
Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 08, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Education, Music, 1960s
Louis Marinoff, Philosophical Counselor
Original article here.His Wikipedia page.
Still teaching.
Still counseling, via Skype.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 30, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Education, New Age, Philosophy, 1990s
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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 |