Historical Figure
USC’s Helen of Troy Contest
The University of Southern California used to elect a woman as "Helen of Troy."
Finalist for Helen of Troy (University of Southern California), 10 November 1960. Mary Elinor Memory; Lynne Helene Hunsucker; Marcia Anne Northrop; Barbara Louise Stephens; Linda Eleanor Scott.; Caption slip reads: "Photographer: Miller. Date: 1960-11-10. Assignment: Finalist for Helen of Troy. L to r: Mary Elinor Memory; Lynne Helene Hunsucker; Marcia Anne Northrop; Barbara Louise Stephens; Linda Eleanor Scott".
Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 20, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Regionalism, Historical Figure, Twentieth Century
Robert Quillen’s Monument to Eve
Robert Quillen was once a well-known humorist, but is nigh-forgotten today. However, still standing is one of his pranks. A whimsical statue dedicated to "the first woman."Official South Carolina page on Quillen here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 20, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Humor, Newspapers, Regionalism, Religion, Statues and Monuments, Historical Figure
The Fate of the Heart of King Louis XIV
This newspaper squib gives the essentials. But visit this page to learn more about Buckland and the incident.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 14, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Body, Cannibalism, Royalty, Historical Figure
Will Rogers Nominates Henry Ford for President
The election season heats up!
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 17, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Politics, Historical Figure, 1920s, Comedians, Cars
Petrarch’s Cat
If you make a visit to Italy and visit the museum-home of the author Petrarch, you will get to see the mummified body of his adored cat.Or so the legend goes. Actually, the cat corpse is a mere four hundred years old, created by the person who owned the house in the 1600s.
Read about it here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 12, 2022 -
Comments (0)
Category: Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Historical Figure, Cats, Europe
Perkin Warbeck, Pretender to the British Throne
Essay here.
Dealing with Warbeck cost Henry VII over £13,000 (equivalent to £10,301,000 in 2019)
Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 26, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: History, Historical Figure, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Royalty
Banvard’s Folly
I am halfway thru reading this book and can testify to its greatness, and to its allure for all WU-vies. I have already learned about so many hoaxes, weirdos and charlatans I never knew about before.Here's how the book opens:
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 01, 2021 -
Comments (8)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, History, Historical Figure, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Inventions, New Age, Supernatural, Occult, Paranormal, Books, Goofs and Screw-ups
Follies of the Madmen #499
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 10, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Business, Advertising, Food, History, Historical Figure, 1940s
Catweazle
The Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 05, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, History, Historical Figure, Magic and Illusions and Sleight of Hand, Television, 1970s
The Obesity of Emperor Maximus
The things you learn from perusing old comics!
Source (page 19).
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 04, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Addictions, Eating, Body, Differently Abled, Handicapped, Challenged, and Otherwise Atypical, Obesity, History, Historical Figure
| 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 |