Category:
Love & Romance

Electric Trains and You

A song of the season. This word might come in handy: paraphilia.

Paraphilia is the experience of recurring or intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, fantasies, behaviors, or individuals.[1][2] It has also been defined as a sexual interest in anything other than a consenting human partner.[



Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 14, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Holidays, Toys, Trains and Other Vehicles on Rails, 1960s, Love & Romance

How to find a dog

The article says that Clara Peters was a housewife, which seems unlikely given the nature of her public offer. But who knows.

Alberni Valley Times - Aug 13, 1974

Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 09, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Dogs, 1970s, Love & Romance

The Date Hat

Edward Oliveira of Newport, Rhode Island was granted a patent (#2,749,555) in 1956 for a "date hat". His idea was that, by wearing the hat, a young woman could display whether she was available for a date on a specific day. From the patent:

In high schools, colleges and the like, it is often impossible to carry on very much of a conversation during, or even between classes. Since many dates between boys and girls are most easily made when they are gathered together in school, it is a disadvantage not to be able to tell whether a girl is already dated for a particular day and hour. If a boy knew that one girl is already dated for the particular time he desires, he would quickly be able to attempt to date another girl who was not already dated. However, up to the present time, this has been difficult because, in many instances, there is not sufficient time to talk to every available girl to determine their date status. In order to remedy the above situation, it is one object of the present invention to provide an article of wearing apparel which can be set to indicate to any observer whether a girl has a date for the particular time desired.


I can see a problem with this concept. Would a young woman really want to publicly display that no one had asked her out?

Also, had Oliveira attempted to get dates by systematically asking out every girl in his school? Thus leading to his frustration that there was "not sufficient time to talk to every available girl to determine their date status."

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jun 01, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Patents, Headgear, 1950s, Love & Romance

Be Fair

The tribulations of a blind lover.

The group's Wikipedia page.



Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 25, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Disabilities, Music, 1960s, Love & Romance

Jane’s skin didn’t pass the love test

Jane didn't use Lux Toilet Soap. So she was doomed to be forever alone.

Previously posted: Lux ads about "undie odor" and gossiping underwear. During the 1930s and 40s, Lux Soap specialized in ads designed to terrify women into buying its products.

San Francisco Examiner - June 18, 1939

Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 07, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Advertising, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, 1930s, Love & Romance

Josiah Oldfield, the Fruitarian Hospital and Kissing

Fruitarianism is a kind of vegetarian practice which today seems very strict. But 100 years ago, when Josiah Oldfield practiced it, there was more variety allowed in the diet.

Oldfield advocated for fruitarianism, putting him at odds with the Vegetarian Society.[16] He was a member of the Fruitarian Society, whose members lived on "the produce of harvest field, garden, forest and orchard, with milk, butter, cheese, eggs and honey".[6] His own "fruitarianism" was close to ovo-lacto vegetarianism. He was not a vegan: he recommended a daily diet of dandelion leaves, eggs, grapes, honey, lettuce, milk, salad, and watercress.


In any case, Oldfield founded several hospitals whose healing methods involved this diet. See the video below for more details. I have no idea of their success rate.

However, he found time to theorize about other things besides diet, such as the art of kissing. I apologize for the illegibility of the snapshot. Here's a sample or two of the text.





Newpaper source: Omaha Sunday Bee-News (Omaha, Nebraska) 30 Aug 1931, Sun Page 41





Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 01, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Hospitals, Hygiene, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Love & Romance

Courting Stick

The 'courting stick' was a device that allowed young couples, in puritan New England, to talk in private while being chaperoned in the family home. More info: New England Folklore

image source: NY Public Library



The Trukese people of Micronesia also had a courting stick (or 'love stick'), though its use differed from the New England version. According to the Smithsonian:

The Trukese allow sexual experimentation among young people, provided it is kept discreet. To arrange for an evening rendezvous, a young man used to insert a 'love stick' through the thatch of the hut where a young girl slept. The girl recognized the suitor by the carving on the stick and then either pushed the stick out to signal 'go away,' wiggled it to indicate 'come back later,' or drew it inside to signify 'come right in.'

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 30, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Love & Romance

Ella Fitzgerald, “Get Thee Behind Me Satan”

This is a very weird song. Is Satan the boyfriend? I'm not sure. Gospel music of course deals with this subject matter all the time, but to the tune of a wistful ballad?






Get Thee Behind Me Satan Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Get thee behind me, Satan
I want to resist
But the moon is low and I can't say "No"
Get thee behind me

Get thee behind me, Satan
I mustn't be kissed
But the moon is low and I may let go
Get thee behind me

[Bridge]
Someone I'm mad about
Is waiting in the night for me
Someone that I mustn't see
Satan, get thee behind me

[Verse 2]
He promised to wait
But I won't appear and he may come here
Satan, he's at my gate
Get thee behind me
Stay where you are, it's too late

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3]
Satan, get thee behind me
He promised to wait
But I won't appear and he may come here
Satan, he's at my gate
Get thee behind me
Stay where you are, it's too late

[Outro]
It's too late
It's too late

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 07, 2022 - Comments (6)
Category: Music, Religion, Love & Romance

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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.

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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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