Category:
Money
Money
ATM Machine Unveiled in 1966
According to Wikipedia, this wasn't the very first ATM, but it was among the earlier, prototype models. I like how the caption presciently refers to the machines as "future monsters." Google news link: Saskatoon Star Phoenix, October 31, 1966.I'm young enough that I can't remember the first time I used an ATM machine. Their presence was something I always took for granted. But people 50 or older probably remember when these machines started to appear in the 70s.
Better quality picture:
Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 23, 2012 -
Comments (13)
Category: Money, Technology
Pay Phones
What was once normal and not-weird becomes weird with the simple addition of that magical ingredient, "time."
Imagine an era when NYC had "tens of thousands" of payphones!
The other two segments of this video are less strange, but still worth watching.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 06, 2012 -
Comments (12)
Category: Communications, Money, Technology, 1940s, 1950s
Bowdoinham’s 100-year Savings Fund: Part 2
I posted two weeks ago about Bowdoinham, the town that put money away back in 1912 to fund its 250th Anniversary party this year. I sent an email to the Bowdoinham Historical Committee trying to get more details and recently received this response:the outcome of that story was that, yes, funding remained intact and has grown substantially after all these years.
There was $500.00 originally raised in 1912- mostly small donations of .25 here and there (it was a lot then!). It all added up. Remarkably, it stayed intact and is now being used to sponsor the many activities that Bowdoinham is planning in celebration during the coming year. You can read about it here: http://bowdoinham250.org/
There will be some funds reserved and kept to seed future celebrations. We are very fortunate that members of our town had the foresight to do this for us!
There was $500.00 originally raised in 1912- mostly small donations of .25 here and there (it was a lot then!). It all added up. Remarkably, it stayed intact and is now being used to sponsor the many activities that Bowdoinham is planning in celebration during the coming year. You can read about it here: http://bowdoinham250.org/
There will be some funds reserved and kept to seed future celebrations. We are very fortunate that members of our town had the foresight to do this for us!
So their 100-year plan was actually a success! They didn't reveal (at least, not to me) how much money their plan created, but a 1912 article in The Youth's Companion calculated that if they raised $400, they should have around $20,000 in 2012, assuming an interest rate of 4 percent. Since they raised $500, they should have a bit more than that. Enough to have a nice party, but not enough to make them all millionaires.
The Youth's Companion article also revealed that a box was buried in 1912 containing various curiosities, and it should be opened sometime this year:
In a sealed box, to be opened at the time of the celebration in 2012, were placed, among other things, letters from scores of those who contributed to the fund. Many of the letters were from Bowdoinham people, or the descendants of Bowdoinham people in other states or in foreign lands. In some cases the writers described the probable Bowdoinham of 2012 or the imagined conditions of life at that time. No doubt the letters will create much amusement when they are read a century from now.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 13, 2012 -
Comments (2)
Category: Money, Parades and Festivals
The Town That’s Been Waiting 100 Years for 2012
Here's a story that ran in the Oakland Tribune (and quite a few other papers) back in March 1912:
So 100 years has now elapsed. What happened to the money? Is it still there? Did it grow into millions of dollars? I'm curious to know.
Bowdoinham still has a 250th Anniversary Committee, so I guess I'll send them an email. I'll report back when I have more details.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 01, 2012 -
Comments (3)
Category: Money, Parades and Festivals
Numi Toilet
Longtime WU-vies know all about the Japanese fascination with complex automated toilets. Now there's one for the USA market.
And for only $6400.00!
Read a review here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 13, 2011 -
Comments (5)
Category: Domestic, Appliances, Hygiene, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, Body Fluids, Excrement, Flatulence, Money, Outrageous Excess
Black Money Cleaning
Look! A video! It must be real!
Black Money Scam.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 04, 2011 -
Comments (2)
Category: Crime, Stupid Criminals, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Money, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, Africa
Using the Bank
Once upon a time, banks were our friends.
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 07, 2011 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Money, 1940s
Stamp Day for Superman
Along with nabbing bad-guy Blinky, Superman sells Treasury Bonds, in this US-government-sponsored short.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 03, 2011 -
Comments (2)
Category: Education, Government, Money, PSA’s, 1950s
Slang Riddle
What slang sentence is indicated by this rebus?
Answer after the jump!
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 11, 2010 -
Comments (6)
Category: Money, Music, 1940s, Slang
More Weird Shorts
And if you fancy taking a trip to Tickle Cock Bridge, why not make a grand tour of it and take in some more of Britain’s rudest place names (Telegraph).
It’s always worth making sure you have plenty of the local currency on holiday, but for one German tourist this became more of a life-saver than a simple convenience. Dominik Podolsky was just riding the ski-lift back down in Hochzillertal in Austria as darkness fell when it was suddenly switched off, as it is every dusk, leaving him stranded. As temperatures dropped to minus 18° Celcius (0° F) Mr. Podolsky began to set light to whatever was to hand to attract attention, starting with paper napkins and some business cards before in desperation he was forced to set fire to his money. He had just burned his last euro when he was finally spotted by a cleaning crew and rescued (Orange).
Perhaps he would have done better to visit the Swiss side of the Alps instead. If not on the mountains, at the very least he would have been better looked after in that country's brothels. Principally because, with an increasing number of elderly clients packing a well-known anti-impotence treatment, Swiss brothels are training their staff in the use of defibrillators in an effort to stop the pill-popping pensioners become clog-popping corpses. "Having customers die on us isn't exactly good publicity" said one sex-club owner. Funny, I would have thought the opposite was true (Telegraph).
But trained as they may be, Swiss working girls will never have the edge on their American competitors. At least that’d be the conclusion you might draw from the results of a recent poll which placed America at number one on the list of countries with the most attractive people (Switzerland didn’t even make the top 20). So rejoice America, from the wild and wanton women of Walmart to the sultry street-girl sirens of Chattanooga, your beauty is unsurpassed (Herald Sun).
Posted By: Dumbfounded - Thu Feb 18, 2010 -
Comments (5)
Category: Architecture, Government, Officials, Money, Odd Names, Political Correctness, Goofs and Screw-ups
| 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 |