North America
Budd-Michelin Rubber-Tire Trains
The Wikipedia page.Long informative article here (a PDF).
Newspaper source: The Fresno Bee (Fresno, California) 25 May 1932, Wed Page 13
Posted By: Paul - Wed Oct 13, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Inventions, 1930s, Europe, North America, Trains
Please Kill Me
Unsolved after 20 years, and from what I can see, unsolved to the present day.Source for first clipping: Joplin Globe (Joplin, Missouri) 11 Nov 1948, Thu Page 4
Source for second clipping: The Emporia Gazette (Emporia, Kansas)17 Aug 1968, Sat Page 11
Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 25, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Death, Unsolved Mysteries, 1940s, North America
The 10,000 (Really 7200) Egg Omelet
Get the full story, with more pics, here.
BONUS: Same stunt done almost 90 years later!
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jul 05, 2021 -
Comments (6)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Food, Eggs, World Records, 1930s, Europe, North America, Twenty-first Century
Unauthorized Dwellings 17
Are the entire populations of San Francisco and Sacramento squatters? One person, John Sutter, believed so.
Article source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jun 30, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Lawsuits, Unauthorized Dwellings, North America, Nineteenth Century
The Creeping Devil Cactus
The Wikipedia page.
In cool maritime climate of Baja California Sur, creeping devil cacti can grow at a rate of up to two feet per year, forming large, sometimes impenetrable colonies of thorny stems, but when transplanted to more arid climates, their growth rate drops to two feet per decade. But even in their endemic environment, these succulents are isolated from pollinators so they rely on self-cloning for survival.
As it grows parallel to the ground, the stem of the creeping devil cactus will start to take roots toward their tip, and once it is solidly fixed into the sandy soil, the old body dies, rotting and eventually turning into nutrients that help the new stem grow. It is this process that also allows the cactus to creep through the desert over time. In a way, the cactus has to die in order to survive.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 03, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature, Nature, Natural Wonders, Regionalism, North America
Rafael Trujillo, Partying Dictator
Not that Rafael Trujillo's murderous reign is redeemed by his party animal ways, but it's always nice to see someone who doesn't let his work stand in the way of having fun.First he arrives at LA and smashes another boat, then avoids fees by declaring himself a ship of war.
Source: The Los Angeles Times 21 Jun 1958, Sat Page 2
Then he insults our national holiday and causes an uproar on Catalina Island.
Source: The Los Angeles Times 05 Jul 1958, Sat Page 1
Of course, none of this jovial playboy behavior prevented him from getting assassinated three years later.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Mar 22, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Dictators, Tyrants and Other Harsh Rulers, Dinners, Banquets, Parties, Tributes, Roasts and Other Celebrations, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1950s, Outrageous Excess, North America
The Old and New Blue Holes of Ohio
Once upon a time, there was a tourist attraction in Ohio called the Blue Hole.
But then it was closed off to the public.
So the state opened up a rival Blue Hole nearby.
I wonder if they should be a "sister body of water" to the Lagoa das Sete Cidades, which we looked at back in February?
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 14, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Regionalism, Rivalries, Feuds and Grudges, Lakes, Ponds, Rivers, Streams, Swamps and Other Bodies of Fresh Water, North America, Natural Wonders
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 33
Nude Woman with Upraised Arms ca. 1926
Gaston Lachaise American
Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 20, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Statues and Monuments, Body Modifications, 1920s, North America
The Waffle Party
With all this talk of rogue Republicans forming a new party, I hope they choose a name as evocative as that of Canada's The Waffle.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 12, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Odd Names, Politics, 1960s, 1970s, North America
Dynamite Pete, Nebraska Hermit
A fascinating story in detail here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 29, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Eccentrics, Hermits, Regionalism, North America, Twentieth Century
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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 |