Weird Universe Archive

May 2014

May 10, 2014

Room 237 Clothing Line

Today is the last day you can order items from the clothing line based on the carpet pattern outside Room 237 in Kubrick's The Shining. Available for purchase is a sweater, cardigan, scarf, ski mask, door mat, and an area rug.



Posted By: Alex - Sat May 10, 2014 - Comments (3)
Category: Fashion, Horror, Movies

May 9, 2014

Are You Ready for Marriage?

Posted By: Paul - Fri May 09, 2014 - Comments (3)
Category: PSA’s, Sexuality, Husbands, Teenagers, Wives, 1950s

“Women are soft and gentle, but they hit things”

Makes it sound like they need anger management training.

Posted By: Alex - Fri May 09, 2014 - Comments (16)
Category: Advertising, 1960s

May 8, 2014

Sara Mapelli, the Bee Queen

For more info, you can check out her website. The video of her "bee dance" goes on for quite a while, but at around minute seven she stops dancing and (still wearing her shirt of bees) joins a tea party already in progress.

Posted By: Alex - Thu May 08, 2014 - Comments (14)
Category: Insects and Spiders

Strawberry Letter 23



Not for nothing were The Brothers Johnson known as "Lightnin' Licks" and "Thunder Thumbs."


Posted By: Paul - Thu May 08, 2014 - Comments (5)
Category: Fashion, Music, 1970s

May 7, 2014

Flowertown, USA, by Altergott

image

Be sure to check out the new ongoing strip by WU's own Rick Altergott, at VICE magazine.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Posted By: Paul - Wed May 07, 2014 - Comments (7)
Category: Sexuality, Weird Universe, Comics, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Wimps, Milquetoasts and Cowards

Arthur Gehrke, the Human Hibernator


Arthur "Turkey" Gehrke of Watertown, Wis., had an odd habit. Every November he would go to bed and stay there until the following April. He told the press, "I hibernate and don't get into trouble; while I may miss some fun, I also miss a lot of disagreeable things." He also said, "If more folks went to bed all winter, there wouldn't be so much trouble and confusion in the world."

Strangely, his business didn't suffer because of his sleep habits. He owned a bar, the Turkey's Roost. He hired a temporary bartender to replace him during his hibernation, and the publicity because of his hibernating actually attracted extra business.

Gehrke began his habit of hibernating in 1913 and continued it until his death in 1942.

Here's some sources where you can read more about him: The Milwaukee Journal - Sep 29, 1935, Watertown History, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

Posted By: Alex - Wed May 07, 2014 - Comments (7)
Category: Eccentrics, Sleep and Dreams, 1930s

Cyrus Eaton III, Runaway Scion

We often hear of folks such as "Clark Rockefeller" who are born poor and masquerade as rich people. But what about a fellow born rich who wants to be poor?

image

Original article here.

A picture of Cyrus Eaton III circa the runaway period.

image

No doubt it was hard being the grandson of Cyrus Eaton the First, creator of the family fortune.

Here's Grandpa leading the pack in 1958, with Cyrus the Third appearing as the third child behind Grandpa.

image

Cyrus Eaton the Second followed pretty much in his father's mode, as we learn from the obituary of Cyrus Eaton II.

And guess what else we learn from that obit? Cyrus Eaton the Third has become "Cyrus Wind Dancer." A little googling finds out he now runs a clock repair business in Santa Rosa, CA.

Free from the burdens of wealth at last!

Posted By: Paul - Wed May 07, 2014 - Comments (8)
Category: Family, Misbehavior, Rebellion, Acting-out and General Naughtiness, Money, 1950s, 1960s

May 6, 2014

Anti-DNA Spray

We last reported on artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg a year ago when she was collecting random samples of DNA on the street (bits of hair, saliva on cigarette butts, etc.) and then using the genetic information to reconstruct what the person whose DNA it is looks like.

Now she's back with a new project. She's started a company called BioGenFutures that will be selling a spray called "Invisible" for $99 that you can use to erase your DNA from everything you might leave it on. In case you're worried about leaving your DNA around.

I'm not sure what's in the spray, but I imagine bleach would break down DNA and be a lot cheaper than what she's selling.

Posted By: Alex - Tue May 06, 2014 - Comments (9)
Category: Art

Follies of the Madmen #219

image

The connection? I can only assume that once upon a time, tennis rackets were restrung with sheep guts. But the image is certainly bizarre.

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue May 06, 2014 - Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Sports, 1940s

Page 6 of 8 pages ‹ First  < 4 5 6 7 8 > 




Get WU Posts by Email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


weird universe thumbnail
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 books such as Elephants on Acid.

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.

Chuck Shepherd
Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre.

Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott.

Contact Us
Monthly Archives
March 2024 •  February 2024 •  January 2024

December 2023 •  November 2023 •  October 2023 •  September 2023 •  August 2023 •  July 2023 •  June 2023 •  May 2023 •  April 2023 •  March 2023 •  February 2023 •  January 2023

December 2022 •  November 2022 •  October 2022 •  September 2022 •  August 2022 •  July 2022 •  June 2022 •  May 2022 •  April 2022 •  March 2022 •  February 2022 •  January 2022

December 2021 •  November 2021 •  October 2021 •  September 2021 •  August 2021 •  July 2021 •  June 2021 •  May 2021 •  April 2021 •  March 2021 •  February 2021 •  January 2021

December 2020 •  November 2020 •  October 2020 •  September 2020 •  August 2020 •  July 2020 •  June 2020 •  May 2020 •  April 2020 •  March 2020 •  February 2020 •  January 2020

December 2019 •  November 2019 •  October 2019 •  September 2019 •  August 2019 •  July 2019 •  June 2019 •  May 2019 •  April 2019 •  March 2019 •  February 2019 •  January 2019

December 2018 •  November 2018 •  October 2018 •  September 2018 •  August 2018 •  July 2018 •  June 2018 •  May 2018 •  April 2018 •  March 2018 •  February 2018 •  January 2018

December 2017 •  November 2017 •  October 2017 •  September 2017 •  August 2017 •  July 2017 •  June 2017 •  May 2017 •  April 2017 •  March 2017 •  February 2017 •  January 2017

December 2016 •  November 2016 •  October 2016 •  September 2016 •  August 2016 •  July 2016 •  June 2016 •  May 2016 •  April 2016 •  March 2016 •  February 2016 •  January 2016

December 2015 •  November 2015 •  October 2015 •  September 2015 •  August 2015 •  July 2015 •  June 2015 •  May 2015 •  April 2015 •  March 2015 •  February 2015 •  January 2015

December 2014 •  November 2014 •  October 2014 •  September 2014 •  August 2014 •  July 2014 •  June 2014 •  May 2014 •  April 2014 •  March 2014 •  February 2014 •  January 2014

December 2013 •  November 2013 •  October 2013 •  September 2013 •  August 2013 •  July 2013 •  June 2013 •  May 2013 •  April 2013 •  March 2013 •  February 2013 •  January 2013

December 2012 •  November 2012 •  October 2012 •  September 2012 •  August 2012 •  July 2012 •  June 2012 •  May 2012 •  April 2012 •  March 2012 •  February 2012 •  January 2012

December 2011 •  November 2011 •  October 2011 •  September 2011 •  August 2011 •  July 2011 •  June 2011 •  May 2011 •  April 2011 •  March 2011 •  February 2011 •  January 2011

December 2010 •  November 2010 •  October 2010 •  September 2010 •  August 2010 •  July 2010 •  June 2010 •  May 2010 •  April 2010 •  March 2010 •  February 2010 •  January 2010

December 2009 •  November 2009 •  October 2009 •  September 2009 •  August 2009 •  July 2009 •  June 2009 •  May 2009 •  April 2009 •  March 2009 •  February 2009 •  January 2009

December 2008 •  November 2008 •  October 2008 •  September 2008 •  August 2008 •  July 2008 •