Weird Universe Archive

July 2015

July 12, 2015

Death at the Cathedral, 1964

October 2, 1964: One minute Veronica McConnell, 22, was happy and carefree. The young American woman had just arrived in Paris the night before on vacation and was visiting Notre Dame Cathedral. It was the first stop on the city bus tour.

After seeing the inside of the cathedral, she stopped to buy some candles at a stand in the plaza. Having made her purchase, she began walking back towards the tour group. The next second she was dead, killed by suicide jumper Denise Rey-Herme, 37, who had leapt off the cathedral's north tower. Rey-Herme was despondent, having learned that because of chronic ill health she would never achieve her ambition of becoming a nun.

Goes to show that death can strike at any moment, anywhere.

Note: there's some confusion about McConnell's age. Different accounts of the event list it as either 21, 22, or 24. The NY Times says she was 22, so I'm trusting they were right.

Veronica McConnell


The Odessa American - Oct 4, 1964


The Terre Haute Tribune - Oct 3, 1964

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jul 12, 2015 - Comments (3)
Category: Death, Nuns, 1960s

Alexander D’Agostino at Labbodies



Be sure to check out the "performance" around 23:00, when ballet slippers and a Skeletor mask come into play.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 12, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category:

July 11, 2015

Windows 10 approaching RTM

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MS has released the latest build to us on the insider testing fast track (Build 10166). It is do for public release to market on July 29th. Those of us testing will get a free one use RTM PC copy.
While this is not weird news it is something we will all choose or not to upgrade to. So far this build is stable on my PC with no driver issues.
I am gonna wait though to upgrade my phone to Windows 10M. (M=Mobile)

So WUvians .. Who plans on upgrading ?

http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/07/09/announcing-windows-10-insider-preview-build-10166

More pictures here:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/windows-10-build-10166-photo-gallery-486615.shtml#sgal_0

Posted By: BrokeDad - Sat Jul 11, 2015 - Comments (13)
Category: Products, Computers

Creepy 1948 ad for electro-shock therapy

Back in the 1940s, electro-shock therapy (or "electro-tonic therapy") was promoted as a breakthrough treatment for depression. But it never managed to live up to the hype and was eventually mostly replaced by chemical treatments (popping pills). Though, from what I understand, it's still used in certain situations.

If the medical industry was promoting electro-shock therapy today, I imagine they'd show pictures of happy people running through fields and playing with grandchildren. But this 1948 ad (Time - Sep 20, 1948) offered a slightly more realistic and disturbing image.

Note the line: "Brain disclosed for illustration only." Glad they clarified that.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 11, 2015 - Comments (7)
Category: 1940s, Mental Health and Insanity

The Astounding She-Monster




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Doesn't the narrator at the start of the full film sound like Troy McClure from THE SIMPSONS?

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jul 11, 2015 - Comments (3)
Category: Aliens, Movies, Sex Symbols, 1950s

July 10, 2015

Spocking The 5

imageimage
Its not illegal to deface money in Canada. The banks do not like it but the trekkies up north don't care! Live long and prosper ay.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 10, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category: Eccentrics, Futurism, Money

Art Is Not Always Found In A Museum

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So often here on WU we see "art' displayed in museums or galleries that is anything but artistic. Well, here is some beautifully done, intricate artwork found just lying in the streets of Japan. Manhole covers.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 10, 2015 - Comments (3)
Category: Art, Government, Utilities

Wife plugged in to alarm clock

Sounds to me like Anna Hindman had good cause for wanting to divorce her husband, namely a) his belief that 4 hours sleep is all anyone needs, and b) wiring her bed to shock her every 4 hours to prevent her from sleeping longer than that.

But according to the news reports, she eventually forgave him and withdrew her divorce petition — after he got rid of the "shocking machine." And it sounds like they remained married for the rest of their lives... if the Anna Hindman in this obituary is the same person (which it must be, because all the names/dates match up).

Anna Louise Hindman, 74, of Rogersville passed away Thursday, September 13, 2012 in Springfield. Anna was born on July 8, 1938 in Springfield to Eulan and Olive (Turner) Bussard. She was married to Michael J. Hindman on July 17, 1953 and he preceded her in death on December 15, 2004. She was an accomplished roller skater, both figure and racing and performed for President Truman. She had her pilots license and enjoyed flying and riding motorcycles with her husband.




Sources: Kansas City Times: Feb 27, 1960; Mar 10, 1960.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 10, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category: Husbands, Wives, Divorce, Marriage, 1960s

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich



I thought I knew the music of my youth pretty well, but I can't recall ever hearing of these guys with the weird band name, till just now reading the obituary of one member.

The jaunty surrealism in this video holds up pretty well, as does the music.

"Between 1965 and 1969, the group spent more weeks in the UK singles charts than the Beatles."

Where was I?!?

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 10, 2015 - Comments (9)
Category: Music, 1960s, Europe

July 9, 2015

How to prevent nuclear war

Roger Fisher on how to prevent nuclear war. From Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Mar 1981.


There is a young man, probably a Navy officer, who accompanies the President. This young man has a black attache case which contains the codes that are needed to fire nuclear weapons. I could see the President at a staff meeting considering nuclear war as an abstract question. He might conclude: "On SIOP Plan One, the decision is affirmative. Communicate the Alpha line XYZ." Such jargon holds what is involved at a distance.

My suggestion was quite simple: Put that needed code number in a little capsule, and then implant that capsule right next to the heart of a volunteer. The volunteer would carry with him a big, heavy butcher knife as he accompanied the President. If ever the President wanted to fire nuclear weapons, the only way he could do so would be for him first, with his own hands, to kill one human being. The President says, "George, I'm sorry but tens of millions must die." He has to look at someone and realize what death is — what an innocent death is. Blood on the White House carpet. It's reality brought home.

When I suggested this to friends in the Pentagon they said, "My God, that's terrible. Having to kill someone would distort the President's judgment. He might never push the button."

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 09, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category: War, Weapons, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1980s

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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.

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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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