Weird Universe Archive

August 2015

August 29, 2015

1956 Commercials:  7 minutes Total Per Hour Show



Now, that's weird! Especially when compared to double that amount today.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 29, 2015 - Comments (6)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Television, 1950s, 2010s

A Meal In A Matchbox, 1956

Matchbox-sized meals. The utopian food of the future, as envisioned by British scientists of the 1950s.

"the housewife of the future will never have to worry about dishpan hands if science puts pills and water on the table instead of steak and potatoes."
— Port Angeles Evening News - July 25, 1956

Synthetic food, as tasty and more nourishing than the real thing, yet so compact that a three-course meal goes in a matchbox, has been made in top secrecy by Government scientists....
Matchbox meals can be kept almost indefinitely without deterioration. An example of the matchbox food could be soup, a dish of synthetic stewed steak followed by a sweet in the form of, say, apple puree. There would not be as much as you might be accustomed to see on a well-filled plate, but it would be satisfying to eat, and the flavour would be indistinguishable from the real thing. The soup will probably be in a tablet form. The stewed steak will be a packet of course granules. There will be a teaspoonful or so of white powder which will be the mashed potatoes. Another little packet of powder will contain the apple puree. The only thing to be added to the chemicals will be water.
— Keystone Wire Service, July 17, 1956




Port Angeles Evening News - July 25, 1956

Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 29, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category: Food, 1950s

August 28, 2015

Sunbathing Bubble

This looks like it would roast you to a nice golden brown.


Human Hothouse: For comfortable sunbathing in the city or during cold weather, a California firm offers a Plexiglas bubble which lets in ultraviolet rays but keeps out sand, soot, and wind. The Fabor Sunbathing Capsule is 7 feet long and measures 3 feet wide by 18 inches high at the shoulders; it tapers to 30 inches by 15 inches at the feet. Hooded ventilators at the four corners provide fresh air. Fabor Robison Productions, Inc., of Burbank makes it and sells it for $67.50.

Source: Newsweek - Sep 16, 1963.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 28, 2015 - Comments (7)
Category: Products, 1960s

Death By Flowers

image

This is either a case of the unluckiest spouse ever, or a perfect murder by the husband.

Original article here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 28, 2015 - Comments (11)
Category: Death, Nature, Husbands, Wives, 1970s

August 27, 2015

Brains and Bust Size — one medical opinion

Back in 1964, Dr. Erwin O. Strassmann of Houston kicked up a controversy by suggesting there was a correlation in women between bust size and I.Q. And he managed to get his opinion published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Kingsport Times-News - Aug 30, 1964



Curious to see exactly what he said, I tracked down his article. Turns out he was an enthusiastic follower of the now-discredited theory of "constitutional psychology." This was an effort to establish a link between body type and personality traits. Critics have dismissed it as an extended exercise in dressing up cultural stereotypes (such as, if you're overweight, you're lazy) in scientific language. For devotees of weird science, the entire field is a goldmine of strangeness.

Here's the relevant section of Strassmann's 1964 article:




Strassmann, E.O. (1964). "Physique, Temperament, and Intelligence in Infertile Women." International Journal of Fertility. 9:297-314.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 27, 2015 - Comments (12)
Category: Body, Brain, Science, Psychology, 1960s

The Animation of Joop Geesink





We marvel at films like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, or Wallace and Gromit, in which, during a given scene, one or two puppets might be in motion. I can't fathom the amount of work that Joop Geesink went through to create his films.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 27, 2015 - Comments (2)
Category: Stop-motion Animation, 1950s, 1960s, Europe

August 26, 2015

Fascinating Illusion


Its awesome how realistic this looks when it is finished and fascinating how it is done as well.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 26, 2015 - Comments (3)
Category: Art, Skulls, Bones and Skeletons

Is your railroad invested in atomic research?

An ad placed in Time magazine (April 26, 1948) by the "Federation for Railway Progress" boasted about their investment in atomic research, and urged railroads to join the federation to benefit from all the great advances that atomic research would soon bring to the transportation industry:

Will your railroad have a place at the atomic research table?
No industry stands to benefit more from atomic "vitamins" in its diet than the undernourished railroads...
A new, lighter and stronger metal—which could be applied to the construction of light-weight freight and passenger cars—may well come out of atomic research.
There is also the promise of new and more efficient lighting and heating systems, and other possibilities which only properly directed research could uncover.

Almost 70 years later, is it possible to say if U.S. railroads actually did benefit in any way from atomic research? I've never thought of railroads and atomic research as being in any way related.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 26, 2015 - Comments (9)
Category: Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, Trains and Other Vehicles on Rails, 1940s

Mystery Illustration 8

image

Why is this woman placing her bare foot atop a crocodile's head?

The answer is here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 26, 2015 - Comments (4)
Category: Animals, 1940s, Women

August 25, 2015

Genitalia Vandalism

image
Genitalia vandalism, the funniest phrase I have ever seen, is how they refer to someone going through an Ikea drawing penises on everything, in Denmark. Not the first definition I'd have thought of but it works. Also, no, it was not some kid who was bored while mom shopped. A 31 year old grown man went through an Ikea and drew 30 penises on various items in the store. Bet his Mama is proud.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 25, 2015 - Comments (4)
Category: Stupid Criminals, Retailing, Genitals

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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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