Weird Universe Archive

January 2018

January 21, 2018

Robber calls cops on himself

Some people just aren't cut out for crime.

The Montana Standard - July 9, 1978

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 21, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Stupid Criminals

The Trippel SG6



A German entry in the amphibious car sweepstakes.

It's the final car in the video parade below.



Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 21, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, Europe, Cars

January 20, 2018

With real lemon juice!

In 1982, the Maryland Poison Center reported almost 80 cases of people who had suffered nausea and diarrhea after drinking Sunlight dishwashing liquid. They had received free bottles of the stuff in the mail as part of a promotional campaign. The source of the confusion was a picture of lemons on the label as well as the phrase "with real lemon juice." This led many to conclude that the bottle contained some kind of lemonade. Or a lemon-flavored drink mixer. A lot of people added it to iced tea.

A spokesman for Lever Brothers, the manufacturer of the product, noted that the bottles also clearly said, "Sunlight dishwashing liquid."

Sunlight no longer uses the phrase "with real lemon juice." Apparently they learned their lesson. But they've still got a picture of a lemon on their bottles.

Muncie Evening Press - July 15, 1982



Indianapolis Star - July 15, 1982



The bottle that caused the confusion



More in extended >>

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jan 20, 2018 - Comments (6)
Category: Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1980s

Harvesting and Storage of Sorghum Silage

In our untiring quest to find the most boring material ever filmed or written, which began with "Timber Bridge Inspection," reposted below, we bring you the entire contents of a scintillating pamphlet.







Original document here.



Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 20, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Agriculture, Boredom, Government, 1970s

January 19, 2018

Stars ‘n Stripes Girdle

Introduced in 1965 by the Treo Company, and promptly withdrawn from the market on account of complaints by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

In a letter to the Treo Company, Inc., a ranking DAR official called the girdle... a "shocking caricature" of the American flag.
"Patriotism should be encouraged by proper respect to the Stars and Stripes, the symbol of this great country and the many opportunities enjoyed here," Mrs. W. Carl Crittenden, national chairman of the DAR's Flag of the United States of America Committee, wrote.
"I believe that all patriotic citizens will agree with me that it is deplorable to downgrade our flag in this fashion."



Allentown Morning Call - Aug 26, 1965



Hazleton Standard-Speaker - Aug 27, 1965

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 19, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: Fashion, Patriotism, Flags, 1960s

January 18, 2018

8 tons of fallout biscuits

A follow-up to my post yesterday about the invention of 'fallout biscuits' in 1961.

In 1971, eight tons of these biscuits, or crackers, caused the floor to collapse at the South Carolina State House:

"All of a sudden the walls of the State House began to shake and then the whole world fell in," said Woody Brooks, whose office is next to the storage room...

"We know there were some crackers back there," Brooks said, "but who would have thought there were eight tons of them."


The Greenville News - July 11, 1971

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 18, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Food, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1970s

Mystery Illustration 66



What's going on here?

The answer is at the link.

Or after the jump.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 18, 2018 - Comments (3)
Category: Technology, 1940s

January 17, 2018

Fallout Biscuits

Back in 1961, the U.S. Office of Civil Defense came out with 'fallout biscuits.' They were vitaminized crackers. The idea was that people in fallout shelters could live on these for weeks, or even years, if necessary. The biscuits were cheap to make and lasted pretty much forever, so huge quantities were prepared.

Fast-forward to the twenty-first century. The various places wheres the biscuits were stored, such as the University of Montana, now faced the problem of how to get rid of the thousands of boxes of these things.

civildefensemuseum.com



Orlando Sentinel - Jun 2, 1961



Fort Myers News-Press - May 11, 1961

Posted By: Alex - Wed Jan 17, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: Food, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1960s

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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 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.

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