Weird Universe Archive

December 2020

December 21, 2020

The Rain

The film shows Marcel Broodthaers trying to write while the rain constantly washes away the ink. In the final scene, during which the artist gives up and drops his pen, the inscription “Projet pour un texte” (Project for a text) appears.

Is that actually rain, or is someone spraying him with a hose?

Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 21, 2020 - Comments (1)
Category: Performance Art, Absurdism and Dadaism, Writers, 1960s

Mystery Illustration 98

What is this a statue of?

The answer is at the link (scroll down).

Or after the jump.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 21, 2020 - Comments (5)
Category: Statues and Monuments

December 20, 2020

“Pregnancy forces granny to quit work at age 101”

In October 1990, the Sun ran a story about a 101-year old woman who supposedly had to quit her job as a newspaper carrier because she got pregnant after being seduced by a reclusive millionaire on her route. The story, of course, was totally false. However, the Sun also ran a picture with the article of a real woman, 96-year-old Nellie Mitchell of Arkansas.

Mitchell sued, charging invasion of privacy (she had never given them permission to use her photo) and emotional distress, because she now had to endure people asking her when the baby was due. During the trial, the editor of the Sun explained that they had needed a picture to go along with the fake story, and had found in their archive a photo of Mitchell taken in 1986. They had used it, assuming she must have been dead by then. And dead people can't sue for damages.

Mitchell won and was awarded $150,000 in compensatory damages and $850,000 in punitive damages.

Baxter Bulletin - Oct 19, 1993

Posted By: Alex - Sun Dec 20, 2020 - Comments (7)
Category: Elderly and Seniors, Journalism, Lawsuits, 1990s

December 19, 2020

The Camouflage Bat

On April 9, 1932, Leon "Goose" Goslin of the St. Louis Browns stepped up to the plate with a striped "camouflage bat" during an exhibition game against the Cardinals. The bat was "designed to confuse the pitcher and fool the infield players." The Cardinals didn't object so Goslin used it.

But when he tried to use the bat again three days later during the opening game of the season against the Chicago White Sox, the umpire declared "That's not our kind, Goslin!" and forced him to use a regular bat.

The next day, William Harridge, President of the American League, ruled out any further use of the camouflage bat.



Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Apr 14, 1932

Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 19, 2020 - Comments (6)
Category: Magic and Illusions and Sleight of Hand, Sports, 1930s

Solon Bushi

In the old days before "cultural appropriation," a Black R&B group could sing a "Japanese folk song."

Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 19, 2020 - Comments (0)
Category: Music, Foreign Customs, 1960s, Asia

December 18, 2020

The Peanut Butter Story

As reported by Sherry Gershon Gottlieb in Hell No, We Won’t Go! Resisting the Draft During the Vietnam War:



via Legends & Rumors

Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 18, 2020 - Comments (4)
Category: Food, Military, Excrement

Family Planning, Disney Style

Or: Donald Duck's Vasectomy

Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 18, 2020 - Comments (0)
Category: Family, PSA’s, Birth Control , Cartoons, 1960s

December 17, 2020

Covid Religions

Thanks to Covid, new religions are popping up.

In Poland, the "Church of the Healthy Body" was recently founded. Members meet at a fitness club. And in Nottingham, England, members of the newly created Church of the 400 Rabbits gather at the 400 Rabbits tequila bar.

The religions are a longshot strategy by businesses to avoid covid restrictions. Because if they're a church they might be able to stay open, whereas if they're a fitness club or bar they're closed. The Polish fitness club/church has already reported that the local police weren't buying the rebranding.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Dec 17, 2020 - Comments (4)
Category: Religion, Diseases

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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.

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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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