Weird Universe Archive

April 2024

April 25, 2024

Device to self-administer gas

This curious device was featured in Mechanix Illustrated (July 1938), but no info was given about the inventor.



So I searched the patent archive. This patent granted to Justin Sholes in 1939 seems to be it:


Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 25, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Drugs, Patents, 1930s

Fish Surgery

This is not a topic I had given much thought to, before encountering this report from 1955.

Then I found more-current info.





Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 25, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Medicine, Fish, 1950s, Twenty-first Century

April 24, 2024

Buy bread in waxed paper

Buy bread in waxed paper and then lounge about with it while wearing a gown designed by Pauline Trigere.

Life - June 7, 1954

Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 24, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Fashion, Food, Advertising, 1950s

Trick Gun for Secret Society Initiations

Imagine the sheer delight of the person being initiated, when the realistic looking gun is pointed at them, a loud explosion occurs--but only water emerges! High-larious!

Full patent here.



Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 24, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Clubs, Fraternities and Other Self-selecting Organizations, Guns, Patents, 1900s, Pranks

April 23, 2024

Balenciaga Towel Skirt

Balenciaga recently debuted a "towel skirt" that retails for $925. It's been receiving quite a lot of attention.



Ikea spoofed if by coming out with a "VINARN towel skirt".



A writer for Vogue tried wearing it on her morning commute. She wrote, "It looked like I’d locked myself out of the house while doing the bins... Only the bins were across town."

Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 23, 2024 - Comments (3)
Category: Fashion, Overpriced Merchandise

Les Fo’Plafonds

Somewhat, ah, unique instruments.

Their YouTube channel is here.



Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 23, 2024 - Comments (5)
Category: Hobbies and DIY, Inventions, Music, Europe

April 22, 2024

Miss Dial

In 1949, Terry Leah won the title of "Miss Dial" in a contest sponsored by Dial Soap. As far as beauty titles go, this one wasn't that unusual. But what was unusual was that, as part of the responsibility of being Miss Dial, Terry had to take a bath, using Dial Soap, in the window of Eckerd Drug Company in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Adding to the public exposure, Dial promised that the person who took the best photo of Terry as she bathed would win $25.

Charlotte News - July 7, 1949



Charlotte Observer - July 8, 1949



Young Dickie Higgins was determined to win that prize. I'd bet that was the most exciting day of his life up until then. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find out who did win the photo prize.

"Dickie Higgins takes a shot of dancer Terry Leah, who is posing in a bubble bath in a Charlotte, North Carolina, store window advertising a new line of bath soap."
NY Journal American - July 28, 1949



(left) Greenville News - July 9, 1949; (right) Raleigh News and Observer - July 14, 1949

Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 22, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Hygiene, Photography and Photographers, 1940s

April 21, 2024

Tails for humans

Millions of years ago our ancestors had tails. Design student Cheng Chang believes that when humans start living in space they'll need tails again. So he built one.

In the plausible future, there is going to be a whole generation of humans living their life in zero-gravity. This kind of environment shift would totally reshape our understanding of space and body function.
When our hands and feet are no longer suitable for the task of controlling our movement in zero gravity. we need a new form of body extension

More info: Royal College of Art



Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 21, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Body Modifications, Space Travel

Sounds of the Office

Relaxing disc at home after a long day at work.






Posted By: Paul - Sun Apr 21, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Offices, Business Supplies, Institutional Regulations, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, 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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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.

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