Category:
1950s

Underwater Wedding

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June, the month of weddings, is practically around the corner. Why not plan for an underwater one, like this couple from 1954, courtesy of the Life Online Photo Archives...?

Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 12, 2009 - Comments (7)
Category: Ceremonies, Weddings, Eccentrics, 1950s, Couples

Follies of the Mad Men #51

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[From Life magazine for March 8 1954. Two scans, top and bottom.]

Not even the super-science of Captain Video can make your breath tolerable!

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 07, 2009 - Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Hygiene, Science Fiction, 1950s

Vampira Bonus!

Recommended by reader DownCrisis:

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 06, 2009 - Comments (0)
Category: Celebrities, Horror, Music, Reader Recommendation, 1950s

Vampira

Those end-of-the-year tributes to all who died in 2008 seem to be neglecting Maila Nurmi, aka Vampira, who passed away just a year ago. In memory, let's look at two short clips of the lady. She was weird enough, but when you add Liberace into the mix--!



Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 06, 2009 - Comments (2)
Category: Celebrities, Horror, Movies, Television, 1950s

Navrang

Two nights ago I watched the Bollywood spectacular titled NAVRANG. It's full of absolutely insanely over-the-top song-and-dance numbers, of which the following will serve as example.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 29, 2008 - Comments (4)
Category: Music, Foreign Customs, 1950s, Dance, India

Rockin’ & Rollin’ With Santa Claus

Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 24, 2008 - Comments (0)
Category: Holidays, Music, 1950s

Boogie Woogie Santa Claus

Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 22, 2008 - Comments (0)
Category: Holidays, Music, 1950s

Christmas in Jail

Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 19, 2008 - Comments (0)
Category: Holidays, Music, 1950s

Christmas in the Congo

Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 18, 2008 - Comments (0)
Category: Holidays, Music, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1950s

The Hope Diamond

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As a kid, I was fascinated by the Curse of the Hope Diamond.

But you don't seem to hear about it so much anymore.

For a quick rundown of the tale, visit this site, or check out the Wikipedia entry.

But surely one of the weirdest facts connected with the gem is that it was once sent through the US Mail!


Henry “Harry” Winston, a leading American jeweler and gem dealer, bought the diamond from Mrs. McLean’s estate in 1949. In November 1958 Winston donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, intending it to be the foundation for a National Jewel Collection. With his years of experience in shipping jewelry all over the world, Winston chose to have the diamond delivered by registered mail. He told a reporter for the Washington Post that “ . . . [registered mail is] the safest way to ship gems. . . . I’ve sent gems all over the world that way.”


Just a thought about that curse: since 1958, the Hope Diamond has been owned, in a manner of speaking, by the whole nation. If one chooses to date America's hard times--the end of some mythical Golden Age--from roughly that period, could it be said that the curse is still operative?

Why not sell the Hope Diamond to a rich oil shiek, use the money to help relieve the deficit, and see what happens?


Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 12, 2008 - Comments (1)
Category: Museums, 1950s, Natural Wonders, Curses, Postal Services

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Who We Are
Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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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