1960s
Fake Facial Hair for Sale
[From Playboy for November 1968. Click to enlarge.]
I can imagine a man being follicle-challenged and able only to grow a patchy beard or mustache. But most of us can grow a perfectly fine crop of facial hair for free. Why would anyone spend money for a fake? And the price! The Inflation Calculator I always use says: "What cost $30 in 1968 would cost $185.89 in 2010."
But the weirdest thing is the appeal to scam your girlfriend or one-night-stand with fake hair. Huh?
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 27, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Frauds, Cons and Scams, Magazines, Sexuality, 1960s, Facial Hair
Emilio Pucci’s Bubble Bonnet
In 1964, Braniff airlines was looking for a way to differentiate itself from its competitors by adding a touch of glamour and weirdness to its service. So it hired Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci to design the uniforms of the stewardesses. What he came up with was the plexiglass Bubble Bonnet, aka the Space Bubble Helmet. Its purpose was supposedly to protect the hair of the stewardesses from wind and rain as they crossed the tarmac. Stewardesses complained that it was hard to hear anyone while wearing the things. Read more here and here.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 14, 2012 -
Comments (6)
Category: Fashion, Headgear, Air Travel and Airlines, 1960s
Intermission Ads: An Abandoned Artform
Artforms are not eternal. Sonnets don't get written much anymore. And certainly the Golden Age of the intermission advertisement is, lamentably, long gone.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 12, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Art, Food, Movies, Advertising, 1950s, 1960s
Most Useful Tool Ever—But Which?
I know December 1965 is a long time ago. But this mystery propounded in that month's issue of Popular Science remains unsolved.
Which item is the best? The Poprivet Gun, or the Dual Heat Soldering Gun?
Please state your reasoning with your vote.
Original ad here. (Scroll down several pages for second one.)
Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 18, 2012 -
Comments (13)
Category: Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Tools, 1960s
Goliath and the Vampires
Just to get you in a Halloween mood. If you need more, the full movie follows.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Oct 17, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Movies, Fantasy, Myths and Fairytales, 1960s, Fictional Monsters
Radio Sunglasses
To hell with iPods! These are so much cooler!
Of course, the online inflation calculator I use says: "What cost $24.95 in 1967 would cost $165.76 in 2011. " Or, in other terms, roughly the cost of a new 8GB iPod Touch.
Maybe modern life is better!
From Playboy for August 1967.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 14, 2012 -
Comments (9)
Category: Fashion, Music, Technology, Chindogu, 1960s
Baldwin Hills Dam Disaster
Today we are used to seeing disasters unfold live on TV. But in 1963, it was all new.
More info here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 23, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Disasters, 1960s, TV News
The Five Man Army
Samurais and the Old West: can the combo ever not satisfy?
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 16, 2012 -
Comments (9)
Category: Crime, Movies, Stereotypes and Cliches, Wild West and US Frontier, 1960s, Asia
Sea Lion Hide Shoes
[From Playboy for November 1968. Click to enlarge.]
Lizard, alligator, shark--sure, I've heard of shoes made with those, and also with ostrich skin.
But sea lion?!?
I went looking and found a firm that still uses sea lion hide for various products, though I'm not sure sea lion shoes are among their offerings.
But Holy God, look at this crocodile chair!
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 12, 2012 -
Comments (7)
Category: Animals, Furniture, Shoes, 1960s
The Pipes of Pain
Would you go to a dentist called Dr. Pain? Would your decision change if you knew he was going to play bagpipes for you as he waited for your anesthesia to take effect?Unfortunately, the question is moot, since Dr. Rodney Pain, the bagpipe-playing dentist of San Francisco, is surely no longer in practice. (He's probably no longer alive.) A photo and caption detailing his unusual blend of dentistry and Scottish music ran in newspapers back in early 1966. [Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Spokane Daily Chronicle]
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 10, 2012 -
Comments (14)
Category: Medicine, Music, 1960s
| Who We Are |
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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, 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. Contact Us |