Unsuspecting drug dealer

July 1973: Two undercover agents approached Eduardo Bazua at a gas station and attempted to buy heroin from him. However, he was reluctant to make the sale there and asked if there was somewhere more private they could go. So the agents took him to their nearby office at the Drug Enforcement Agency. Once in the office, Bazua proceeded to make the sale, and the agents promptly arrested him.

In Bazua's defense, there was no lettering on the door identifying it as the DEA, but even so, the fact that the office was on the 12th floor of the downtown federal building should have been a clue.

Los Angeles Times - July 27, 1973

San Bernardino County Sun - July 26, 1973

Posted By: Alex - Thu May 19, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Drugs, Stupid Criminals, 1970s

The Sauna Bath Nymphomaniac

The case of the cable car nymphomaniac is a classic weird news story. Less well known, but along similar lines, is the case of the sauna bath nymphomaniac.

Maria Parson claimed that the trauma of being accidentally locked in a sauna for half-an-hour due to a faulty door handle caused her to develop a split personality. She came to have three personalities: "sex-hungry Maria" who prowled bars picking up men, "remorseful Betty" who bitterly resented Maria's escapades, and her submerged real self.

She sued the health spa for $1 million, but lost — even though she was represented by the same lawyer who had secured a win for the cable car nymphomaniac.

Orange Coast Pilot - Dec 20, 1973

Bellingham Herald - Jan 10, 1974

Eureka Times Standard - Mar 6, 1974

Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 20, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Lawsuits, Psychology, 1970s, Sex

“Goodbye, Three Mile Island”

With Chernobyl in the news again, perhaps we need to revive this song.

Gary and the Outriders, a local music group, recorded an original song, "Goodbye T.M.I. (The Ballad of Three Mile Island)," and released it as a 45 rpm record. Its catchy melody contrasts with its dire refrain: "Goodbye, goodbye to your life, T.M.I."

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 19, 2022 - Comments (4)
Category: Music, Regionalism, Riots, Protests and Civil Disobedience, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1970s

SSSSSSS, The Movie

The Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 12, 2022 - Comments (5)
Category: Horror, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, Reptiles, Snakes, Worms and Other Slithery Things, 1970s

A Year at Sea

Most unique trial for a marriage ever!

Source: The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California) 23 Apr 1972, Sun Page 3

Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 11, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Marriage, 1970s

The housewife who became pregnant after watching Uri Geller

March 1974: a Swedish housewife claimed that, after she watched Uri Geller on TV, her contraceptive coil got bent out of shape, thereby causing her to become pregnant.

Given that the housewife was never named, I'm going to assume this story sprang from the overly fertile imagination of the "Sunday Mirror Reporter in Stockholm".

Uri Geller references the event in his biography, posted on his website, but gives no more details than are available in the Sunday Mirror story, which suggests that, at the very least, he was never sued by the Swedish housewife.

Sunday London Mirror - Mar 17, 1974

Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 10, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Paranormal, 1970s, Pregnancy

Senior Center King and Queen

A rather more-famous photo to join our legion of "Strange Beauty Queens."

Diane Arbus The King and Queen of a Senior Citizens Dance, N.Y.C., 1970

Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 06, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Elderly and Seniors, 1970s

Ancient Greek Warrior Sunglasses

NY Daily News - July 25, 1971

For comparison, the helmet of an ancient Greek warrior:

Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 02, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Fashion, 1970s, Eyes and Vision

Manikin Cigar Ads

Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 24, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Tobacco and Smoking, Advertising, 1970s

Kaliedoscope, “Chocolate Whale”

Their Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 12, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Music, Psychedelic, 1970s