Category:
1990s
Continuing the theme of odd ways coaches have motivated players (started with yesterday's post about
the coach who bit the heads off live frogs) —
In 1992, Mississippi State Coach Jackie Sherrill arranged for a bull to be castrated in front of his players before a game, as an "educational and motivational experience." Asked how it was motivational, Sherrill replied, "That's everybody's different perception."
His team did win the game.
The Tennessean - Sep 15, 1992
The Tennessean - Sep 18, 1992
Asbury Park Press - Sep 15, 1992
In 1990, the British banned the devil from their roads. But over in Russia, where his Satanic influence continued to reign unchecked,
a Dodge Viper with the license plate '666' mysteriously burst into flames in 2009.
Arizona Republic - May 3, 1991
Bangor Daily News - Feb 5, 1990
September 1994: Georges Wache, managing director at a French furniture company in Vietnam, offered free movie tickets to employees as a morale booster to reward them for good work. The only catch was that to receive the giveaway, the employees had to "put their heads between his thighs" to search for the tickets.
One man refused and reported the odd demand to the authorities. When word reached the media, it sparked national outrage. Saigon newspapers branded Wache "The Ugly Frenchman" and demanded his deportation from the country. Wache insisted that his actions had simply been innocent fun that was misinterpreted. From what I can gather, Wache eventually was able to keep his job.
Sydney Morning Herald - Sep 13, 1994
So this is kind of a "good news/bad news" story then?
Original article here.
1997: Cockrell couldn't keep his hands to himself.
Bonus: the skydiving school
was in Climax, North Carolina.
The Des Moines Register - Feb 9, 1997
January 1994: A school bus driver in Port Washington, Wisconsin insisted he was only joking when he shouted out "Should I hit the dog?" seconds before he hit a dog on the road. The animal belonged to two of the children on the bus. It often came up to the road to meet them. The driver, who later resigned, blamed the accident on icy conditions.
The Journal Times - Feb 4, 1994
May 1999: Belgian fashion designer Maison Martin Margiela had a fashion/art exhibition at the Brooklyn Anchorage gallery in New York City in which he displayed his latest creation — mold-covered clothes.
Reported Time: "The clothes were dipped in agar and treated with mold, bacteria and yeast; they were then left to develop new colors and textures (the smell is a bonus)."
In fairness to Martin Margiela, this was more art than fashion show.
According to art historian Ingrid Loschek, the display "compared the natural cycle of creation and decay to the consumer cycle of buying and discarding."
The moldy clothes were burned at the end of the exhibition, since they were in such an advanced stage of decomposition that they were unfit for anyone to wear.
via pinterest
via Slow and Steady Wins the Race
A month ago I posted about the
rice recipe that caused a woman to have a nervous breakdown.
Summary: In 1989, Bobbie June Griggs submitted her rice recipe to South Carolina Electric & Gas's annual rice cookoff. She didn't win, but they published her recipe in their cookbook anyway. So she sued them, claiming its publication had caused her to have a nervous breakdown. For good measure, her husband sued also claiming "loss of consortium." The case almost made it to the Supreme Court, but they decided not to hear it, thereby letting the previous decisions stand. Those decisions were that: a) you can't copyright a single recipe, and b) "copyright law does not cover infliction of emotional distress." So Bobbie June Griggs was out of luck.
A few of you asked, what was the recipe? Thanks to the magic of interlibrary loan, I finally managed to obtain a copy of it, courtesy of the Charleston County Library, which sent me a photocopy of it free of charge. So here it is — the rice recipe that caused a woman to have a nervous breakdown.
I haven't made it yet, but I plan to try it out sometime in the near future. If any of you make it, let us know how it is, and post a picture of it.
One of life's unanswerable mysteries — Why did the man have baked beans in his boots?
London Times - June 30, 1998
What's in the boot, then?
A motorist who was stopped for a routine police check in Colchester, Essex, was found to be wearing wellington boots filled with baked beans in tomato sauce.
Officers warned him to choose more suitable footwear. A spokesman said: "We have no idea why he was doing it, but it is an offence not to be in proper control of a car. Wearing boots could cause the driver to be distracted and have an accident."