Killer Candy

Read the thrilling urban legend here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat May 27, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Death, Fables, Myths, Urban Legends, Rumors, Water-Cooler Lore, Advertising, Candy, 1970s

Marvin Parson’s Inner Wilderness

Marvin Parson’s Inner Wild Wilderness, Fred Casia, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Posted By: Paul - Wed May 24, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Cryptozoology, Death, Food, Cartoons

Kicked To Death By A Camel

According to the article "Camel-Related Deaths" in The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology:


Some searching for examples of camel-related deaths led me to discover a book with the oddball title, Kicked To Death By A Camel, published in 1973.



The author, Clarence J.L. Jackson, was a pseudonym for Richard W. Bulliet, a history professor at Harvard (and later Columbia University). On his Amazon page he writes:


Sounds like it could be a fun read. If you're interested, you can either buy a used copy or check it out via archive.org.

Shreveport Times - Sep 23, 1973

Posted By: Alex - Mon May 22, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Death, Books, 1970s

Questo/Touch Fabric from Allied Chemicals

I'd love to know exactly what this miracle fabric was made of, but can't find any description of it.

The ad reminds me of the famous Monty Python skit where a man is executed by a running pack of topless women. See beyond the jump.





More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Tue May 09, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Death, Fashion, Advertising, 1960s, Women

RIP Yon Zircle Bowlin

Yon Zircle Bowlin died last week at the age of 94. His weird claim to fame was that he was the final-born member of the Bowlin "alphabet family."

His parents, Allen and Sarah Bowlin, named all their kids in alphabetical order (first and middle names). They ended up having 13 kids, completing the alphabet.

The 13 kids: Audie Bryant, Curtis Drue, Era Faye, Grady Hampton, Ida Jeanette, Knola Leantha, Millard Nathan, Olivia Penelopi, Quincy Ruth, Sarah Thelma, Ulysses Vinson, Wilson Xava, and Yon Zircle.

Yon Zircle's obituary: Brown Funeral Home

Montgomery Advertiser - Feb 15, 1950

Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 27, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Death, Odd Names

Death by metric system

1976: Leonard Dodge "hung himself — because he could not cope with the change-over to metrication, it was suggested at the inquest on him."

Devon Herald Express - Oct 9, 1976

Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 20, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Death, Suicide, 1970s

The Mole Torpedo

Weapon tunnels through the earth to the enemy. Why is this not in constant use today? Too easy nowadays to sense seismic activity?


Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 10, 2023 - Comments ()
Category: Death, Inventions, Patents, War

Biggest gratuity ever?

In 1941, when Dolores Moran was 15, she worked as a waitress at a drive-in restaurant in San Jose, California. One day she served a local farmer some coffee and hamburger. The next year Moran left San Jose and moved to Hollywood where she achieved brief fame as an actress.

Dolores Moran. Image source: wikipedia

By the 1960s her acting career had ended. But then, in 1968, Moran learned that the farmer she had served at the drive-in 27 years ago had died, leaving her his apricot orchard valued at around $300,000 (or $2.5 million in today's money).

Moran had no memory of serving the farmer, whose name was Anthony Ponce. Nor had the two ever communicated since then. She said, "for the life of me I can't remember the man." But evidently she had made a big impression on him.

Monroe News Star - Dec 18, 1968

Ponce's relatives contested the will, arguing that he was not of sound mind when he made it. I haven't been able to find out how the case was settled, but I'm guessing Moran got to keep the orchard since it's usually fairly difficult to invalidate a will.

If she did get to keep it, then that would have to count as one of the biggest gratuities of all time. Perhaps the biggest? Especially for an order of coffee and hamburger.

Peninsula Times Tribune - Feb 19, 1969

Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 06, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Death, Law, Restaurants, Actors

Deathbed Wedding

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 01, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Death, 1900s, Weddings

Robin orders sparrow to be shot

Aug 1979: Frustrated by a sparrow that was chirping in his church when a guitar recital was going to be recorded, Rev. Robin Clark ordered the bird to be shot.

I'm sure that, after that, no one made a sound during the recital.

The Vancouver Columbian - Aug 8, 1979

I couldn't find a recording of the sparrow-death recital, but here's some music by Konrad Ragossnig.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 31, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Death, Music