Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators
Don’t Cry For Me, Roentgen-tina!
Once upon a time Juan Peron's Argentina, tricked by a quasi-scientific hoaxer, claimed they had perfected fusion power. You can see the legacy of their project in the picture above.
Read the full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 12, 2016 -
Comments (2)
Category: Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Technology, 1940s, 1950s, South America
Hitler Is Alive!
In its heyday, THE POLICE GAZETTE was a goldmine of weird news. It was recently revived by Steven Westlake, son of the famous crime novelist Donald Westlake, and he has now compiled a book of the best Hitler articles from the magazine. Looks like a winner!
Posted By: Paul - Mon Feb 22, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Dictators, Tyrants and Other Harsh Rulers, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Magazines, Europe, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Falsies
Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 20, 2016 -
Comments (7)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Body, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Music
One Of Our own
No list of weird collections would be complete without the inclusion of one of our WUvian founders. Alex and his Museum of Hoaxes is, of course, one of the top weird collections on the net!
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 01, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Authorities and Experts, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Museums, Alex
The Angel of Hadley
I had long been aware of the WWI legend of The Angel of Mons, in which a piece of deliberate fiction was accepted as literal truth.
But I was unaware until recently that right in my own backyard, in nearby Hadley, Massachusetts, a similar bit of fiction-as-history existed, the Angel of Hadley, the account of how a mysterious elderly warrior saved settlers from the Indians.
Another good piece on the subject here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 29, 2014 -
Comments (1)
Category: Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Myths and Fairytales, Historical Figure, Europe, North America, Nineteenth Century, Seventeenth Century, Native Americans
David Holzman’s Diary
I never knew of the existence of this film until reading the obituary of one of its creators, L. M. Kit Carson. As an ancestor of Spinal Tap and others of that ilk, it should appeal to WU-vies, I think.
Unfortunately, the entire video does not seem available online. There's a snippet above, and a mini-documentary about the documentary in two parts below. (Caution: brief flash of modest nudity in part two.) You can buy the disc or stream it at Amazon.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Nov 01, 2014 -
Comments (0)
Category: Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Documentaries, 1960s
William Skinner’s Gravity Engine
Apparently, some 75 years on, people are still trying to prove the reality of this perpetual motion machine.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 16, 2014 -
Comments (21)
Category: Eccentrics, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Inventions, 1930s
Giulio Ulivi and the F-rays
Good essay with fotos here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 06, 2014 -
Comments (4)
Category: Destruction, Explosives, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Science, 1910s, Weapons
Prince Ranjit, King of Curry
Even in this current age of celebrity chefs, no one has thought to impersonate a foreign Rajah in order to attract publicity for his restaurant, like "Prince Ranjit" did a century ago.
Full story here.
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 07, 2012 -
Comments (3)
Category: Eccentrics, Food, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Restaurants, 1900s, India
Autobiography of Jesus
Wouldn't so many, many contemporary controversies be definitively settled if only we had Jesus's own writings about his life? Doesn't the sorry world of the 21st century need his inspired insights, straight from the Savior's lips? Of course! And yet, this Spiritualist-dictated "autobiography" languishes unread!
Check it out here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 05, 2012 -
Comments (9)
Category: Disguises, Impersonations, Mimics and Forgeries, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Religion, Books, Nineteenth Century
| 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. Contact Us |