Category:
Stupidity

Walking across the Australian desert to prove that God exists

1985: Six young Christians, carrying only "a Swiss army knife, adhesive bandages, cigarette lighters and three Bibles," set out to walk over one thousand miles across Australia's Nullarbor desert in order to "prove God exists." They were later joined by a 41-year-old man.

They did so "in defiance of police warnings that the walk was dangerous, and complaints of blasphemy from religious leaders."

They made it. So they avoided winning a Darwin Award, though going on a hike in a desert without water would definitely put anyone in the running for one.

Port Huron Times Herald - May 18, 1985



"On the last leg of their trek: Rachel Sukumaran (12), Christine McKay (15), Dane Frick (42), Robin Dunn (19), Roland Gianstefani (22), Gary McKay (16) and Malcolm Wrest (22)."
Sydney Morning Herald - June 30, 1985

Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 03, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Religion, Stupidity, 1980s

Dinosaurs Live!

The name of the event did imply there were going to be living dinosaurs at the Memphis Zoo. So, perhaps the people who asked for their money back were simply sticklers for truth in advertising.



Longview Daily News - Sep 9, 1992

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 03, 2020 - Comments (7)
Category: Stupidity, 1990s

Gene Vincent:  WHY DON’T YOU PEOPLE LEARN TO DRIVE?



As relevant now as then.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 02, 2015 - Comments (1)
Category: Bad Habits, Neuroses and Psychoses, Music, Stupidity, 1950s, Cars

Women Becoming Dumb

Back in 1926, art historian and cultural critic Dudley Crafts Watson sounded the alarm on a looming problem. The modern American woman, he believed, was fast becoming a "statis dumb bunny" because labor-saving devices were allowing her too much free time which she spent amusing herself with frivolous entertainment, instead of improving her mind.

Today, Watson is best known because he became the guardian of Orson Welles. His warning about the dumbing down of our culture actually sounds like what a lot of cultural critics say. The only unusual thing about it is his focus on women alone.


The Ogden Standard-Examiner - Apr 2, 1926


Dudley Crafts Watson

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 19, 2015 - Comments (14)
Category: Culture and Civilization, Stupidity, 1920s

Follies of the Madmen #236

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 25, 2014 - Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Education, Stupidity, 1960s, Cars

Alaska, USA

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A petition to secede from the union and join Russia is circulating in Alaska. It gained 10,000 signatures in a three day period, if it gets 100,000 the White House is obliged to respond. They must have brain freeze up there.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Mar 24, 2014 - Comments (11)
Category: Stupidity

The Definition Of Stupidity

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On a day when the temperature was 5 below zero with a windchill of -25 a high school in Minnesota showed unbelievably poor judgement during a fire alarm. Smoke from a science project had set off the fire alarm so the school was evacuated as per procedure. Unfortunately one freshman girl was in the pool and was rushed out without being allowed to grab her clothes or shoes from the locker room. Once outside in a wet bathing suit, towel, and bare feet she was not even allowed to sit in a faculty member's car due to school rules. While she stood for 10 minutes in the bitter cold a teacher gave her a jacket and a friend gave her a sweatshirt to wrap her feet in. Finally someone got permission for her to sit in a teacher's car till everyone was allowed back inside the school. The young lady suffered frostbite on her feet and her mother is asking for an apology. Of course the school bureaucrats are making noises about changing some rules in conjunction with the Fire Marshall. So sad, the death of common sense.

Picture from Yahoo images.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 08, 2014 - Comments (14)
Category: Stupidity

Brave Or Stupid

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Brave; running into a burning building to save a person or even a pet. Stupid; running into a burning building to save your Xbox.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 28, 2014 - Comments (3)
Category: Stupidity

Ouch A Squirrel!

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Forgot the beer on Christmas? That's a beating with a ceramic squirrel. The cops didn't buy the 'he just fell' excuse either.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 27, 2013 - Comments (7)
Category: Stupidity

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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.

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