Urban Life
Underground Smog Shelter
Despite living on a hill that was relatively free of smog, millionaire Bill Bounds built an underground smog shelter where he could "breathe air filtered by activated charcoal."
"Bill Bounds at the entrance to his underground smog shelter"
Lansing State Journal - Dec 5, 1971
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 18, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Architecture, Urban Life, 1970s
Sounds of My City
Say you're on vacation at the beach, and you inexplicably long for urban noises. Well, this album has you covered!Embedded player at bottom.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 26, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Noises and Other Public Disturbances of the Peace, Urban Life, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, 1960s
Genuine Los Angeles Smog
A gag gift from 1958. Cans of the stuff occasionally pop up on eBay, though none are currently available.More info: kcet.org
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Apr 24, 1958
Colorado Daily Sentinel - Jun 22, 1958
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 07, 2022 -
Comments (4)
Category: Gifts, Presents, Tributes, and Other Honoraria, Urban Life, 1950s
Drunken Dancers Arrested In Street
A more-innocent era. Not a single gun confiscated!Source: The NYT for July 8, 1923.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 17, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Noises and Other Public Disturbances of the Peace, Urban Life, 1920s, Alcohol
Summer Skiing in Chicago
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 20, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Sports, Urban Life, 1950s
Balloonfest ‘86
From Wikipedia:Balloonfest '86 was a 1986 event in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, in which the local chapter of United Way set a world record by releasing almost one-and-a-half million balloons.[2] The event was intended to be a harmless fundraising publicity stunt, but the balloons drifted back over the city, Lake Erie, and landed in the surrounding area, causing problems for traffic and a nearby airport. The event also interfered with a United States Coast Guard search for two boaters who were later found drowned.[1] In consequence, the organizers and the city faced lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages,[1] and cost overruns put the event at a net loss.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 18, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Charities and Philanthropy, Disasters, Noises and Other Public Disturbances of the Peace, Urban Life, Air Travel and Airlines, 1980s
Anti-Pollution Ventilators
1996: French engineer Yves Lecoffre proposed installing 70,000 "anti-pollution ventilators" (aka fans) around the streets of Paris to blow away the exhaust fumes from cars.Was he joking about this? Was it some kind of April Fool joke? Not as far as I can tell. Though I can't imagine how his scheme would have made the slightest difference to Paris's air quality.
Calgary Herald - May 4, 1996
Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 13, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Engineering and Construction, Really Bad Ideas, Urban Life, 1990s
1969 Design Proposals for NYC
A 200-MPH transit system, a dome over Times Square, and other daydreams.Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 26, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Urban Life, 1960s, Yesterday’s Tomorrows
Unauthorized Dwellings 12
Once Manhattan was home to squatters. Go to article link for readable text.
Article source.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 20, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Eccentrics, Urban Life, Unauthorized Dwellings, 1920s, Nostalgia
Le Silence de la Rue
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 27, 2020 -
Comments ()
Category: Ambiguity, Uncertainty and Deliberate Obscurity, Antisocial Activities, Urban Life, Surrealism, Cartoons
| Who We Are |
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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. Contact Us |