Weird Universe Archive
March 2012
March 21, 2012
Germans Agog At Negro GIs
Descriptions of white explorers meeting dark-skinned tribes who have never seen a white person before are pretty common in travel/exploration literature. So common they're almost a cliche. Leave it to the Germans to switch things around a bit: Teutonic tribespeople bewildered by the sight of dark-skinned travelers from across the ocean. From the Chicago Tribune, Apr 14, 1947:
Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 21, 2012 -
Comments (12)
Category: Ethnic Groupings, Racism, 1940s, Europe
March 20, 2012
Top Weird Universe Search Queries
According to Google Webmaster Tools, these are the top search queries (on google) that led people to Weird Universe. The "impressions" is the number of times a WU page was viewed on a google search results page. And the "clicks" is the number of times someone actually clicked on one of those search results and ended up at WU. Obviously we need to work on getting our 'tryptophobia' and 'russian porn' click-through rates up.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 20, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Weird Universe
Mercedes Bling
The asking price after gold plating, ruby encrusting and super charging- $11 million.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 20, 2012 -
Comments (6)
Category:
Who’s The Bad Guy
A man had his laptop stolen. Not unusual unfortunately, even more so with today's economic climate. What is unusual and pretty amazing is what the burglar did with the computer. He found thousands of child pornography photos on it and was so disturbed by what was there that he turned the laptop over to police, in effect, turning himself in for robbery in order to report the owner. So, who is really the bad guy here?
Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 20, 2012 -
Comments (19)
Category:
Mechanical Hair-Brusher
I came across this description of a mechanical hair-brush published in Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Nov. 23, 1863. It operated by means of "an endless band of vulcanised india-rubber... that descends to within about a foot of your head and is made to revolve by machinery." Here's a description of it in action:When I went in to get my hair thus brushed, had sat down before the glass, and been tucked in as usual, with bib and dressing-gown, the hair-dresser took up one of his circular brushes and hitched it to the revolving band over my head. In a moment I felt a silent fanning, as if some monstrous butterfly were hovering over me; this was the air of the twirling brush, which caught my hair up and laid it down, and traveled all over my head with incessant gentle penetration. It crept down my whiskers and searched my beard with the same tender and yet decided effect. There was no scratching, not even of the neck and ears, but the skin of cheeks and chin was reached and swept. It was a new sensation. I felt as if I should like to be brush continously for a month.
Evidently mechanical hair-brushes never caught on, because the only picture of one I could find was this:
Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 20, 2012 -
Comments (18)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Inventions, Hair Styling
March 19, 2012
Follies of the Mad Men #179
VORWERK Stadt der Milben (Mite City) from Sehsucht™ on Vimeo.
Oh, great! Your product makes me feel like a genocidal monster!
Posted By: Paul - Mon Mar 19, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Hygiene, Europe
Tarantulas, Hermit Crabs Make Effective Holiday Gifts
This has always been my gift-giving philosophy, which I often extend to birthday celebrations as well. From the Los Angeles Times, Nov. 30, 1978:
Posted By: Alex - Mon Mar 19, 2012 -
Comments (8)
Category: Armageddon and Apocalypses
Chuck’s Weekly Cite-Seeing (March 19, 2012)
Chuck's Weekly Cite-Seeing TourThe Crème de la Crème, Every Monday
Hand-Picked and Lightly Seasoned by Chuck Shepherd
March 19, 2012
(datelines from March 9 or later) (links correct as of March 19)
Embden, Maine: Nobody remembers how the road got its name, but most residents want to leave it as is: "Katie Crotch Road." Kennebec Journal
Springfield, Mo.: Race, gender, religion, nationality? No problem with those as "protected classes" in anti-discrimination law. The Missouri House just added
Houston, Tex.: You'll need to buy a program to get it straight. Lawyer and his squeeze put a hit on lawyer's wife. Hitman [Ed.: a real hitman, not an undercover cop!] wings her. Lawyer and wife reconcile. Wife sues squeeze. Depositions galore. ABA Journal
Denver, Colo.: Apparently, the best that cop Michael Nuanes Jr., 37, could do to defend against domestic abuse charges was to complain that she started it by hitting him in the foot with a Justin Bieber doll. (Nuanes's "Man" ranking in jeopardy.) KMGH-TV (Denver)
Davis, Okla.: Hawkeye Jeter, 77, was spotted doing a no-no with a show pig, but "all did" was "I stuck my finger up her private" and "poured corn out to hold the gill still." [Ed.: Yee-hah, I wish I understood any of that that!] Alas, yes, he said, it was for sexual gratification. KFOR-TV (Oklahoma City)
Chicago: Fistfight over whose seat is whose, at
More in extended >>
Posted By: Chuck - Mon Mar 19, 2012 -
Comments (10)
Category:
March 18, 2012
Dumb History
Just got my copy of this title, and it looks like a winner for all WU-vies. I'll report more soon.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 18, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: History, Stupidity, Weird Studies and Guides, Books
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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 books such as Elephants on Acid. 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. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
