November 2015
November 14, 2015
Car Vending Machine
Thousands of dollars to buy a car, hundreds more to travel to the location, picking up your new car from a vending machine priceless.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Nov 14, 2015 -
Comments (8)
Category: Buildings and Other Structures, Retailing, Transportation
Hog dogs with a message
In 1990, the Viskase Corp. debuted a breakthrough in hot-dog technology. It had developed an edible ink that allowed messages to be printed onto hot dogs during the manufacturing process.As far as I can tell, this technology failed to find a market. The NY Times reported that "the Viskase Corporation found no takers for its offer to print edible-ink ads on hot dogs."
Perhaps this was because a) what kind of message is best delivered via hot dog?, and b) hot dogs are usually covered with condiments, which would hide the message.
Image source: Newsweek - Jan 22, 1990
Posted By: Alex - Sat Nov 14, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Food, Junk Food, Advertising, 1990s
Morris Cleveland’s Homemade Steam Vehicle
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Nov 14, 2015 -
Comments (9)
Category: Eccentrics, Inventions, Regionalism, Technology, 1960s
November 13, 2015
Condom Hut
Back in 1992, Emanuelle Del Vecchio had an idea for a great new business — a drive-through condom store. She called it "Condom Hut" and set up shop in a former Fotomat booth.Unfortunately the booth was located in an area of Cranston, Rhode Island populated by very Catholic Italian-Americans, many of whom took great offense at the idea of people being able to buy birth control from the comfort of their motor vehicle.
Local residents began protesting the store. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence condemned it for "promoting sexual activity, not abstinence." A rock was thrown through its window. Graffiti was spray-painted on its front. And eventually the business folded.
America was just not ready for a drive-through condom store.
Source: People magazine - Sep 21, 1992
Source (and more info): Quahog.org
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 13, 2015 -
Comments (8)
Category: Business, Birth Control , 1990s
The Varitone Sax
A more-or-less failed and forgotten 1960s experiment in electrifying the saxophone.
Two good articles here and here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 13, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Music, Technology, 1960s
November 12, 2015
Texas Ranger Cowboy Outfit
[Click to enlarge]
Original image here. (Page 10).
Posted By: Paul - Thu Nov 12, 2015 -
Comments (19)
Category: Costumes and Masks, Comics, 1950s
Army puts price tags on equipment
Back in 1951, the U.S. Army was told it needed to cut costs, so it initiated the "cost-consciousness" program. This involved putting price tags on all the equipment, so that the soldiers could see how much everything cost. The theory was that this would make them use the equipment more "wisely and well."After the program was implemented, one Army Reserve staffer said, "It looks just like a department store here."
There were claims that the program saved the Army millions of dollars. So I wonder what caused it to be shelved?
The News-Herald (Franklin, Pennsylvania) - Dec 14, 1951
The Spokesman-Review - Feb 27, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 12, 2015 -
Comments (14)
Category: Military, 1950s, Armed Forces
November 11, 2015
The Atom Blanket
Tuck your kids into bed with the "Atom Blanket" and you know they'll be safe from surprise nuclear attacks!
Source: Newsweek - Apr 26, 1954
Note: Although Newsweek claimed this blanket was widely publicized, I haven't been able to find any references to it in papers and magazines from the 1950s -- beyond the reference in Newsweek itself. Perhaps it was advertised in trade publications that have never been scanned and placed online.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 11, 2015 -
Comments (9)
Category: War, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1950s
The Eccentric Club
For over 230 years there has been one or more organizations known as "the Eccentric Club." I think every WU-vie should be a member by birthright.
Here is a tongue-in-cheek account of a party at an NYC branch from 1889.
Original article here.
Profile of the current London version.
Present-day USA version.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 11, 2015 -
Comments (11)
Category: Eccentrics, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Twenty-first Century
November 10, 2015
Third Eye
The fisherman said he was going to eat the fish. Without knowing why it developed a third eye I wouldn't touch it much less eat it!
Posted By: Alex - Tue Nov 10, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Nature, Fish, Eyes and Vision
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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 |
