Weird Universe Archive
August 2017
August 7, 2017
Mystery Illustration 53
What is the pretext for this display?
The answer is here.
And after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 07, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Guns, 1940s
August 6, 2017
Miss Garlic
"Miss Garlic will be chosen on the basis of personality, congeniality, talent, knowledge of garlic — and breath."
Greenville News - Feb 10, 1986
Southern Illinoisan - Feb 11, 1986
Posted By: Alex - Sun Aug 06, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1980s
The Beachcombers
The longest-running English-language show on Canadian TV looks just awful. How could it be otherwise, with this premise, as detailed in their Wikipedia entry.
The Beachcombers followed the life of Nick Adonidas (Bruno Gerussi), a Greek-Canadian log salvager in British Columbia who earned a living travelling the coastline northwest of Vancouver with his partner Jesse Jim (Pat John) aboard their logging tug Persephone tracking down logs that had broken away from barges and logging booms. Their chief business competitor is Relic (Robert Clothier) (whose actual name is Stafford T. Phillips), a somewhat unsavoury person who will occasionally go to great lengths to steal business (and logs) away from Nick. The series also focused on a supporting cast of characters in Nick's hometown of Gibsons, often centering on a café, Molly's Reach, run by Molly (Rae Brown), a mother figure to virtually all the characters in the series (including Relic). Molly had two grandchildren living with her, Hughie (Bob Park) and his younger sister Margaret played by Nancy Chapple in the first season then by Juliet Randall from the second season onward.
There are some full episodes on YouTube if anyone is brave enough to watch. Maybe a Canadian WU-vie will fill us in!
Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 06, 2017 -
Comments (6)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Nature, Natural Resources, 1970s
August 5, 2017
Stolen Lampposts
Police in Lelystad (the Netherlands) arrested a man who was driving with two stolen lampposts strapped to the top of his car. They posted the following picture to their Facebook page.
Google Translate provides the following translation of the picture's caption (and I think Google translate has been getting better lately, because this translation is fairly comprehensible):
This morning around 10:00 the police reported a passenger car riding from Almere to Lelystad with two huge lampposts on the roof. At the Oostvaardersdijk in Lelystad the combination was held and the driver checked.
We start with the traffic violations. That the cargo can not be transported in this way may be clear. In addition, the car was not insured and the APK had been running for more than three months. The driver's license B was declared invalid by the end of 2016. The colleagues smoke with the driver an alcoholic air. However, he refused to cooperate with a blow test on which he was arrested. Expectation is that the court will demand the highest possible penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol because the suspect did not cooperate with the investigation.
The investigation investigated the origin of the lampposts. These are most likely stolen in Almere. In addition, there appeared to be other criminal investigations to the suspect, such as refueling without paying.
The suspect is embedded in the cell complex and has now been insured. The car has been seized.
We start with the traffic violations. That the cargo can not be transported in this way may be clear. In addition, the car was not insured and the APK had been running for more than three months. The driver's license B was declared invalid by the end of 2016. The colleagues smoke with the driver an alcoholic air. However, he refused to cooperate with a blow test on which he was arrested. Expectation is that the court will demand the highest possible penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol because the suspect did not cooperate with the investigation.
The investigation investigated the origin of the lampposts. These are most likely stolen in Almere. In addition, there appeared to be other criminal investigations to the suspect, such as refueling without paying.
The suspect is embedded in the cell complex and has now been insured. The car has been seized.
In summary, seems that the guy was drunk, uninsured, had an expired driver's license, and was driving around with two stolen lampposts on top of his car.
My question is, what was he planning to do with the lampposts?
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 05, 2017 -
Comments (6)
Category: Crime, Stupid Criminals, Cars
Ada Leonard and Her All-Girl Orchestra
Wikipedia page here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 05, 2017 -
Comments (4)
Category: Music, Gender, Women, 1940s
August 4, 2017
Zippo Car
The Zippo Manufacturing Co. built the Zippo car in 1947 by adapting a Chrysler Saratoga. However, the weight of the lighters kept causing the tires to blow out. So in 1952 the car was sent to a Pittsburgh garage for repairs and re-adaptation. It was never seen again. To this day, no one knows what happened to the Zippo car.It reminds me of the tale of the lost Star Wars Celica GT.
In 1998, a replica Zippo car was built — fitted with modern tires that could handle the weight.
More info: post-gazette.com, NY Daily News, Zippo.
Thanks to hotsauce269 for the photo!
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 04, 2017 -
Comments (4)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Cars, 1940s
Follies of the Madmen #322
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 04, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Fashion, 1950s
August 3, 2017
Big-Mouthed Boy
Young Leonard Hanstein, aka Big-Mouthed Boy, had a talent for stuffing things in his mouth.
Pittsburgh Press - Apr 30, 1939
Detroit Free Press - July 9, 1939
Sheboygan Press - Apr 13, 1939
Drew Friedman included a caricature of Hanstein in his book Sideshow Freaks (2011), and claimed that Hanstein made a living for a while by displaying his talent.
I came across a columnist (below) musing in 1969 about what might have happened to Hanstein, but the question went unanswered. The only other biographical info I can find about Hanstein is that he died in 1994 at the age of 70, still living in Oklahoma.
Fairbanks Daily News - Feb 22, 1969
Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 03, 2017 -
Comments (6)
Category: Human Marvels, 1930s
Fill ‘Er Up—and De-ice the Wings!
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 03, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Air Travel and Airlines, 1950s
August 2, 2017
What is a drawing?
New Zealand artist Kirsty Lillico recently won the annual Parkin Drawing Prize, which netted her $20,000. The question her win has raised is, was her piece, titled "State Block," actually a drawing? It consisted of pieces of carpet draped over string.Lillico said, "Drawing, to me, it's not just about a pencil and paper. I'm using a knife and carpet and hanging it in a space to achieve the same ends."
The prize's patron, Chris Parkin, admits that the piece stretches the definition of a drawing, but he notes it was "still lines, at the end of the day... somebody has taken a knife, and started a line and taken it for a walk."
More info: stuff.co.nz
"State Block"
Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 02, 2017 -
Comments (4)
Category: Art
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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 |
