September 2017
September 20, 2017
Follies of the Madmen #326
1) Sturgeons are the ONLY ones to make caviar, therefore they are best by default, and the point is moot.
2) The mental juxtaposition engendered by this ad between a fishy taste and the taste of coffee is most unpleasant.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 20, 2017 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Business, Advertising, Products, Food, 1940s
September 19, 2017
Endurance Bowling
Back in 1930, George Kinder of Milwaukee set a record for endurance bowling. He bowled for 50 hours 20 mins, rolling 362 ½ games. He had to quit because "his thumb was badly split, blistered and torn, and he couldn't grasp the ball."
Courier News - Jan 13, 1930
41 years later, Richard Dewey of Kansas City set a new endurance record. He bowled for 98 hrs 45 mins, rolling 1220 games. But Dewey also had to quit because of injuries:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - May 26, 1971
More recently, in 2010, Stephen Shanabrook of Plano, Texas set a new record, bowling for 134 hrs 57 min. However, he completed only 643 games, which is only about half the number Dewey rolled in less time. Nevertheless, according to Guinness, Shanabrook is the current record holder.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Sep 19, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Sports, World Records
The Untouchables vs. the Touchables
One of Eliot Ness's less well-publicized duties.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 19, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Crime, Medicine, Sexuality, 1940s
September 18, 2017
Respect for the Aged Day
Today is Respect for the Aged Day in Japan.Japan Tobacco has long celebrated the day by giving senior citizens each ten packs of cigarettes.
Baltimore Sun - Sep 15, 1999
More info: Japan Times
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 18, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category:
Malvaz Malt Tonic
Oh, it's not beer, despite coming from Monarch Brewing--it's just a healthy Malt Tonic!As this site says of a similar brand from the same period: "the concoction—actually just simple beer with the addition of honey—was advertised as a 'liquid food' for the treatment of various ailments, from insomnia to 'old age' to 'expectant motherhood.'"
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 18, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Advertising, 1930s, Alcohol
September 17, 2017
The Morale Raiser
Also known as a pat-on-the-back machine. An earlier version of this.
Wilmington News Journal - Dec 22, 1950
Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 17, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Inventions, 1950s
England’s Smallest Window
Wikipedia reference here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 17, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Architecture, Europe
September 16, 2017
Drip Fire Rifle
Invented by Lance Corporal William Charles Scurry during WWI, while fighting in Gallipoli. The Drip Fire Rifle was a way to jerry-rig a rifle using readily available materials so that it would randomly fire on its own. The Australian forces set up a whole bunch of these Drip Fire Rifles, and in this way were able to fool the Turkish forces into thinking they were actively manning the front lines, when in fact they were all sneaking away in boats. From abc.net.au:
Posted By: Alex - Sat Sep 16, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Inventions, War, Weapons, 1910s
Tales of Justine: “Albert, A Pet Sunflower”
Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 16, 2017 -
Comments (0)
Category: Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Nature, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Psychedelic, 1960s
September 15, 2017
Wasabi Smoke Alarm
Fire alarms for the deaf typically involve strobe lights or vibration (such as a vibrating bed or pillow to wake a sleeper). But over in Japan, a few years back, researchers invented an alarm that sprayed the smell of Wasabi into the air. Tests revealed it could wake sleepers within two minutes.The researchers also tested the smells of banana, coconut milk, and tea tree oil, but they found the smell of wasabi worked best.
More info: BBC News
Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 15, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Inventions
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