December 2021
December 12, 2021
Tapioca Tundra
In honor of the recently departed Michael Nesmith, one of the Monkees' weirder songs.Reasoned verse some prose or rhyme
Lose themselves in other times
And waiting hopes cast silent spells
That speak in clouded clues
It cannot be a part of me
For now it's part of you
Sunshine, rag time, blowing in the breeze
Midnight looks right standing more at ease
Silhouettes and figures stay
Close to what he had to say
And one more time the faded dream
Is saddened by the news
It cannot be a part of me
For now it's a part of you
Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 12, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Music, Surrealism, 1960s
December 11, 2021
Full-Face Sunglasses
The new trend in sunglasses.I've yet to see someone wearing these out in public, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I do.
They're available for $16.99 on Amazon.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 11, 2021 -
Comments (8)
Category: Fashion, Eyes and Vision
The Cave Restaurant and Resort of Missouri
Alas, it closed in 2015.When it was last for sale, a mere quarter-million. Call the realtor to see what you can arrange.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 11, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Regionalism, Restaurants, Caves, Caverns, Tunnels and Other Subterranean Venues
December 10, 2021
Miss Heat Pump of 1957
As far as I can tell, Ann Brueggemann was the only young woman ever crowned 'Miss Heat Pump'.I like how her ideas for her costume all look like elegant dresses, whereas I'm sure that the company's idea was to put her in a giant heat pump costume.
Detroit Free Press - Mar 24, 1957
Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 10, 2021 -
Comments (5)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1950s
Dog’s View
From the commercial's own Wikipedia page:
It was one of several ONDCP PSAs shown to increase cannabis consumption in teens.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 10, 2021 -
Comments (5)
Category: Drugs, PSA’s, Teenagers, Dogs, Twenty-first Century
December 9, 2021
The Fainting of the Tigerettes
Sep 12, 1952: At the end of the first quarter of a high-school football game in Natchez, Mississippi, the 165 members of the Tigerettes cheerleading squad mistakenly marched onto the field to perform their halftime routine. Made aware of their mistake, the cheerleaders began to faint. All of them. One after another. A witness described them as "dropping out like flies". It remains one of the largest mass-fainting events in history.
Shreveport Journal - Sep 13, 1952
The Tigerettes
Monroe Morning World - Apr 27, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Thu Dec 09, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Crowds, Groups, Mobs and Other Mass Movements, Psychology, 1950s
Hog Farm Commune: Woodstock Security
What a trip!
No sound until about 0.33 mark.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 09, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Music, Parades and Festivals, Police and Other Law Enforcement, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Air Travel and Airlines, 1960s
December 8, 2021
Hand-Sniffing After Handshakes
Research by biologists Noam Sobel and Idan Frumin reveals that after a handshake people frequently lift their hand to their nose and sniff it. The researchers hypothesize that this is to smell the body odor of the other person.As described by Sarah Everts in her recent book The Joy of Sweat:
"When we showed them the videos, many of the subjects were completely shocked and disbelieving," Frumin told me. "Some thought we had doctored the videos - not that we had the computing power or the expertise to do so."
. . . When Frumin now goes to conferences, he sometimes stands back and watches people unconsciously sniffing. "Sometimes I catch myself doing it too. People tell me I've ruined handshakes for them, that they've become very self-conscious about shaking hands, especially with me."
The Weizmann Institute has more info. Sobel and Frumin's article about their research is in the journal eLife Sciences.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Dec 08, 2021 -
Comments (6)
Category: Science, Experiments, Smells and Odors
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 40
Raymond Duchamp-Villon.
His Wikipedia page.
Sculpture page.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 08, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Avant Garde, Statues and Monuments, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
December 7, 2021
Rain Goggles For The Motorist
I'm surprised someone isn't selling a battery-operated version of these today as a gag gift. Wouldn't even need to be for motorists. Perfect for anyone out for a stroll in the rain.
The Oklahoma Freedom Call - Feb 8, 1934
"Miss Paddie Naismith, noted English racing chauffeur, is shown wearing the very latest in motor modes, rain goggles, with wipers 'n' everything. A small fan, you can see it over the bridge of the nose, operates the wipers when the car is travelling at speeds in excess of 15 M.P.H. Its inventor is L.A.V. Davoren of London." — International News Photo, Oct 1933
image source: reddit
Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 07, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Inventions, 1930s, Weather, Eyes and Vision, Cars
| Get WU Posts by Email | |
|---|---|
| Who We Are |
|---|
| 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 |
