Weird Universe Archive

February 2022

February 28, 2022

Keep tooth in mouth

Unusual, but possibly useful, dental advice: If a tooth gets knocked out, put it back in your mouth, between your cheek and gum. This will help to keep the tooth alive. And if you can then get to a dental surgeon within 90 minutes, it might be possible to replant the tooth.

Sunbury Daily Item - Jun 5, 1976

Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 28, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Teeth

Motorcycle Travel Via Pipeline

Source.



Posted By: Paul - Mon Feb 28, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Technology, Infrastructure, 1910s, Motorcycles

February 27, 2022

Around the world on a unicycle

From All Hands: The Bureau of Naval Personnel Career Publication - July 1969:

First man to unicycle "around the world": Lieutenant John E. Mander of Antarctic Development Squadron Six. The squadron says LT Mander did it by riding his one-wheeler in a circle around the geographic South Pole at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott Pole Station.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 27, 2022 - Comments (5)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, World Records

Miss Orchid Bathing Suit

I wish I knew the real title and other details of this beauty queen. But I think, just based on the costume, we can include her in our pageant of Weird Beauty Contest Winners.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 27, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Nature, Twentieth Century

February 26, 2022

Peat Moss Diapers

A manual on infant care, released by the U.S. Department of Labor in 1914, recommended peat moss (aka sphagnum moss) for use in diapers:

From the Karitane Harris Hospital, in Dunedin, New Zealand, we learn of the use of sphagnum moss for these absorbent pads. The moss is that which florists use for packing plants and grows very extensively in the swamp regions of the United States, but it needs to be thoroughly dried and cleaned of sticks and stems before being used for this purpose.

Such a pad (i.e., a pad of sphagnum moss inclosed in cheesecloth) weighing only an ounce will completely absorb and retain a quarter of a pint of urine—say as much as would be passed in the night. This is infinitely cleaner and healthier than allowing the urine to spread over a wide area of napkin and nightdress, and thus cause extensive chillding and more or less irritation of the skin. Dry sphagnum forms an extremely light, clean, airy, elastic pad, which will yield in any direction and accommodate its shape to the parts.

Those living in the country where this moss grows may find it a great convenience to pick and dry the moss for this or other domestic purposes.

peat moss



Some googling reveals that Native American tribes, way back when, would often use peat moss for diapers.

And at the Earthling's Handbook you'll find an account by a modern-day couple who used peat moss for diapers and reported positive results:

it was so convenient. When it was time for a diaper change, we would simply remove the moss, and if we were home, we would compost it under a fruit tree. If we were on the trail hiking, we would simply tuck the soiled moss into the topsoil and cover it with leaves or other forest duff. On car trips, we would pull off the highway and bury it. (Once we even discreetly slipped a wad of our nitrogen-enriched sphagnum deep into the mulch under landscape shrubbery outside a shopping mall.)

Posted By: Alex - Sat Feb 26, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Babies, Nature

Perkin Warbeck, Pretender to the British Throne




Essay here.

Dealing with Warbeck cost Henry VII over £13,000 (equivalent to £10,301,000 in 2019)


Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 26, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: History, Historical Figure, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Royalty

February 25, 2022

Patented by an insane person

Many patents might seem like they've been invented by an insane person. But as far as I know U.S. Patent No. 711,566 is the only patent that actually describes the inventor (Clark D. Hazard) as "an insane person".

The invention itself is unremarkable. It's for a "heating furnace". Evidently Mr. Hazard must have been institutionalized, or otherwise incapable of filing for the patent without assistance. So given this, it's impressive he was able to invent the furnace. But his description still stands out as a curiosity of the patent office.



Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 25, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Patents, 1900s

The Poo Machine

An oldie but goodie, perhaps not seen by newer WU-vies.



Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 25, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Museums, Technology, Excrement

February 24, 2022

Robbing a glue factory

I assume they got the charges to stick.

Decatur Herald and Review - Nov 28, 1993

Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 24, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Stupid Criminals, 1990s

Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 42

This series has suddenly become topical!



Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 24, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Art, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Dogs, 1930s, 1940s

Page 1 of 6 pages  1 2 3 >  Last ›




Get WU Posts by Email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


weird universe thumbnail
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
Monthly Archives
November 2024 •  October 2024 •  September 2024 •  August 2024 •  July 2024 •  June 2024 •  May 2024 •  April 2024 •  March 2024 •  February 2024 •  January 2024

December 2023 •  November 2023 •  October 2023 •  September 2023 •  August 2023 •  July 2023 •  June 2023 •  May 2023 •  April 2023 •  March 2023 •  February 2023 •  January 2023

December 2022 •  November 2022 •  October 2022 •  September 2022 •  August 2022 •  July 2022 •  June 2022 •  May 2022 •  April 2022 •  March 2022 •  February 2022 •  January 2022

December 2021 •  November 2021 •  October 2021 •  September 2021 •  August 2021 •  July 2021 •  June 2021 •  May 2021 •  April 2021 •  March 2021 •  February 2021 •  January 2021

December 2020 •  November 2020 •  October 2020 •  September 2020 •  August 2020 •  July 2020 •  June 2020 •  May 2020 •  April 2020 •  March 2020 •  February 2020 •  January 2020

December 2019 •  November 2019 •  October 2019 •  September 2019 •  August 2019 •  July 2019 •  June 2019 •  May 2019 •  April 2019 •  March 2019 •  February 2019 •  January 2019

December 2018 •  November 2018 •  October 2018 •  September 2018 •  August 2018 •  July 2018 •  June 2018 •  May 2018 •  April 2018 •  March 2018 •  February 2018 •  January 2018

December 2017 •  November 2017 •  October 2017 •  September 2017 •  August 2017 •  July 2017 •  June 2017 •  May 2017 •  April 2017 •  March 2017 •  February 2017 •  January 2017

December 2016 •  November 2016 •  October 2016 •  September 2016 •  August 2016 •  July 2016 •  June 2016 •  May 2016 •  April 2016 •  March 2016 •  February 2016 •  January 2016

December 2015 •  November 2015 •  October 2015 •  September 2015 •  August 2015 •  July 2015 •  June 2015 •  May 2015 •  April 2015 •  March 2015 •  February 2015 •  January 2015

December 2014 •  November 2014 •  October 2014 •  September 2014 •  August 2014 •  July 2014 •  June 2014 •  May 2014 •  April 2014 •  March 2014 •  February 2014 •  January 2014

December 2013 •  November 2013 •  October 2013 •  September 2013 •  August 2013 •  July 2013 •  June 2013 •  May 2013 •  April 2013 •  March 2013 •  February 2013 •  January 2013

December 2012 •  November 2012 •  October 2012 •  September 2012 •  August 2012 •  July 2012 •  June 2012 •  May 2012 •  April 2012 •  March 2012 •  February 2012 •  January 2012

December 2011 •  November 2011 •  October 2011 •  September 2011 •  August 2011 •  July 2011 •  June 2011 •  May 2011 •  April 2011 •  March 2011 •  February 2011 •  January 2011

December 2010 •  November 2010 •  October 2010 •  September 2010 •  August 2010 •  July 2010 •  June 2010 •  May 2010 •  April 2010 •  March 2010 •  February 2010 •  January 2010

December 2009 •  November 2009 •  October 2009 •  September 2009 •  August 2009 •  July 2009 •  June 2009 •  May 2009 •  April 2009 •  March 2009 •  February 2009 •  January 2009

December 2008 •  November 2008 •  October 2008 •  September 2008 •  August 2008 •  July 2008 •