May 2023
May 16, 2023
People Hunting
A version of 'the most dangerous game' that ends with licks and cuddles rather than death.
Montreal Star - Feb 2, 1976
Some searching turned up Walter Gilbey's old webpage on the Internet Archive, where he discussed what he called the "Isle of Man Bloodhounds Drag Hunt." A drag hunt (so I learned) is the term for a hunt in which bloodhounds chase after a person who is carrying something aromatic, such as aniseed. However, their noses are so good that they can (and often do) simply follow the scent of the person.
As of 2015, this Isle of Man Bloodhounds Drag Hunt was still taking place. See the March 2015 issue of the Isle of Man magazine (pgs 108-109).
Posted By: Alex - Tue May 16, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Sports, 1970s
Karloff’s Version of THE PEPPERMINT TWIST
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 16, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Horror, Music, Television, 1960s, Dance
May 15, 2023
Tortured by Ants
This isn't a type of crime one hears about very often:the boys were strapped to the tree for more than an hour, suffering the painful bites of thousands of ants.
On this subject, the Fossil Hunters site has an interesting article about forms of insect torture throughout history, including the gruesome ancient Persian practice of "scaphism," and the "Bug Pit" of Nasrullah Bahadur-Khan.
Alexandria Daily Town Talk - Aug 8, 1978
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 15, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Insects and Spiders, Torture, Sadism, Cruelty, Punishment, and Torture, 1970s
Follies of the Madmen #564
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 15, 2023 -
Comments (7)
Category: Music, Advertising, Candy, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1970s, Attractiveness, Sexiness, Allure and Personal Magnetism
May 14, 2023
Finnish Floating Trees
A bizarre image, but not an optical illusion or some kind of darkroom trick. It shows trees in Finland strung by a cable over a road as camouflage during World War II. As explained by PetaPixel:
More info: Finnish Defence Force's photographic archive
Posted By: Alex - Sun May 14, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Photography and Photographers, War, 1940s
Jan and Kjeld
Boy band, 1959-style.Their Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 14, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Music, Children, 1950s, 1960s, Europe
May 13, 2023
Lovely woman wants Sapolio
I've spent too long trying to make sense of the cryptic verbiage from this nineteenth-century soap ad.The first line must be a reference to Oliver Goldsmith's poem "When lovely woman stoops to folly."
Next, the ad writers evidently tried to come up with something that would rhyme with 'Sapolio,' but what did they mean by "what she wants must go"?
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 13, 2023 -
Comments (6)
Category: Advertising, Nineteenth Century
The Dog Factory
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 13, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Movies, Technology, Dogs, 1900s
May 12, 2023
National Use-Up-Your-Leftovers-In-A-Jell-O-Salad Week
This ad ran in the May 11, 1959 issue of Life magazine. So assuming that it's the week of May 11 as you read this (which it is as I post it), then I'm sure you'll want to celebrate the week by tossing whatever leftovers you might have (half a burrito, a few slices of pizza) into some jello and serving it up for dinner.
Posted By: Alex - Fri May 12, 2023 -
Comments (4)
Category: Food, Jello, Holidays, Advertising, 1950s
Body Exerciser
This looks like an excellent way to wreck your vertebrae.Full patent here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri May 12, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Exercise and Fitness, Inventions, Patents, 1920s
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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 |
