June 2023
June 20, 2023
The Reserved Embrace Theory
A fringe theological theory, advanced by Rev. Robert Kirsch, holding that a Catholic priest could have sex without violating his vows as long as the sex was passionless. The church rejected his theory.
Albuquerque Journal - Nov 18, 1992 (click to enlarge)
Kirsch died in 2005. According to his obituary, the lawsuit described above never went to trial.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 20, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Religion, 1990s, Sex
Soda Pop & the One-Way Bottles
Man, I crashed at the Soda Pop's pad back in '67!
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 20, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Advertising, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1960s
June 19, 2023
Struck by falling sheep
We've previously reported about people accidentally struck by suicide jumpers (See Death at the Cathedral). But being struck by an apparently suicidal sheep leaping from a bridge is a novel twist on the phenomenon.
London Daily Telegraph - July 30, 2001
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 19, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Accidents, Animals, 2000s
Soothing Vibratory Table
The patent for a table which "pulsates" in syncopation to the music of your choice. I can't quite see how the visual effects are manifested.a pulsating machine of the above type wherein the frequency of the pulsations is directly proportional to the vibratory effect of the sound waves of a musical selection emanating from a loud speaker forming a part of the present invention...wherein the musical score controlling the pulsations may be played from either a built-in radio or from a phonograph which may be readily connected to the device....which includes vari-colored visual means controlled by the music, permitting the user to see as well as feel the music.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 19, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Body, Inventions, Music, 1950s
June 18, 2023
Miss Gas-O-Rama
I wonder if being named Miss Gas-O-Rama doomed Bobbie Amos to a lifetime of flatulence jokes.
Cocoa Tribune - July 9, 1962
Orlando Sentinel - July 11, 1962
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jun 18, 2023 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Flatulence, 1960s
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 51
His Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 18, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Statues and Monuments, Russia, Twentieth Century
June 17, 2023
Ghost Driver Study
Researchers at the University of Nottingham disguised drivers as car seats ("ghost drivers") to study how pedestrians interacted with driverless cars. In particular, they wanted to know what visual cues people would look for when deciding if it was safe to cross the road in front of a driverless car.I haven't yet seen a driverless car on the road, but when I do I'll now be wondering if it actually has a ghost driver behind the wheel.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 17, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Science, Cars
Billy Edd Wheeler: Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back
A romantic tribute to outhouses.The singer's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 17, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Domestic, Hillbillies, Country Bumpkins, Ruralism and Flyover Country, Hygiene, Music, 1960s, Nostalgia
June 16, 2023
Ann Wigmore’s Recipes for Longer Life
Ann Wigmore believed that the secret to good health and a long life was eating 1) a lot of wheatgrass and 2) only raw food. If those appeal to you, you'll find lots of recipes in her cookbook below, Recipes for Longer Life (published in 1978, available at archive.org).Wikipedia says that she lived to be 84, which is a relatively long life, but not remarkable. She died of smoke inhalation from a fire. So maybe she would have lived much longer if not for that bad luck?
Wikipedia also says, "many of her claims were denounced as quackery, and her qualifications were never confirmed to be genuine."
I guess she wasn't keen on melons: "eat them alone or leave them alone".
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jun 16, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Food, Cookbooks, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Dieting and Weight Loss
The Cardrona Bra Fence
The Wikipedia page.The Cardrona Bra Fence is a controversial tourist attraction in Central Otago, in New Zealand.[1] At some point between 1998 and 1999, passers-by began to attach bras to a rural fence. The fence gradually became a well known site as the number of bras grew to hundreds. The fence is located on a public road reserve, adjacent to farm property in the Cardrona Valley area southwest of Wanaka, near to Cardrona. Despite its popularity, there has been disagreement over the value of the attraction. The bra fence stands next to the Cardrona Distillery.
DAILY MAIL article.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 16, 2023 -
Comments (4)
Category: Statues, Monuments and Memorials, Public Indecency, Underwear, South Pacific
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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 |
