May 2024
May 16, 2024
Scratch-n-Sniff Jeans
Available from Naked and Famous Denim. The poor man's version of this would be to spray some fragrance on your ratty old jeans.
Posted By: Alex - Thu May 16, 2024 -
Comments (4)
Category: Denim, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
The Savage and Sensuous Bongos
The rest of the playlist is here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu May 16, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Music, Space-age Bachelor Pad & Exotic, 1960s
May 15, 2024
Miss Biological Research
Were biologists supposed to pin her picture up in their labs?
New York Daily News - Feb 12, 1964
Posted By: Alex - Wed May 15, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Science, 1960s
Headache Hanger
Full patent here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed May 15, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Inventions, Patents, Medicine, 1910s, Head
May 14, 2024
Gilbert Young, most rejected author ever
Gilbert Young first came to the attention of the British press in the 1960s as a crusader for a single world government. He ran repeatedly for various political offices but never won an election.Below is an ad he placed in the papers seeking new members for his "World Government Party."
Bristol Daily Press - Jan 29, 1964
But his real claim to fame came in the mid 1970s when the editors of the Guinness Book of Records learned that, for years, Young had been trying to get his book published but had only received rejections from publishers. His book, World Government Crusade, had, by 1974, been rejected 80 times. So Guinness listed him in its 1975 edition as the record holder for the "greatest recorded number of publisher's rejections for a manuscript."
Bristol Daily Press - Sep 26, 1974
Guinness Book of Records 1975
For over fifteen years Guinness continued to list him as the holder of this record. Every few years it would update the number of his rejections. By 1990 his book had been rejected 242 times.
Guinness Book of Records 1991
I thought that perhaps Young's book would now be available to read or purchase somewhere on the Internet. But no, as far as I can tell it's still unavailable.
Posted By: Alex - Tue May 14, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Eccentrics, Politics, World Records, Books
The Not-So-Distant Past Sins of Amtrak
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 14, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Excrement, 1980s, Trains
May 13, 2024
The doctor who made rats go insane
Dr. Norman Maier is pretty much unknown today, but Wikipedia notes that his research "received extensive publicity in its day." That research involved making rats go insane.
The cause of man's mental suffering identified: not being given his breakfast promptly at 7 am.
Thus a man who is "conditioned" to expect his breakfast promptly at 7 o'clock in the morning and does not get it may develop a nervous disorder if his wife fails to provide it at that time for many mornings in succession.
Detroit Free Press - Jan 1, 1939
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 13, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Psychology, 1930s
Living Children
Their page at Discogs.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 13, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Psychedelic, 1960s
May 12, 2024
Rooftop Runway
Landing a plane on a giant treadmill mounted on top of a skyscraper. What could possibly go wrong?
Modern Mechanics - Feb 1930
Posted By: Alex - Sun May 12, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Architecture, Air Travel and Airlines, 1930s
Follies of the Madmen #595
This commercial is mundane and unexceptional--barring one thing.The woman lays her poopy child directly onto one of the Bake Sale tables.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 12, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Food, Hygiene, Advertising, Babies and Toddlers, 1970s
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| Who We Are |
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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 |
