A method for irradiating radioactive radiation

Patent No. 6,415,009 (granted in 2002) is titled, "Method for producing a coiled body for irradiating radioactive radiation."

What could it mean to irradiate radioactive radiation? When I came across the phrase I had to stop and think about it.

The text of the patent unfortunately didn't provide any clarification, although it did reveal that all this irradiating is being done in the context of brachytherapy (from wikipedia: "a form of radiation therapy where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment").

The phrase "radioactive radiation" actually does make sense to me. Radiation is a catch-all term for the emission of any kind of electromagnetic energy. So 'radioactive radiation' would be high-energy or ionizing radiation, as opposed to, say, low-energy heat radiation.

But I'm still confused what they mean by irradiating radioactive radiation? Does it mean to make radioactive radiation even more radioactive?

Or are they misusing the word 'irradiate'? My dictionary indicates that 'irradiate' means either to be exposed to radiation or to be illuminated by radiation. The sun radiates or emits light, and the earth is irradiated by its light.

So did the patentees mean 'emitting' rather than 'irradiating'? I'm just not sure. If anyone can figure out what the phrase means, let me know.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 26, 2024 - Comments (3)
Category: Science, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, Patents

Death by Manhole Cover

Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 26, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Death, Explosives, Luck, Good and Bad, Urban Life, 1930s

A Woman’s Perspiration

Anatomical horror from the advertising industry:

American Girl - July 1963

American Girl - Sep 1964

Posted By: Alex - Sun Aug 25, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Advertising, 1960s, Women, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents

Your Road to Employment

Looking for a new job? This record will get you one! (As a Nash Rambler salesman.). The player is below.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 25, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Jobs and Occupations, Self-help Schemes, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, 1960s

Underwear-concealed survival saw

If you find yourself held hostage, there's a newly patented invention (No. 12,059,045) that may help you escape to freedom. It's an underwear-concealed survival saw.

The flexible saw can be concealed in almost any undergarment ("undershirt; boxers/briefs, camisole or brassiere"). It's possible to retrieve the saw even while wearing handcuffs. Then you can use it to cut through zip ties, ropes, wood, or even light metals.





The underwear-concealed saw bears some resemblance to an oddball invention we've previously posted about: the collar saw of Carl Kusch.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 24, 2024 - Comments (4)
Category: Fashion, Patents

Terra Incognita

Terra Incognita from IKKI FILMS on Vimeo.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 24, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Surrealism, Myths and Fairytales, Cartoons

The Strange (spurious) Will of Francesca Nortyuege

In various books of odd facts one can find, briefly related, the story of the strange last will of Francesca Nortyuege. The story goes that when Nortyuege, a famous reformer from Dieze, died in 1903 she left her fortune to her niece on the condition that the family goldfish always be kept dressed in tights.

I pasted an illustrated version of the story below, from Mindblowers (1982) by Chet Stover. But it also appears in Karl Shaw's Oddballs and Eccentrics (2004), as well as in many newspaper columns.

Los Angeles Times - July 13, 1954

I suspected the story wasn't true, but it took me a while to locate its source — due to the many variant spellings of Nortyuege (Nortuega, Nortyuega, etc.). Finally I tracked it down to R.L. Ripley's 1929 Believe It Or Not!. I'm confident it's not true because there's absolutely no mention of Francesca Nortyuege in any source before Ripley's 1929 book came out.

Robert L. Ripley, Believe it or Not!

I've posted my thoughts about Ripley before — that I think he invented many of his stories. See, for example, the post "Clothes for Snowmen" about Madame de la Bresse who was said to have died in 1876, instructing in her will that all her money be used for buying clothes for snowmen. Another Ripley invention, and one that is quite similar to the tale of Francesca Nortyuege. Ripley was evidently amused by the idea of people imposing puritanical demands on their heirs.

Perhaps the most widespread invention from Ripley's 1929 book is the story of Lady Gough's book of etiquette.



This story has been repeated all over the place (google it and see), and again it's an anecdote about an overly prudish character. But as the Faktoider blog notes, Lady Gough never wrote a book on etiquette. Nor did she even exist.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 23, 2024 - Comments (3)
Category: Censorship, Bluenoses, Taboos, Prohibitions and Other Cultural No-No’s, Inheritance and Wills

Walter Easler, Human Pincushion

Nowadays, we are used to all kinds of piercings in daily life. But this fellow still merits a look.

This young man is literally "on pins and needles" but it doesn't seem to worry him in the least. He is Walter Easler, of Lorain, Ohio, and he is able to pierce his skin with impunity because of sensory anesthesia with which nature has endowed him. The pins and needles which penetrate his lips and cheeks do not cause him the slightest pain, and he recalls with amusement his father's perplexity when he was a lad as to how he could be punished since spankings could not be felt.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 23, 2024 - Comments (3)
Category: Body Modifications, Human Marvels, Twentieth Century, Pain, Self-inflicted and Otherwise

Man freed from vat of anchovies

Trapping himself in a vat of anchovies should be David Blaine's next stunt.

Lancaster New Era - Oct 11, 1969

Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 22, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Accidents, Fish, 1960s

Three Strange Florida Oranges Commercials

Sportswriter is composing his column in locker room, communicates directly with distant housewife.



Advertising icon is implicitly happy with having her head sliced open and its juice extracted.



Were Western Union workers really given OJ breaks?

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 22, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Advertising, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1950s, 1960s