Weird Universe Archive
October 2024
October 17, 2024
Miss New York Experience
This 1975 photo from JET magazine might represent a one-off title, because I can find no photos of other winners.Arguably, to represent the true experience of NYC circa 1975, this charming young woman should have featured a much different, ah, seedier look.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 17, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Urban Life, 1970s
October 16, 2024
The Pepsi Navy
In 1989, Pepsi bought 17 submarines from the Soviet Union. This briefly put it in control of the seventh-largest fleet of attack submarines in the world.Foreign Policy magazine delves into the history of this strange transaction, which has apparently risen to the status of urban legend in foreign policy circles. (The urban legend is that the deal briefly gave Pepsi the sixth-largest military fleet in the world — not true).
The gist of the story is that Pepsi had a long-standing relationship with the Soviet Union, having an exclusive deal to sell American soft drinks there. So when the Soviet Union was looking to sell some old submarines for scrap metal, Pepsi agreed to act as a middleman, passing the subs along to a Norwegian shipping firm. In return, Pepsi got expanded access to the Soviet market.
More details: foreignpolicy.com
Posted By: Alex - Wed Oct 16, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Boats, Diplomacy and Foreign Relations, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1980s
The Ring-O Pool Table
One hole only. Learn more here, at the site dedicated to the inventor, Irving Kaye.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Oct 16, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Inventions, Sports, 1960s
October 15, 2024
Death by Gas-Lift Bed
Helen Davey recently died when her "Ottoman-styled gas-lift bed" collapsed on her neck and asphyxiated her.I didn't know what a "gas-lift bed" was, so I googled it and found the video below. I agree with the coroner that the design of these beds seems dangerous.
We've previously posted about dangerous beds with the case of the man who was trapped for five days in a folding bed.
More info: cnn.com
Posted By: Alex - Tue Oct 15, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Death, Furniture
Protose
Read more about this early meat substitute here.Kellogg credited his interest in meat substitutes to Charles William Dabney, an agricultural chemist and the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture. Dabney wrote to Kellogg on the subject around 1895.[16]: 119
In 1896, Kellogg introduced but did not patent "Nuttose", the first commercially produced alternative to meat. Nuttose was made primarily from peanuts and resembled "cold roast mutton".[42]: 6 By seasoning or marinating, Nuttose could be made to taste like fried chicken or barbeque. Served with mashed potatoes and vegetables, it could mimic a traditional American meal.[69]
On March 19, 1901, Kellogg was granted the first United States Patent for a "vegetable substitute for meat", for a blend of nuts and grain cereals called "Protose". In applying for US patent 670283A, John Harvey Kellogg, "Vegetable-food Compound", issued June 8, 1899, Kellogg described Protose as a product "which shall possess equal or greater nutritive value in equal or more available form... By proper regulation of the temperature and proportions of the ingredients, various meat-like flavors are developed, which give the finished product very characteristic properties."[42]: 6 [70] Nuttose and Protose were the first of many meat alternatives.[69]
Posted By: Paul - Tue Oct 15, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Food, Imitations, Forgeries, Rip-offs and Faux, Inventions, 1900s
October 14, 2024
Science Fair Heart Transplant
March 1968: Robert McDavid, a junior at Schulte High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, performed a heart transplant on a live rabbit for his science fair project. School administrators had approved his project. In fact, they applauded it as highly topical since the first successful human heart transplantation had been performed just the year before by the South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard.After performing the operation, McDavid measured the length of time that the rabbit's body functioned with the new organ. He later exhibited the results of his project at the Regional Science Fair of Indiana State University and received an award for creativity in his field.
Questioned by reporters, McDavid revealed that he had prepared for the procedure by first conducting a number of practice operations, including skin grafts and bone section transplants on chickens. He said that he had also read a number of books about transplants and had conducted interviews with several physicians.
I haven't been able to track down if McDavid went on to become a surgeon.
Terre Haute Tribune - Mar 17, 1968
Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 14, 2024 -
Comments (4)
Category: School, Science, Surgery
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 58
Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 14, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Art, Retail Establishments, 1920s
October 13, 2024
Thickest Tongue
Ambra Collina of Italy recently earned a Guinness World Record for having the thickest tongue.I've never seen anyone be able to thicken their tongue like she does. It's definitely not an ability I possess. No matter how hard I try, my tongue remains the same circumference. Is this some unique, bizarro talent she possesses, or are many people able to thicken their tongue?
More info: upi.com
Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 13, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Body, World Records
Telephone Muffler
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 13, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Inventions, Telephones, 1910s
October 12, 2024
46 reasons not to use LSD
The "46 reasons" were actually one reason based on flawed science.A 1967 study had shown that LSD could cause a two-fold increase in chromosomal breaks in cell cultures. But subsequent studies showed that the breaks were a result of the concentrations of the drug being used — and that pretty much ANY substance, in similar concentrations, would cause chromosomal breaks. In fact, there was no evidence that LSD caused significant chromosomal breaks or was a carcinogen.
More info: Science News
March of Dimes - 1968
Posted By: Alex - Sat Oct 12, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Drugs, Psychedelic, Science, Advertising, 1960s
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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 |
