1900s
Trick Gun for Secret Society Initiations
Imagine the sheer delight of the person being initiated, when the realistic looking gun is pointed at them, a loud explosion occurs--but only water emerges! High-larious!Full patent here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 24, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Clubs, Fraternities and Other Self-selecting Organizations, Guns, Patents, 1900s, Pranks
Trick Chair
Bang! And down goes the victim!Full patent here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 09, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Clubs, Fraternities and Other Self-selecting Organizations, Patents, 1900s, Pranks
When Dogs Fly
Posted By: Paul - Sun Apr 07, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Innocent Bystanders, Passersby, Witnesses and Accidental Victims, Children, Dogs, 1900s
Electricura Shoes
John Wilson Gibbs claimed that his patented "electric shoe" would cure rheumatism.
Kansas City Star - July 23, 1907
How the shoes generated electricity is explained in his 1903 patent (No. 740,548). They contained zinc and copper nails. The two metals, when combined with sweaty feet, would form a galvanic cell, producing a mild electric current.
The sole of the shoe is shown at A, and in the upper surface thereof there are driven or otherwise inset a series of nails or studs B, with each of which there is associated a similar nail or stud C. The studs of the series B are preferably of zinc and those of the series C preferably of copper, thereby providing pairs of elements of dissimilar metals or opposite in sign such that when contacted with by the foot of the wearer from the influence of the warmth or moisture of the person or for other reasons an electric current will be generated, passing from one element to the other through the body of the wearer. The medical and therapeutic effects of such a current are well known, and I claim herein only the specific construction of the means for obtaining such a current.
What he doesn't mention is that the metals would quickly corrode, at which point the electricity would stop. Not that such a tiny amount of electricity would have had any therapeutic effect anyway.
Of course, this was back in the era when adding the word "electric" to any product was a sure way to give it more consumer appeal. A long time ago I had a brief article published in Smithsonian magazine in which I gave some examples of this phenomenon.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Mar 11, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Patents, Shoes, 1900s
Thomas Snell’s Millions
Rich people are weird.Before dipping into this story, some perspective on the value of the estate.
And as final icing on the cake.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 10, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Death, Money, Lawsuits, 1900s, Women
The Roller Skate Craze
Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 21, 2023 -
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Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Fads, Humor, 1900s
“Fighting the Flames” at Dreamland
The Dreamland amusement park had a spectacle that consisted of a street scene of building facades which would erupt in flames, allowing a mock rescue by fireman-actors. Ironically, the whole park died in a giant inferno.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 25, 2023 -
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Category: Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Firefighting, Arson, Wildfires, Infernos and Other Conflagrations, Simulations, Make-Believe, Cosplay and other Pretend Situations, 1900s, 1910s
From India to the Planet Mars
A good article here.
Read the book at the Internet Archive.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 19, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Supernatural, Occult, Paranormal, Space Travel, 1900s
The Dog Factory
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 13, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Movies, Technology, Dogs, 1900s
The Perfume Concert of Sadakichi Hartmann
Nov 30, 1902: Sadakichi Hartmann gave the world's first "perfume concert" at the New York Theatre. It was meant to be a journey around the world via scents. Hartmann recited a travel monologue as fans blew scents toward the audience.The problem was that in the early 1900s people freely smoked in theaters. So no one beyond the first few rows could smell anything except cigar smoke. The audience soon left, en masse.
Wikipedia article about Sadakichi Hartmann.
New York Evening World - Dec 1, 1902
Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 15, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Theater and Stage, 1900s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
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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, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. 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. Contact Us |