1920s
Are our feet turning to hoofs?
Source: Illustrated World - Apr 1920Something to worry about, if you have nothing else at all in your life to worry about.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 06, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: 1920s, Feet
National Association for the Improvement of the Appearance of Hogs
I suspect the National Association for the Improvement of the Appearance of Hogs had only one member.
Argus Leader - Jan 5, 1925
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 25, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, 1920s
The strange death of Frank Hayes
June 4, 1923: Jockey Frank Hayes suffered a heart attack and died while riding the horse Sweet Kiss in the steeplechase at Belmont Park. He nevertheless won the race.It's the only time that a horse race has been won by a dead jockey. And it's probably also the only time that a sports competition has been won by a dead contestant.
More info: wikipedia
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - June 5, 1923
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 09, 2020 -
Comments (7)
Category: Death, Sports, 1920s
Wolf eats man’s face
The photo below captures the moment a wolf started to attack the face of its trainer, Jacques Suzanne, during the filming of a movie. The camera crew, thinking the attack was part of the stunt, kept on filming.Suzanne evidently wasn't badly hurt, though the wolf was killed. Apparently he was the kind of guy who knew how to defend himself against a wolf. Read more about him in Adirondack Life magazine.
Chicago Tribune - Feb 20, 1927
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 23, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Dogs, 1920s
Man-Catching Tank
Stanley Valinski's "man-catching tank," for which he received a patent in 1921 (#1,392,095), looked a bit like a dalek prototype.He imagined it would be used in banks for catching and holding burglars. It consisted of an armored watchbox concealing an armed watchman who could peer out through peep holes. The entire device moved on electric-driven wheels, which the watchman could steer. Upon spotting a burglar, he would maneuver the tank into position and then grasp the criminal with six enormous steel claws attached to the side of the machine.
Wichita Daily Times - Dec 18, 1921
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jun 14, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Crime, Inventions, Patents, 1920s
Sugar Doping
1924: Despite being fed sweet hot tea and peppermint creams in an experimental attempt to increase their energy, the Yale soccer team lost to the visiting team by 5 to 1.
Bridgeport Telegram - Nov 11, 1924
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 10, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Sports, Experiments, Junk Food, Nutrition, 1920s
Mystery Illustration 95
What type of craft was host to these scenes? Luxury railroad car perhaps? Ocean liner? What's your guess?The answer is here.
Or after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 05, 2020 -
Comments (6)
Category: Travel, 1920s
“I have a trunkful of money to deposit”
Charlie Becker, midget trainer with Singer's Midgets, walked the smallest elephant of his troupe to Merchant's Bank, and made a deposit for Keith's Theatre. The elephant delivered the money satchel directly to the receiving teller
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 19, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Money, 1920s
An Artificial Sun
Read the whole piece here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 30, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Armageddon and Apocalypses, Death, Destruction, Disasters, Technology, Crackpots, 1920s
Canned Sunshine
The idea of using sunlight to kill viruses inside the body has recently been in the news. That made this old invention I posted about last month seem topical.Edward W. Boersteler, of Watertown, MA, was the inventor of the ‘Curay Light Applicator,’ aka ‘Canned Sunshine.’ Back in the 1920s and 30s, he marketed it as a cure for the common cold. It emitted ultraviolet light, which people were supposed to shine down their throats, killing the germs.
In the selection of text below (taken from an article in the Chilicothe Constitution Tribune - Oct 16, 1925), I didn't correct any of the misspellings. In particular, I wasn't sure whether the phrase "ultra violent light" was a mistake, or intentional.
“Fused quartz transmits ultra violent or invisible light without loss, whereas ordinary window glass shuts out ultra violent light which is the curative agent in sunshine.
“In the Curay Light aplicator,” Boerrsteler continued, “we have produced a source of radient energy closely approximating concentrated sunlight in the upper altitude, with an equivalent ultra violent content. Though it is a potent germ killer, it is harmless to the cels of the body.
image source: Harvard University Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments
Chilicothe Constitution Tribune - Oct 16, 1925
Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 24, 2020 -
Comments (4)
Category: Health, Inventions, Cures for the common cold, 1920s
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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 |