1920s
Witches, USA
A big theme of NOTW is the persistence of belief in witches in foreign countries, right down to the present. Hardly a week goes by without a report of some poor soul being put to death for occult suspicions.How far back in the history of the USA are such beliefs--among the non-immigrant population?
Try at least as recently as 1929. Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 06, 2012 -
Comments (8)
Category: Death, Superstition, 1920s
The Wellingborough Carnival
The town of Wellingborough, UK, has been holding a carnival for over 100 years. The old affairs certainly featured things that look weird to us today. Here's a photo album to peruse.
And the Wellingborough Carnival home page reveals this year's affair is on July 7th! Plenty of time to make your plans to attend!
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 22, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Holidays, Parades and Festivals, Weird Theory, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Europe
Mystery Gadget 10
What purpose will this rolling device achieve?
Find the answer here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 17, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Technology, 1920s
William Hamilton Bones, Washington Goat
Here is a picture of a goat who came to live among high-powered Washington, DC, politicians in the year 1929.
You can read the full story of the goat's dazzling ascent to power here.
But like many Washington insiders, he had an unwholesome addiction that led to his downfall. Find out what it was here.
I think we need a goat today in DC to add a proper sense of absurdity to proceedings.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 28, 2012 -
Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Pets, Politics, 1920s
Lenin’s Cats
"Don't trust anyone who doesn't like cats."
Okay.
But does that imply "Trust everyone who likes cats"...?
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 24, 2012 -
Comments (12)
Category: Historical Figure, Cats, 1910s, 1920s, Russia
Turpo
A salve made from turpentine? The same stuff you clean your paint brushes with? A wonder drug! And apparently, it cured colds, burns, and so much more!
You say you wish you could get your hands on some of this miraculous stuff? The Russians still make it! Follow the Amazon links below.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 20, 2012 -
Comments (15)
Category: Health, Hygiene, Medicine, Cures for the common cold, 1920s, Russia, Diseases
Cremo and Spit-tipped Cigars
We all know that ad campaigns have often created the disease or deficiency they wish to sell remedies for. "Halitosis" and "BO" were Madison Avenue inventions.But perhaps no campaign dared quite as much as that for Cremo cigars, with its charge that all its competitors spit on their product.
Original text here.
Original ad here. (Scroll down.)
But although Cremo increased its market share, their scheme ultimately backfired.
As this history says:
During the 1920s, the cigar industry began to suffer from image problems. The rise of organized crime during Prohibition, and the image of the stogie-chomping gangster--developed in part by Hollywood, and personified by such actors as Edward G. Robinson--gave the cigar an aura of disrespect among the public. Later that decade, the cigar industry faced a second crisis, when American Tobacco began promoting new, machine-rolled cigars. Its advertising asked: "Why run the risk of cigars made by dirty yellowed fingers and tipped in spit?" The image proved disastrous for the cigar industry as a whole. Cigar makers rushed to convert their manufacturing from hand-rolled to machine-rolled products, but cigar sales plunged through the 1930s. During this same time period, the cigar industry was hit hard by the rise in cigarette use across the United States. Cigar consumption never recovered to its early 1920s peak.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 18, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Lies, Dishonesty and Cheating, Smoking and Tobacco, 1920s, 1930s
The Candy Kid and the Tiger Girl
Here you see a touching encounter between the Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid, a couple from the 1920s.
Were they:
a) Socialites who eloped?
b) Tightrope walkers?
c) Bootleggers?
d) Dancers?
e) None of the above?
Answer after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 30, 2012 -
Comments (3)
Category: Celebrities, Couples, 1920s
Puerto Rican St. Pat’s Day
Do they still celebrate St. Patrick's Day with special fervor in Puerto Rico, thanking the saint for freedom from worms and ants? A charming thing, if they do.
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 15, 2012 -
Comments (6)
Category: Holidays, Insects and Spiders, Religion, Rituals and Superstitions, 1920s, Caribbean
Moose Motorboat
Or should that headline be "moose-motor boat"...?
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 18, 2012 -
Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Eccentrics, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1920s
| 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, 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 |