1930s
Legs of Tomorrow
In 1939, ice skater Erna Anderson was declared to have the "Legs of Tomorrow" on the theory that "the woman of tomorrow will be more athletic."Arguably this prediction came true. At least, it's common now for women to go to gyms, whereas it wasn't in the 1930s.
Minneapolis Star - June 2, 1939
Erna Anderson. Source: New York Public Library
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 09, 2022 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Exercise and Fitness, 1930s, Legs, Yesterday’s Tomorrows
Lamp Shade Queen
Pittsburgh Press - Apr 2, 1939
Posted By: Alex - Fri May 06, 2022 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Fashion, Furniture, 1930s
Wolfe v. Feldman
Peter Ackerberg, writing in the Minneapolis Star (Nov 17, 1979), described the unusual legal case of Wolfe v. Feldman, which was heard in 1936:Feldman countered that it wasn't his fault, and he told the judge this story:
Wolfe was strapped to the dentist's chair (apparently a common procedure then), and was given nitrous oxide, an anesthesia better known as laughing gas. What happened next was no laughing matter.
The next part of the story is best summarized in the text of the case itself:
So the patient, while under the influence of laughing gas, managed to grab hold of the dentist's testicles, and in the process of freeing himself the dentist fractured her little finger.
Nevertheless, the judge ruled in favor of the patient for $650, saying:
Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 26, 2022 -
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Category: Lawsuits, 1930s, Teeth
Cat Boxing
I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as cat boxing. Cats fight all the time, of course. But to box each other at a set time in front of a crowd — I didn't think they would cooperate with such an indignity.
Detroit Free Press - June 16, 1939
Update: Paul revealed to me the existence of this old video produced by Thomas Edison, circa 1894, showing cats boxing. So I guess cat boxing is a long-established thing.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 14, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Sports, Martial Arts, Cats, 1930s
Obscure actor pickets Hollywood
Feb 1938: Self-proclaimed obscure actor Emil Sitka picketed on Hollywood Boulevard, declaring that Hollywood was unfair to him.I don't think that this stunt brought him much recognition, but he did, eventually, gain success in Hollywood when, in 1947, he began appearing in Three Stooges' films. He ended up being known as the "fourth stooge". From wikipedia:
More info: his IMDB page
Pittsburgh Press - Feb 6, 1938
Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 03, 2022 -
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Category: ShowBiz, 1930s, Actors
Joke Beer
It's April Fool's Day. Have a beer!From Patent No. 2,140,327:
Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 01, 2022 -
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Category: Holidays, Patents, 1930s
Oklahoma U. Engineers’ Queen
Apparently the University of Oklahoma has a long tradition of the Engineering Department electing a queen, and then risking her being kidnapped by the Law School.Read a history of the OU Engineering School here.
I found a pretty recent reference to the continuation of the Queen's election, but not necessarily the kidnapping.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 31, 2022 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Regionalism, Rivalries, Feuds and Grudges, 1920s, 1930s, 1950s, Universities, Colleges, Private Schools and Academia, Twenty-first Century
Spoon bracelet fad alarms cafeterias
Spoon bending, pre-Uri Geller.
Des Moines Register - Oct 15, 1939
Hastings Morning Spotlight - Dec 27, 1938
Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 20, 2022 -
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Category: Fads, Fashion, 1930s
Obscene Chinese Money
The portrait of Confucius is expressing his opinion with his fingers of the occupying Japanese army.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 16, 2022 -
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Category: Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Money, War, 1930s, Asia
Suicide with sock
This sounds like a particularly unpleasant way to end one's life.
Dayton Daily News - Mar 25, 1932
Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 12, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Suicide, 1930s
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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 |