1930s
Surprise, Surprise!
Did this really happen twice in the space of a year, in a manner that became noticeable to a newspaper? Or was it the invention of a bored and desperate reporter, then copied by another?Source for first item: Lindsay Gazette (Lindsay, California) 31 May 1935, Fri Page 11
Source for second item: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida) 29 May 1936, Fri Page 2
Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 02, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Domestic, Travel, Fables, Myths, Urban Legends, Rumors, Water-Cooler Lore, 1930s
Miss Lovely Eyes
"Contestants in the Miss Lovely Eyes beauty pageant in Florida wearing masks to obscure the rest of their faces, circa 1930."
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 01, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, 1930s, Face and Facial Expressions
Virta Warrens, From Miss Portland 1930 to the Racetrack
Somewhat in our line of Weird Beauty Queens: her title as a queen wasn't weird, but maybe her subsequent career was--for the times!
Source of article below.
Read a short charming memoir written by Virta's daughter here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 24, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, 1930s, Cars
Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle
Still on display at the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry. Lots of great pix at this link.
Source of article below.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 23, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Architecture, Charities and Philanthropy, Enlargements, Miniatures, and Other Matters of Scale, Hollywood, Museums, 1930s
Continue Typing, No Matter What!
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 19, 2021 -
Comments (6)
Category: Business, Death, 1930s, Courage, Bravery, Heroism and Valor
Do you have auto legs?
Beauty advice from The Pittsburgh Press (Feb 20, 1938):
Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 17, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, 1930s, Legs, Cars
The Blonde Brigade
Apr 1938: Actress Jean Colwell came up with a sure-fire way to end all wars. Her idea was that if a group of beautiful, blonde women stood in between the two opposing armies, in the "no man's land," then the soldiers on each side would refuse to attack because "No soldier will shoot at a good-looking blonde." Peace would be achieved!To make her vision a reality, Colwell placed an ad in a New York newspaper:
The response was enthusiastic, and within a month she had enough volunteers to form a "blonde brigade," all wiling to risk their lives for peace.
Wisconsin State Journal - Mar 29, 1938
Los Angeles Times - Apr 27, 1938
Owensboro Messenger - Apr 2, 1938
Women of other hair colors didn't want to be left out. So there was soon also a "red-headed regiment" and a "brunette battalion."
San Bernardino County Sun - Apr 30, 1938
Of course, none of these women were ever shipped to the front line to serve as a human shield. Colwell herself spent the war in Forth Worth, Texas performing in plays. After the war she moved to Japan as a civil service worker. When she died in 1986, she was back in Fort Worth. I haven't found any info on what she did between 1946 and 1986.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Nov 14, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: War, 1930s, Women, Hair and Hairstyling
Crazy People
Could be the WU theme song.Info from wikipedia:
Posted By: Alex - Sat Nov 13, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Music, 1930s
“How can explosion touch me?”
The sentence used in the title of this post belongs with Alex's "Strictly feminine is the woman devoid of superfluous hair" in terms of arcane impenetrability the more you repeat it.Is separate explosion insurance for homeowners still a thing?
Ad source.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 07, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Destruction, Domestic, Codes, Cryptography, Puzzles, Riddles, Rebuses and Other Language Alterations, Insurance, 1930s
Strictly feminine is the woman devoid of superfluous hair
The more often I say that sentence, the stranger it sounds.
Pittsburgh Press - July 30, 1939
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 05, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Advertising, 1930s, Hair and Hairstyling
| 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 |