1930s
The Santa Claus Statue in Santa Claus, Indiana
I thought that in the midst of summer heat (for some of us) we could use a little wintertime.
Here is the town's official page for the statue.
But Roadside America has a much more interesting tale. More details at the link.
It was purposely built on the highest hill in Santa Claus by businessman Carl Barrett, who wanted to antagonize his arch-rival Milton Harris, who was building his own attraction a hundred yards down the road. It was dedicated on Christmas Day 1935, less than a week after Harris had opened Santa's Candy Castle.
Barrett felt that Harris was commercializing Christmas. In contrast, Barrett claimed that the Santa statue had been built with the pennies of American schoolchildren. That may have been true, but he also claimed that the statue was built on the spot where a meteor had crashed (he hinted that this was a sign of divine guidance), and that it was made of solid granite. In fact there was no meteor, and the statue was later found to be made of concrete.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 03, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Cult Figures and Artifacts, Holidays, Regionalism, Rivalries, Feuds and Grudges, 1930s
Jo Jo the French Terror
I don't think it's false nostalgia to say that people and events were more colorful in the past. I don't see any modern criminals who possess a resume like Jo Jo's.
Source of text.
Source of photo.
Source of article.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 11, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Scary Criminals, Outsiders, Marginals, the Excluded and Low-castes, 1930s
Elysia: Valley of the Nudes
Warning! Nudists at play!
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 08, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Body, Movies, Exploitation and Grindhouse, Nature, 1930s
Manicure with gas masks
Even in the middle of a gas attack, nails still need to be manicured.
Honolulu Advertiser - Nov 13, 1938
Compare this to the gas mask for typists we posted about a few months ago. Also the gas-proof pram. And the London chorus girl with gas mask. It was all part of the effort to reassure the public, during the 1930s, that poison gas attacks wouldn't interrupt everyday life.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 07, 2021 -
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Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, War, 1930s
The 10,000 (Really 7200) Egg Omelet
Get the full story, with more pics, here.
BONUS: Same stunt done almost 90 years later!
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jul 05, 2021 -
Comments (6)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Food, Eggs, World Records, 1930s, Europe, North America, Twenty-first Century
Death by playing cards
Oct 20, 1930: Convict William Kogut, who was waiting execution on San Quentin's death row, somehow knew that it was possible to make a bomb out of playing cards. This was because, at the time, the red ink of cards contained nitrocellulose. So by scraping off enough of the red ink, Kogut was able to make a pipe bomb out of a hollow bedpost. He used this to kill himself, rather than letting himself be executed.Modern playing cards no longer contain this explosive ingredient.
Somewhat confusingly, Snopes classifies his death as a "legend," even though their brief write-up seems to confirm that it happened exactly as described.
More info: theatrefx.com
Oroville Mercury Register - Oct 20, 1930
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jun 23, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Death, Suicide, Prisons, 1930s
Maid of Cotton
Unique in mandating the composition of all contest garments: 100% cotton, what else!Full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 22, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Agriculture, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Regionalism, 1930s
Follies of the Madmen #509
Was this ever such a drastic problem, or one of those made-up Madison Avenue problems?
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 15, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Hygiene, 1930s, Teeth
The 1964 Amphicar
We've featured various amphibious vehicles on WU before. But my research seems to indicate we have not highlighted the most famous, seen in this video. Please note that inventor Hans Trippel was working on this concept thirty years previously, as seen in the clipping.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 13, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Inventions, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1930s, 1960s, Cars
The Safety Smoker
The "safety smoker," invented by Glen R. Foote of Cincinnati, promised to allow people to safely smoke "in places where the danger from flying or falling sparks is likely to start a conflagration or cause an explosion."Perfect for anyone hankering for a smoke in an oil refinery.
San Francisco Examiner - Jan 1, 1933
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 07, 2021 -
Comments (6)
Category: Inventions, Smoking and Tobacco, 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 |