1930s
The doctor who made rats go insane
Dr. Norman Maier is pretty much unknown today, but Wikipedia notes that his research "received extensive publicity in its day." That research involved making rats go insane.
The cause of man's mental suffering identified: not being given his breakfast promptly at 7 am.
Thus a man who is "conditioned" to expect his breakfast promptly at 7 o'clock in the morning and does not get it may develop a nervous disorder if his wife fails to provide it at that time for many mornings in succession.
Detroit Free Press - Jan 1, 1939
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 13, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Psychology, 1930s
Rooftop Runway
Landing a plane on a giant treadmill mounted on top of a skyscraper. What could possibly go wrong?
Modern Mechanics - Feb 1930
Posted By: Alex - Sun May 12, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Architecture, Air Travel and Airlines, 1930s
Device to self-administer gas
This curious device was featured in Mechanix Illustrated (July 1938), but no info was given about the inventor.
So I searched the patent archive. This patent granted to Justin Sholes in 1939 seems to be it:
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 25, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Drugs, Patents, 1930s
Humanised Trufood
Make sure your food has been humanised...
Daily Telegraph - Jan 28, 1937
Post-Graduate Medical Journal - June 1935
Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 06, 2024 -
Comments (6)
Category: Babies, Food, Advertising, 1930s
Stocking-Repairing Beetle
The "Aprilscherz" (April Fool) of an unnamed German magazine, as reported in Life (Apr 4, 1938):
Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 01, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Holidays, Insects and Spiders, 1930s
Estate Willed by Talkie
Video wills have become quite common, but they weren't back in 1931. So the unnamed testator described below was breaking new ground by creating one (or rather, a filmed will).I particularly like the detail that he left instructions on where everyone should sit while watching the film, so that he could look at each person directly from the grave.
Wichita Eagle - Jan 10, 1931
Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 30, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Death, Inheritance and Wills, Law, Movies, 1930s
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 55
The artist's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 24, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, 1930s
April Fool’s Day Prank Millionaire
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 03, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Holidays, Money, Friends, Partners, Co-Workers and Other Associates, 1930s
The Rival Miss Fairmonts
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 28, 2024 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Rivalries, Feuds and Grudges, 1930s
Is your washroom breeding Bolsheviks?
Some discussion of the ad from Paradoxes of Nostalgia by Penny Von Eschen:
It sounds like the ad inspired quite a few parodies, but I was only able to find one:
The ad also provided the name for a 1988 album by the punk rock group The Neurotics:
Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 16, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Hygiene, Advertising, 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 |