1950s
Genuine Los Angeles Smog
A gag gift from 1958. Cans of the stuff occasionally pop up on eBay, though none are currently available.More info: kcet.org
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Apr 24, 1958
Colorado Daily Sentinel - Jun 22, 1958
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 07, 2022 -
Comments (4)
Category: Gifts, Presents, Tributes, and Other Honoraria, Urban Life, 1950s
Miss Fireworks of 1954
Hula dancing on a bomb.
Leatherneck - Magazine of the Marines - Sep 1954
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 04, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1950s, Armed Forces, Weapons
Unintended consequence of hymn singing
Weird Fact: hymn singing can cause mink to kill and eat their young.
Vancouver Sun - Dec 8, 1959
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jun 30, 2022 -
Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Religion, 1950s
Dispatcher: The Board Game
Just as exciting as it sounds!More info here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jun 30, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Boredom, Games, Trains and Other Vehicles on Rails, 1950s
Six Boys in Trouble
This album features jams on homemade percussion instruments by six 11- and 12-year-old African American boys living in New York City public housing, about 1955. These young, untrained musicians improvise the tunes and tales of their upbringing on this rhythmic release and draw inspiration from family folk traditions and popular radio and juke box hits of the era. The group’s enjoyment is apparent in their school yard musical expressions, as is their self-identification with the community in which they live. The album is divided into three parts: Percussion Ensembles, Rhythms with Voices, and Rhythms with Verses. The liner notes provide a deeper look into each section, as well as a subsequent transcription of the lyrics.
Playlist for the rest of the album here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jun 23, 2022 -
Comments (0)
Category: Amateurs and Fans, Hobbies and DIY, Music, Juvenile Delinquency, 1950s
Mrs. Sparrow found a sparrow
1952: Mrs. Florence Sparrow found a sparrow in her loaf of bread.
Spokane Chronicle - Feb 29, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jun 17, 2022 -
Comments (4)
Category: Food, Odd Names, 1950s
If Russia Should Win…
... American men would be sterilized!!!The image is a still from the 1940 movie Dr. Cyclops, starring Janice Logan. It was repurposed in the early 1950s as anti-Communist propaganda, appearing (with the bizarre claim about mass sterilization) in Man to Man magazine (Jan 1954).
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jun 16, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Propaganda, Thought Control and Brainwashing, Giant People in Ads, 1950s
Fred and Coronet Cordon’s Whip Act
Photo source.
Source of text.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jun 16, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Television, Sex Symbols, 1950s, Circuses, Carnivals, and Other Traveling Shows
Threshermen’s Queen
I'm not sure when the Threshermen began crowning a queen at their annual reunion. But in 1952 they decided to stop the practice. The reason they gave was that, "The local talent has been exhausted and we are going to wait a couple of years for a new crop."Sounds a bit harsh.
Marshfield News-Herald - Jan 9, 1952
Below is some of the local talent from an earlier year, pre-exhaustion.
The Bloomington Pantagraph - Sep 8, 1950
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 14, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1950s
Burglary Party
Our Glorious Founder Chuck Shepherd frequently featured reports of housebreakers who a) did housework; b) drank themselves into a stupor; c) cooked a meal; d) had a bath or shower; etc. Here's a variation on the theme.Source: Wichita Falls Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) 30 Jun 1953, Tue Page 1
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 31, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Dinners, Banquets, Parties, Tributes, Roasts and Other Celebrations, Food, Stupid Criminals, 1950s
| 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 |