Category:
1950s

Army Basic Training in Sound

Want to pretend at home that you've been drafted? Here you go!



Posted By: Paul - Wed May 25, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Military, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, Simulations, Make-Believe, Cosplay and other Pretend Situations, 1950s

Inception of the Golden Lotus Temple of the Self-Realization



Still operating.

Women in togas at dedication of Golden Lotus Temple of the Self-Realization Fellowship Church in Los Angeles, Calif., 1950


Photo source.

Posted By: Paul - Tue May 24, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Fashion, Religion, 1950s

Each Child Is Different



Posted By: Paul - Thu May 19, 2022 - Comments (5)
Category: Education, Family, Children, PSA’s, 1950s

The Case of the Missing Parliamentary Comics

Just a few days ago, Alex made a post involving the infamous Fredric Wertham. As an inveterate comics reader from way back, I long knew of Wertham's crusade to ban comics. But I did not realize that the UK had undergone the same crusade.

Apparently, the offending material proved to be too attractive to remain on exhibit.

Source: The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina) 22 Apr 1955, Fri Page 1



Posted By: Paul - Mon May 02, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Government, Comics, 1950s

Hit Hand, Regained Sight

June 1955: Peter Barr struck the palm of his left hand with his right fist to stress a point while arguing with his wife. And suddenly he was able to see again. He had been completely blind for three years.

London Daily Telegraph - June 3, 1955



Other cases of accidental cures we've previously posted about:

Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 16, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Health, 1950s, Eyes and Vision

Burlap Interior Design

Much as the enthusiastic Mr. Namkin or the dapper corporate icon Mr. Deburco wished it, burlap was not fated to become the next hot interior design fabric. As we all know, burlap was too closely associated with beatniks to be wholly respectable.





Article source: The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) 01 Oct 1954, Fri Page 24




Article source: The Monroe News-Star (Monroe, Louisiana) 06 Mar 1962, Tue Page 12



Article source: The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) 30 Jan 1960, Sat Page 6






Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 08, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Fads, Interior Decorating, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1950s

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 - Comments (1)
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

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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.

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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.

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