1950s
Follies of the Madmen #438
Extra credit for the chutzpah of the "full chest" pun. But seriously, if women buy the linens for the home, who is this ad directed at?
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 05, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Domestic, Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, 1950s
Clairvoyant Fishing (1956)
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 03, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Superstition, Fish, 1950s
Donut Queen of 1951
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 02, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Food, 1950s
The Atomic Golf Ball
A demonstration that what is possible may not be what is practical.Developed by nuclear physicist William Davidson in 1950, a small amount of radioactive material at the core of the atomic golf ball allowed it to be found using a Geiger counter, should it be hit into the rough. But there were a few problems with the concept:
1: The Geiger counter needed to be pretty close to the ball (within 5 feet) to actually detect it.
2: Not many people own Geiger counters.
3: Even though a single ball didn't pose much of a radiation risk, a bunch of the balls stored together would be a problem. So, it wasn't possible for stores to stock and sell these.
Mechanix Illustrated - Mar 1951
Akron Beacon Journal - Aug 20, 2000
click to enlarge
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 24, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Sports, Golf, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1950s
Lonesome and Disgusted
A song written to be deliberately awful.Amazingly, not to be found on YouTube. Listen using the embedded audio below, starting roughly at the 53:20 mark. Actually, the whole show is worth hearing.
Leo De Lyon's Wikipedia page.
Source of quote.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 24, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Humor, Music, 1950s, Nausea, Revulsion and Disgust
Thirteen Daughters, Then a Boy
I wonder if this 1953 record has ever been broken?Story here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 23, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Family, Children, World Records, 1950s
Mystery Illustration 83
Which famous sex symbol actress of the Fifties and Sixties is seen here, imitating Elvis Presley?The answer is here.
Or after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 18, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Imitations, Forgeries, Rip-offs and Faux, Movies, Music, Sex Symbols, 1950s, Parody
Follies of the Madmen #434
I think there should be a line of fine-art perfumes. Imagine the allure of "Smell like Salvador Dali!"
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jul 13, 2019 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Perfume and Other Scents, 1950s
Follies of the Madmen #433
Our zippers are for crazy people.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 09, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Fashion, 1950s, Brain Damage
Blue Snow
One of the more bizarre consequences of the atmospheric nuclear tests of the 1950s was that, hundreds of miles away, radioactive blue snow began to fall.Traveling salesman M.C. Myer was one of the first to report seeing this phenomenon in 1953, while driving through Shasta County, California:
Los Angeles Times - Apr 10, 1953
St. Louis Post Dispatch - Aug 7, 1994
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 03, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1950s
| Who We Are |
|---|
| 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 |