1950s
Wheaton College Mass Confessions
February 1950: During a chapel service, the students of Wheaton College were invited by the college president to come forward and confess their sins. What followed was 38 hours of uninterrupted confessions as one student after another came forward. Many confessed more than once. Classes were cancelled to allow the spontaneous confess-a-thon to continue.One student confessed that he wasn't sure if he loved his fiancee or God more, another to cheating in Bible class. A somewhat cynical student confessed that she couldn't believe all the confessions were sincere. Then asked forgiveness for doubting their sincerity.
Finally the college president halted the continuing stream of confessions, noting that "outsiders might think the revival has become too showy."
Wheaton students pray and listen to confessions
Newsweek - Feb 20, 1950
Decatur Herald - Feb 11, 1950
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 28, 2016 -
Comments (11)
Category: Religion, 1950s
Name Change
July 1959: Upon becoming a U.S. citizen, Turkish-born Haroutioun A. Aprahamian changed his name to Haroutioun A. Abrahamian.I know this got reported as weird news in the 1950s because it seemed like an odd twist on the phenomenon of immigrants Americanizing their names, but this guy probably just wanted to correct the spelling of his name which perhaps had been misspelled by an immigration official.
When my dad moved to the States from Germany in the 40s, our last name Böse got written as Boese, making it unpronounceable. My sister was smart enough to start spelling it as "Bose" from an early age (actually, whenever possible she insists it be spelled "Böse"), but I never did, so now I'm stuck with the unpronounceable spelling.
The Wilmington News Journal - July 11, 1959
Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 27, 2016 -
Comments (10)
Category: Odd Names, 1950s
Smart Watches of the 1950s
Modern "smart watches" can tell you how far you've walked and monitor your heart rate. But watches in the 1950s could also do that. Just in a different way.
The Sedalia Democrat - Aug 13, 1959
Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 25, 2016 -
Comments (7)
Category: Technology, 1950s
Three-Winged Chickens
1950: Scientists at UCLA breed three-winged chickens. More buffalo wings on one bird!
Herald and News (Klamath Falls, Oregon) - Nov 9, 1950
The Eugene Guard - Nov 15, 1950
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 21, 2016 -
Comments (9)
Category: Animals, Science, Experiments, 1950s
Clock Ladies of Frankfurt
November 1950: To advertise a Watch and Clock Makers fair, young women were hired to wander around the streets of Frankfurt carrying giant clocks on their backs.
The Eagle (Bryan, Texas) - Nov 8, 1950
Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 17, 2016 -
Comments (2)
Category: 1950s
Raining Money
December 1953: A few days before Christmas it rained money in Maple Park, Illinois, after a money sack fell off a train, burst open, and the wind scattered the bills everywhere. $26,000 in all. The honest townsfolk picked up and returned all but $890 of the money.
Chicago Tribune - Dec 24, 1953
Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 12, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: 1950s
Follies of the Madmen #280
Long ago, "There's something about an Aqua Velva man" was a universally known motto.
But what the hell is "humectin?"
From Wikipedia: "A humectant is a hygroscopic substance used to keep things moist; it is the opposite of a desiccant."
So "humectin" is just some common moisturizing element.
Whatever it is, it's certainly gone upscale in the 21st century. $70.00 per bottle!!!
[Click to enlarge]
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 11, 2016 -
Comments (12)
Category: Hygiene, Perfume and Other Scents, 1950s, Facial Hair
Know Your Missiles!
[Click to enlarge]
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Apr 10, 2016 -
Comments (17)
Category: Hobbies and DIY, Children, 1950s, Weapons
Hat Styles From the Kitchen
Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 09, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Domestic, Surrealism, Headgear, 1950s
Lap Driving Banned
A 1950's effort to stop distracted driving.But what was going on in Cheboygan that they felt a need for an ordinance against this form of distracted driving specifically?
The Pittsburgh Press - Dec 28, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 05, 2016 -
Comments (10)
Category: Regulations, 1950s, Cars
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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 |