1950s
Neighbours
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 02, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Domestic, Humor, War, Stop-motion Animation, 1950s
The Bald-Headed Men of America
Apparently there have been several instances of the formation of clubs to serve as fraternal organizations for bald men.The New York Times has this 1896 report.
Then comes this account in 1920, also from The New York Times.
Then comes this report from 1954.
But sometime after that, the original group must have gone under, because in 1972, John T. Capps, III founded the Bald Headed Men of America. They were profiled in a PBS documentary from 1989, as partially shown below.
Apparently, they are still going strong.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 01, 2014 -
Comments (5)
Category: Clubs, Fraternities and Other Self-selecting Organizations, 1920s, 1950s, 1970s, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Hair and Hairstyling
Atomic Rabbit
Radiation makes everything better.
From this encyclopedia entry:
Atomic Rabbit was a lot like Atomic Mouse, but with a species change and a couple less supporting characters. He protected Rabbitville, rather than Mouseville, from the depredations of Sly Fox, rather than Count Gatto. Instead of an inept assistant, Sly had two kids.
He, too, got his super powers from doubly-forbidden fruit by today's standards — drugs and radiation. But while both their power-enhancers were as radioactive as can be, Mouse's was more blatantly a drug. He got his super powers from U-235 pills, whereas Rabbit's U-235 carrots could be passed off as good nutrition, like Atomictot's vitamins and Popeye's spinach. But while Popeye of the E.C. Segar comics ate lots of spinach for strength through nutrition, the animated Popeye treated it like a drug, getting a huge rush from it and sometimes, just for emphasis, sucking it in through his pipe. Good nutrition or not, Atomic Rabbit definitely fell into the category of drug-based superheroes.
Ten full issues here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 22, 2014 -
Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Drugs, Comics, 1950s
Enjoy the Experience
This 2-disc compilation of "homemade recordings" is pure caviar for all WU-vies. Listen to more at the link below, then buy your copy--which features many other "hits"--soon!
YouTube playlist here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 21, 2014 -
Comments (2)
Category: Hobbies and DIY, Music, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
Zovello, The Bonomo Magic Clown
Given fezzes to wear, and a supply of taffy to eat, the children in the audience were still at a loss for having to watch the sub-Krusty antics of Zovello the Magic Clown.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 20, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Clowns, Television, Children, 1940s, 1950s
The Art of Marilyn Monroe
There have been many, many paintings done of Marilyn Monroe. But I wasn't aware that Monroe was, herself, an artist. She contributed the above sketch, described as being in the surrealist style, to an art exhibit in 1956. The organizer of the exhibit praised Monroe as "a midget picasso." Source: Newsweek - Nov 19, 1956.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 19, 2014 -
Comments (2)
Category: Art, Celebrities, 1950s
Tell the Golden Ear
-Newsweek - Nov 26, 1956
Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 16, 2014 -
Comments (3)
Category: 1950s
Lampo the Traveling Dog
Full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 12, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Dogs, 1950s, Europe, Trains
A better rattrap
The July 14, 1952 issue of Life had a photo feature about a contest sponsored by the city of Hammond, Ind., in which schoolchildren were asked to design a better rattrap. The challenge apparently released the inner sadist in some of the kids.Arnold Knopf's trap: a weight falls, releasing a crossbow which shoots an arrow into the rat's back.
Jim Olsen's contribution: after the rat trips a trigger, a weight falls, jerking a noose tight around the rat's neck.
Steve Miller and Ed Cox designed a rat guillotine that included a basket to catch the rat's head.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Feb 11, 2014 -
Comments (6)
Category: Death, Inventions, Pests, Plagues and Infestations, 1950s
Follies of the Madmen #216
I understand James Cameron is already adapting parts of this for the Avatar sequel, along with all his other "influences."
Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 09, 2014 -
Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Business, Advertising, Products, Hygiene, 1950s
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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 |