Category:
1950s
Hats adorned with "a tasty array of carrots, artichokes, peaches, peppers, asparagus, broccoli, figs and many other delicacies adored by vegetarians."
Lancaster Eagle Gazette - May 25, 1953
The idea of people who try to kill themselves three ways at once is something that occasionally pops up in weird news. Though I'm not sure if it really belongs to weird news or is more of an urban legend.
Back in 2014, I posted about an attempted
4-way suicide that was reported in 1922. A man tried to torch, hang, poison, and shoot himself simultaneously. But I was also suspicious of that reporting.
Life - Oct 6, 1952
How the atomic bomb inspired hairdressers.
La Grande Observer - July 30, 1946
Liliana Orsi, a 22-year-old beauty in Rome, Italy, displays her new atomic hairdo and the photo of the atomic blast which inspired it. It took a hair stylist 12 hours to arrange Liliana's coiffure, so it's not recommended for daily wear. It's an old fashion and something dangerously new. — Mar 8, 1951
What these press agents won't think of! From one Las Vegas beauty salon comes this hair style, modeled by showgirl Terry True. And that big upsweep at the top is supposed to symbolize a mushroom cloud effect of a bomb explosion. The dark ring is a switch, with a jeweled clip to brighten things up.
(AP Wirephoto — Mar 2, 1951)
Mansfield News-Journal - Apr 29, 1946
"Sit right down and rest your elbows on these convenient patented elbow warmers."
No idea why this great idea did not catch on.
Original ad here.
"Members of Fountain of the World cult in Chatsworth are pallbearers and mourners at funeral of their leader Krishna Venta and two other cult members killed in dynamiting of their headquarters."
Read a long fascinating article on this Manson precursor at the LA WEEKLY.
A 1950s gadget that, when attached to the hose of your vacuum, transformed it into a vibrating massager.
"Directions: The Filter Queen Vibrator should be inserted into the wand end of the hose and the hose fastened to the suction inlet of the Filter Queen... For use, place hose on neck, shoulders or other parts of the body to be massaged. See illustration on opposite side of box."
More info:
Herald Tribune
Image source:
Flickr
The ingenuity of teenagers knows no bounds.
The Salem News - Sep 17, 1953
PRANKSTERS PEPPER CEILING — Teenagers have forgotten the goldfish-swallowing fad which swept the U.S. a few years back, but they've started another one which is giving restaurant owners a headache. The new fad requires some drinking straws, chocolate syrup and a bit of wind power. Tom Taylor, left, and John Wasson of Ludington, Mich., show how easily a restaurant ceiling can be "redecorated" by dipping the straw's tissue casing into syrup and shooting it like a blowgun up into the air.
Continuing our exploration of strange beauty contests, here's the Miss Food Freezer contest of 1951.
Arizona Republic - Mar 6, 1951
The favorite to win seemed to be Marianne Davis, who had already won the title of Miss General Electric. I could be wrong, but in the publicity photo below I think they've got her wrapped in freezer wrap while she sits on top of a deep freeze.
Arizona Republic - Mar 19, 1951
And sure enough, Marianne Davis won the coveted title of Miss Food Freezer. As far as I can tell, 1951 was the only year the contest was held. So she was the one and only Miss Food Freezer.
Arizona Republic - Mar 24, 1951
Can the appearance of all these white males from 1957 lead us to guess what their common bond was? Judges? Cops? Farmers? Fuller Brush salesmen?
The original has gone dark behind the CHICAGO TRIBUNE ARCHIVES paywall. But luckily I saved the answer--after the jump.
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