From the days when a commercial could hold an entire narrative arc in thirty or sixty seconds. Apparently the Kid and Sue were thrill-seekers who could not resist dangerous environments.
Ralph Farrar suffered from hemochromatosis, which meant that his blood accumulated too much iron. The treatment was to have a pint of blood taken from him every week. This blood couldn't be used for other patients. So Farrar used it on his roses as an "iron-rich fertilizer instead of the commercial rose food containing dried animal blood."
After eight years of weekly blood-drainings his condition began to improve, so much so that he only had to have blood taken once every two months. No word on what happened to his roses as a result.
Info source: Newsweek - Sep 2, 1963
Ralph Farrar pouring blood on his roses
The Tuscaloosa News - Jun 29, 1963
Update: Curious about how long Mr. Farrar could have lived with hemochromatosis, I did a google search and found what I'm pretty sure is his grave. He died at the age of 76 in 1989.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jul 26, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: 1960s
The artists' models at Rome's Academy of Fine Arts... sent their negotiator, Anna di Vetta, out onto the streets to press their claims. In girdle, bra, and high heels, Anna paraded through the city with a sign promising complete exposure of her 40½-31-40½ figure if her union's demands were not met. Instead of bravely meeting the challenge, the combined ministries of Labor and Public Instruction crumbled. They promised a fixed salary of $150 a month and fringe benefits—but only, reported a triumphant Anna, "if I promised not to take off all my clothes."
When the Batman TV series first aired in 1966, not everyone was happy with it. The Automobile Legal Association issued a press release listing the various traffic violations that Batman was guilty of and denouncing him as a "vicious example" for youth. His violations included: U-turns in the middle of busy streets, crashing through safety barriers, crossing highway white line safety markers, parking illegally, speeding, and failing to signal even a single turn.
They didn't mention using parachutes to turn around the Batmobile at high speeds (which I'm sure can't be legal), or having "Bat Ray" weapons installed on the vehicle.
October 2, 1964: One minute Veronica McConnell, 22, was happy and carefree. The young American woman had just arrived in Paris the night before on vacation and was visiting Notre Dame Cathedral. It was the first stop on the city bus tour.
After seeing the inside of the cathedral, she stopped to buy some candles at a stand in the plaza. Having made her purchase, she began walking back towards the tour group. The next second she was dead, killed by suicide jumper Denise Rey-Herme, 37, who had leapt off the cathedral's north tower. Rey-Herme was despondent, having learned that because of chronic ill health she would never achieve her ambition of becoming a nun.
Goes to show that death can strike at any moment, anywhere.
Note: there's some confusion about McConnell's age. Different accounts of the event list it as either 21, 22, or 24. The NY Times says she was 22, so I'm trusting they were right.
Sounds to me like Anna Hindman had good cause for wanting to divorce her husband, namely a) his belief that 4 hours sleep is all anyone needs, and b) wiring her bed to shock her every 4 hours to prevent her from sleeping longer than that.
But according to the news reports, she eventually forgave him and withdrew her divorce petition — after he got rid of the "shocking machine." And it sounds like they remained married for the rest of their lives... if the Anna Hindman in this obituary is the same person (which it must be, because all the names/dates match up).
Anna Louise Hindman, 74, of Rogersville passed away Thursday, September 13, 2012 in Springfield. Anna was born on July 8, 1938 in Springfield to Eulan and Olive (Turner) Bussard. She was married to Michael J. Hindman on July 17, 1953 and he preceded her in death on December 15, 2004. She was an accomplished roller skater, both figure and racing and performed for President Truman. She had her pilots license and enjoyed flying and riding motorcycles with her husband.
Sources: Kansas City Times: Feb 27, 1960; Mar 10, 1960.
I thought I knew the music of my youth pretty well, but I can't recall ever hearing of these guys with the weird band name, till just now reading the obituary of one member.
The jaunty surrealism in this video holds up pretty well, as does the music.
"Between 1965 and 1969, the group spent more weeks in the UK singles charts than the Beatles."
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.