1960s
Queen Mermaids of the Flin Flon Trout Festival
Source
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 15, 2021 -
Comments (8)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Regionalism, Fish, 1960s
Weird alien sounds designed to terrify and panic
In 1969, Alfred Mardarello et al. were granted a patent for a "noisemaking device" which could be attached to a missile. When the missile was fired and flying through the air, their gadget would create "weird, alien sounds" intended to terrify the enemy. From their patent:The psychological effects of weird or unexpected noises, which accompany an artillery projectile or missile, have been explored in many ways, prior to this invention, with minimum results. The Germans, in World War II, attached a noise producing device to aerial bombs, somewhat similar in construction to the organ pipe. A high pitched noise was created. This could be used only on large bombs and was too massive for use on artillery projectiles...
The insufficiencies of the prior art are overcome by the noisemaking adapter of the instant invention. The adapter ring is so designed that they attach to an existant missile without requiring modification of said missile. Centrifugal force, as a result of the spinning motion of the missile after being fired, causes the noisemaking arms or fins to extend and to produce weird, alien sounds of such magnitude as to be heard over a substantial area. The psychological effect, to create panic to those in the vicinity, is thus effected.
I have no idea if this patent was ever used in combat. But I don't really understand the point of making something that's already terrifying (a missile) even more terrifying by having it produce weird, alien sounds. Isn't the terror of the missile itself enough?
I guess it was part of the psychological warfare effort during Vietnam. See also Ghost Tape Number Ten.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jul 11, 2021 -
Comments (5)
Category: Patents, 1960s, Weapons, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
Doll-to-Doll Carpeting, and other Mr Leggs Ads
These Mr. Leggs ads offer a window onto the twisted male psyche of the 1960s. They ran in newspapers and magazines (Esquire) from 1963 to 1965.
"Though she was a tiger lady, our hero didn’t have to fire a shot to floor her. After one look at his Mr. Leggs slacks, she was ready to have him walk all over her. That noble styling sure soothes the savage heart! If you’d like your own doll-to-doll carpeting, hunt up a pair of these he-man Mr. Leggs slacks."
"It took him years of practice and dozens of bruised, outraged ladies, but he's perfected it. She's under his spell."
"Get all knotted up when she floats by? Relax."
"There they were at the snack bar... this one and her sister Eileen (roughly 38-20-38). He smiles; she smiles. He spoke; she responded eagerly. Asked him to watch the kid for a few minutes. That was two hours ago."
"Why torture yourself? Be flexible!"
"Our hero's had a hard day. He had to set up the hammock. And he had to crawl into it. Exhausting. Now he's ready to collect his reward."
"Even Cora the Cobra can't resist getting next to the man in a pair... proving that at times they're downright dangerous to wear. For other species of Cora's sex (like girls) are also apt to over-react to Slats' virile appeal."
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 10, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Advertising, Gender, Men, 1960s
Canned Heat and the Chipmunks: Christmas Song
We are more or less halfway to Xmas, so why not celebrate early?
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jul 10, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Music, Unlikely, Improbable and Counterfactual Phenomena, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1960s, Parody
Mystery Illustration 101
What are these folks doing?
The answer is here.
And after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 09, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Crowds, Groups, Mobs and Other Mass Movements, 1960s
Miss Air Force Recruiting Detachment 215
Celeste Yarnall may be best remembered for playing Yeoman Martha Landon in the 1967 Star Trek episode "The Apple".She also starred in the 1971 cult hit The Velvet Vampire.
She was also quite successful outside of modeling and acting. According to wikipedia, she owned "one of L.A.'s top office real-estate firms".
Given all this, being awarded the oddly specific title of "Miss Air Force Recruiting Detachment 215 for 1964" has to rank as one of her lesser life achievements.
The Red Bank Daily Register - Mar 30, 1964
Celeste Yarnall as Yeoman Martha Landon
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 06, 2021 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1960s
The Lunar Hilton
Back in 1967, as the first landing on the moon approached, Hilton prepared plans for opening hotels in space. They envisioned first opening an Orbiter Hilton, soon to be followed by a Lunar Hilton.Details from an article in the Boston Globe (July 20, 1969):
Hilton said the three floors will eliminate elevators and should minimize power requirements. Multi-story underground moon hotels will come later.
Guest rooms will have wall-to-wall television for closed circuitry views of space and to receive programs from earth. A nuclear reactor kitchen will prepare dehydrated freeze dry foods. Cleaning will be done by small laser units.
The Lunar Hilton's most popular spot will probably be the Galaxy Lounge where thermopane windows will provide a view of outer space and earth. Pre-measured, pre-cooled, "instant" drinks will be served by push buttons.
Hilton even created a key for a room in its lunar hotel and printed up a form so that people could book a reservation.
More info: CNN Travel
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 05, 2021 -
Comments (3)
Category: Hotels, Space Travel, 1960s
Video Village
This is getting meta! A TV game show that uses people as living tokens on a board game set is later replicated as an actual board game. Wow, man!The Wikipedia page.
The entry at Board Game Geek.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 28, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Games, Philosophy, Television, 1960s
1967 Hippie Festival
Eighteen minutes of unscripted grooviness. I am particularly taken by two beautiful women performing some kind of mutual meditation exercise, as seen in the still shot below.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jun 23, 2021 -
Comments (2)
Category: Parades and Festivals, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1960s
Yoko Ono, “Cut Piece”
To accompany Alex's Patty Chang post from yesterday.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 21, 2021 -
Comments (0)
Category: Fashion, Performance Art, 1960s
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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 |