1970s
Pudsey Treacle Mines
Aug 1975: The Rev. Paul Needle attempted to convince 150 British children to embrace the Christian faith with the argument that if the Pudsey treacle mines don't really exist, then Jesus must.
The Guardian - Aug 21, 1975
Of course, the flaw in his argument was that the treacle mines are quite real, as explained by Don Gillan:
Posted By: Alex - Sat Dec 23, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Religion, Candy, 1970s
Unauthorized Dwellings 31
Squatting on an abandoned island with no amenities, even one convenient to Manhattan, seems to offer some drawbacks. (Article is partial, but I figured we got the gist of it.)
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 20, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Urban Life, Unauthorized Dwellings, 1970s
My Favorite Martians
The Wikipedia entry.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 16, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Aliens, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Television, Cartoons, 1970s
People Leave Ann Alone
Ladies Home Journal - May 1970
Posted By: Alex - Wed Dec 13, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Advertising, 1970s
Santa in the Slammer
Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 12, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Holidays, Prisons, 1970s
Cup Final Seats
"A man who placed advertisements in a national newspaper offering 'Cup Final seats" for £15 sent applicants small canvas stools with 'Cup Final' written on them."He probably thought he had figured out the perfect crime.
The Guardian - May 24, 1977
Posted By: Alex - Tue Nov 28, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Stupid Criminals, 1970s
A year of chocolate
When he died in 1976, John Bostock left money in his will so that every child under five in the village of Westgate-in-Weardale would be given a bar of chocolate once a week for a year.The children in Eastgate-in-Weardale must have felt like they drew the short end of the straw.
Burton Daily Mail - Mar 5, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Mon Nov 27, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Death, Inheritance and Wills, Chocolate, 1970s
Constipation and Political Unrest
I haven't been able to figure out what the title of the article referenced below was, since I can't find archived copies of Blackwood's magazine from the 1970s. The hypothesis, "that a fundamental cause of the violence... in Irish politics may well be constipation," is strange. It might make one wonder about the role of constipation in other conflicts around the world.
The Melbourne Age - Sep 30, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 17, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Violence, War, Vegetables, 1970s
Competitive Hymn Singing
In 1972 a group of schoolboys set a world record for "non-stop hymn singing." They sang for 48 hours straight.So what's the current record for hymn singing? I haven't been able to figure that out.
I found an article from Oct 2005 claiming a new record was set for singing for 22 hours, but since that wasn't even half the time of the 1972 record, that can't be right.
Pomona Progress Bulletin - Dec 30, 1972
Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 16, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Music, World Records, 1970s
Day out ruined by sea rescue
Aug 1974: British beachgoers demonstrated a low tolerance for what they were willing to put up with to help a sea rescue.
London Observer - Aug 18, 1974
Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 08, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: 1970s, United Kingdom
| Who We Are |
|---|
| 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 |