Category:
1980s

Spanish for the California farmer

First published in 1981. It included translations for phrases a farmer might need to communicate with his workers, such as, “Clean up your camp. You live like a f**king pig.”

One of the authors noted: “This is a practical book. This is not a grammar book. If you want to have beautiful Spanish, you can get your grammar books and go to school. If you want to be practical in a farm case, you have to know the slang. People use the language.”

The book is available on Amazon, though listed as “Out of Print — Limited Availability.”


Wilmington Morning News - Jan 9, 1983

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 28, 2019 - Comments (7)
Category: Languages, Books, 1980s

Mystery Gadget 70



What is this tool used for?

Answer is here.

Or after the jump.

More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 11, 2019 - Comments (2)
Category: Technology, 1980s

Juror spots stolen shoes

Either this was an ingenious way to get out of jury duty, or a truly random coincidence.

What I find particularly odd is that the shoes were obviously pretty crappy, with paint spots and frayed laces. So somewhat weird that someone would steal them in the first place, and then choose to wear them while serving as a witness at a trial... and then, by sheer chance, the owner of the shoes happens to be in the jury.

Fort Lauderdale News - Jan 18, 1986

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 07, 2019 - Comments (0)
Category: Crime, Shoes, 1980s

The Deaccelerator

Richard Schulman's solution to the problem of speeding: make it harder for motorists to step on the gas pedal. From the Chicago Tribune (Nov 20, 1986):

The device attaches to the gas pedal of cars and trucks and is set for a maxiumum speed. Once you reach that speed, the accelerator becomes harder to push down. So if, for instance, your Deaccelerator is set at 55 miles per hour, your gas pedal operates normally until your car reaches that speed. To go faster, you must exert more pressure with your foot.

Schulman invented it in the mid-1980s, and even started a company, the Deaccelerator Corporation, to market it. As of 2005, he was still publishing about it, but evidently the idea met with resistance (pun intended) since I'm not aware of any cars equipped with the device. The people who need it most would be exactly the ones who would refuse to buy a car that had one.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 06, 2019 - Comments (6)
Category: Inventions, 1980s, Cars

Russian Version of Mary Poppins

Why rush to a crowded theater and pay fifteen dollars to see the new MARY POPPINS, when you can sit at home and watch the Russian version for free?

Unfortunately, embedding not permitted, so you must make the far journey to YouTube.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 12, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Movies, Fantasy, 1980s, Russia

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold



I wonder what more-famous franchise inspired this turkey?

"Sharon Stone...was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for this role, for which she lost to Madonna for Who's That Girl."

Wikipedia page here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 18, 2018 - Comments (7)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Literature, Movies, 1980s

How to make pineapple from zucchini

It's "zucchini pineapple." Info from Healthy Canning:

It dates from the early 1980s, riding the wave of zucchini (aka courgette) enthusiasm that had swept North America in the 1970s. As part of this wave, zucchini bread recipes were born, and people started joking about breaking into neighbour’s cars and leaving them zucchini. This recipe is another product of that era.
You may also see it called “Mock Pineapple” or “Faux Pineapple.”...
Proponents of the recipe touted cost savings versus the real thing, but we’re not sure if that is necessarily true anymore.

Basically you put zucchini in a can with some pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Seal it up for a while, and it turns into something kind of like pineapple.



Fremont News-Messenger - July 21, 1981



Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 08, 2018 - Comments (6)
Category: Food, 1980s

Bus Starts

Back in 1985, city officials in St. Louis decided that the term 'bus stop' sounded too negative, so they voted to rename them 'bus starts.' 1800 new 'bus start' signs were duly installed.

A year-and-a-half later, when it became clear that people were confused by what a 'bus start' was supposed to be, the city conceded defeat and went back to using the traditional term. This, of course, meant buying even more new signs.

St. Louis Post Dispatch - Mar 28, 1985





St. Louis Post Dispatch - Aug 24, 1986

Posted By: Alex - Tue Nov 06, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: Odd Names, 1980s, Bus

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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.

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