1980s
Presto Wine
It was powdered wine. You just added some water and sugar, let it sit for a month, and you had wine. For dirt cheap. The stuff was briefly available in the mid-1980s, but then it seems to have fallen afoul of lawmakers who were worried about kids being able to buy this stuff in stores (where it was sold as a food product, no age requirement for purchase).
Wilmington Morning News - May 24, 1984
Wilmington News Journal - Apr 21, 1984
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jun 10, 2018 -
Comments (4)
Category: 1980s, Alcohol
The Statue of Liberty Urine Stain Controversy
During restoration of the Statue of Liberty in 1986, the restorers noticed an area low on the statue where the patina was worn away and speculated that the damage might have been caused by construction workers urinating from the top of the statue instead of coming down to use a toilet.Officials vehemently disagreed, insisting that the damage was actually caused by "a vinegar-like solution workers recently used in the process of stripping layers of paint inside the statue."
Perhaps the officials were right, but I prefer the urine stain explanation.
New York Daily News - May 8, 1986
Asbury Park Press - May 9, 1986
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 26, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Statues and Monuments, Body Fluids, 1980s
Rock ‘n’ Roll Underwear
From Omni magazine (Aug 1981): "The latest discotechnological breakthrough is an item called Rock and Roll Hot Pants. By wiring your shorts or panties to a stereo speaker with a 15-foot cord, which relays the music to a two inch disc on your waistband,”you get an incredible tingle all over your body,” claims inventor David Lloyd."
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Jan 27, 1981
Omni magazine - August 1981
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 12, 2018 -
Comments (6)
Category: Inventions, Music, Underwear, 1980s
Stimorol, chewing gum for the rich
Stimorol was a Danish brand of chewing gum. When its maker brought it to the U.S. in 1982, they decided to go for snob appeal and marketed it as the "chewing gum for the rich." Even though, as far as I know, in Denmark it was just a chewing gum for regular folks.I agree with the columnist below. Chewing gum just doesn't work as a status symbol.
New Yorker - May 10, 1982
Clarion Ledger - Sep 29, 1982
Posted By: Alex - Mon May 07, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Food, 1980s
John Lennon Slept Here
In 1984, Jeff Walker paid $36,490 for an 80-year lease on Room 1111 in Miami's Deauville Hotel. The reason was that back in February 1964 John Lennon had spent a few nights in that room. So Walker's plan was to rent the room out to Beatles' fans at a premium price and make a nice profit.But one year later, only one person had rented the room from him, for a single night. Walker noted that he could have had the hotel rent the room for him, as just a regular room, but he didnt want "a bunch of weirdos" (i.e. non-Beatles fans) renting the room.
The Deauville hotel is still around, though its website indicates that it's currently closed for renovations.
I wonder if Walker still has the lease on room 1111? I can't find any indication that he does.
Hartford Courant - Feb 22, 1985
(Click to enlarge)
Miami News - May 3, 1984
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 05, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Celebrities, Music, 1980s
Cowvertising
$500 a year to put your ad on the side of a cow.
Twin Falls Times-News - Apr 8, 1984
Detroit Free Press - Apr 13, 1984
Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 20, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Advertising, Farming, Cows, 1980s
Rambo Bubble Gum
Raspberry-flavored gum shaped to resemble shrapnel or flak.Went on sale in 1985, as a tie-in with the release of Rambo II.
image source: Candy Wrapper Museum
Wisconsin State Journal - Nov 3, 1985
Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 11, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: War, Candy, 1980s
The Blessing of the Bras
June 1986: "Buddhist priests blessed 200,000 used brassieres yesterday in a temple memorial service for cast-off underwear."
Tampa Tribune - June 8, 1986
Philadelphia Daily News - June 7, 1986
Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 09, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Religion, Underwear, 1980s
Cognac and yogurt
Not a combination that would have occurred to me. But who knows. Perhaps it was really good.
Apparently this product was, like Touch of Yogurt Shampoo, an attempt to cash in on the yogurt craze that was sweeping America at the time.
The Santa Clarita Signal - Aug 24, 1983
Posted By: Alex - Fri Apr 06, 2018 -
Comments (5)
Category: Inebriation and Intoxicants, 1980s
Avoid Saying Hello
Wall Street Journal - Apr 25, 1983
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 05, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Telephones, 1980s
| Who We Are |
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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 |