1990s
The Great Comic Switcheroo
Read about this excellent April Fool's Day prank at Wikipedia.Here are some representative strips.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 18, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Newspapers, Identity Mistakes, Thefts and Mix-ups, Comics, 1990s
Three Ronald Legendres
When Ronald Legendre got married in 1995, his best man was also named Ronald Legendre, as was the judge who performed the service.None of this was exactly a coincidence. The best man and groom had met years before due to having the same last name (but they were genuinely best friends), and then they deliberately sought out the judge for the wedding.
Like Ronald Legendre, I have an uncommon last name. Thanks to Google, I know there are other Alex Boeses out there, but I've never met any of them. In fact, I've never met anyone (outside of family) who shares my last name. Though I recently discovered that there's a Boese Brothers Brewery in Albuquerque. I plan to check it out next time I'm in that neck of the woods.
Athol Daily News - Aug 14, 1995
Posted By: Alex - Sat Nov 16, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Odd Names, 1990s, Weddings
The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb
The director's obit at THE GUARDIAN.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jul 29, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Movies, Stop-motion Animation, Surrealism, Myths and Fairytales, 1990s, Fictional Monsters
Dr. Robert Lopez Infects Himself with Cat Ear Mites
Yesterday, Alex regaled us with the report of a fellow who swallowed a giraffe liver parasite in the pursuit of knowledge.Well, here's another scientist who wanted to learn what cats went through with an ear mite infestation, choosing to insert them into his own ears.
There's a tremendous long piece about him here, even including a video!
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 24, 2024 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Hobbies and DIY, Insects and Spiders, Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses, Insane Villains, Science, Cats, 1990s
Love letters from Fiat
Fiat's 1994 Love Letters campaign has to rank as one of the most poorly-thought-out marketing campaigns of all time.
Morristown Daily Record - Mar 13, 1994
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 20, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Publicity Stunts, 1990s, Cars
Unlikely Reasons for Murder No. 19
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 10, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Death, Fashion, Sports, 1990s
Nightmare Prevention Mattress
Walter Cleasby was granted a UK patent (GB2263399A) in 1995 for his "nightmare prevention mattress."As far as I can tell, Cleasby believed that infant nightmares were caused by physical factors such as a) the hardness of cot mattresses, and b) pressure on a baby's heart from body weight.
His invention addressed these issues by having an inward slope as well as a recess "to protect the main organ of the body, (the Heart,) from excessive pressure."
Posted By: Alex - Fri May 10, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Dreams and Nightmares, Patents, 1990s
Flo Motion
Flo Motion was a brief-lived exercise fad in the early 1990s. The idea was to get in shape by swinging a bag of water around.Seems like a bit of a gimmick, which I suppose is why the fad didn't last long.
Spokane Chronicle - Sep 25, 1991
Melbourne Age - Jun 16, 1991
Escondido Times-Advocate - Mar 8, 1991
Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 09, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Exercise and Fitness, 1990s
Splendid China
The Splendid China theme park in Florida was open from 1993 to 2003, located just a few miles from Disney World. Details from SFGate.com:Critics mocked it as a "propaganda theme park". And eventually it was revealed to have been owned by the Chinese government, which was the only reason it managed to stay open as long as it did.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 02, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, 1990s, Asia
The bank robber who waited
June 1997: When a bankrobber demanded money, the teller told him to wait while she got it. She kept him waiting for 20 minutes, until the police arrived.I'm pretty sure banks now instruct their employees to give robbers the money, rather than trying anything like this.
Miami Herald - June 10, 1997
Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 05, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Stupid Criminals, 1990s
| 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 |