Animals
Making a silk purse from a sow’s ear
Back in 1921, the chemist Arthur D. Little took it upon himself to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Or rather, he figured out a way to produce a silk-like thread out of sows' ears and wove a purse from this.Actually, he made two purses. The Smithsonian has one of them. MIT now has the other. (Little was an MIT grad).
The picture of the purse (below) looks nothing like the illustration of it. I wonder what happened. Did the dye fade, or something?
More info: MIT Museum, MIT Library
Pittsburgh Press - Dec 28, 1975
Posted By: Alex - Sun Aug 19, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Science, 1920s
Buster, the Roller-Skating Rooster
He ice-skated also!
Davenport Daily Times - Aug 20, 1952
Baltimore Sun - Oct 12, 1952
Newark Advocate - Aug 21, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 17, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Sports, 1950s
Chicken Diapers
Julie Baker, owner of Pampered Poultry, is cashing in on the recent fad for keeping chickens as pets. She's selling 500 to 1000 "chicken diapers" every month, for $18 a piece. More info at The Outline:
(Thanks to Gerald Sacks for the link!)
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 10, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Farming, Fashion, Excrement
Why a Monkey on the Leinster Coat of Arms?
"The coat of arms of the Dukes of Leinster derives from the legend that John FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare, as a baby in Woodstock Castle, was trapped in a fire when a pet monkey rescued him. The FitzGeralds then adopted a monkey as their crest (and later supporters) and occasionally use the additional motto Non immemor beneficii (Not forgetful of a helping hand)."
The Wikipedia page.
Article source.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 19, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Royalty, Eighteenth Century
Eddie the Elegant Elephant
The elephant was brought to Marshall Fields in Chicago as a publicity stunt. She was to rubber stamp copies of a new children's book called THE ELEGANT ELEPHANT. Unfortunately, the elephant did not want to get back on the elevator to leave the building after the book signing. They were forced to build a ramp to the third floor for the elephant to walk down to leave Marshall Field's.
Read the story at much greater length, with many pix, here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 15, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Advertising, Retailing, Books, 1940s
Follies of the Madmen #371
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 25, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Business, Advertising, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1950s, Head
Mirabelle Muller, Thirteen-Year-Old Lady Godiva
I suppose this is somewhat in our line of "Oddball Beauty Queens."Mirabelle Muller, the 13 year old schoolgirl, rode on a white horse as 'Lady Godiva' in the Carnival Fete procession at Teddington, Middlesex. Mirabelle was asked to leave her convent school after she had been chosen as Godiva.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 22, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Public Indecency, 1930s
Frances DuBay
"Frances DuBay (and her Educated Stallion) Vintage 50’s-era publicity still promoting a ‘Broadway Roadshow Productions’ film recording of her: 'LADY GODIVA' act. The horse was a mare named 'Melody Lady', and disrobed her during a strip routine; as well as performing a variety of 32 other tricks."
Apparently she ended up in court in LA in 1951, but I can learn no more than that.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 08, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Public Indecency, Sex Symbols, 1950s
The Pigkeeper’s Daughter
Generally SFW.
Posted By: Paul - Tue May 29, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Agriculture, Animals, Exploitation and Grindhouse, 1970s
Birds of South Vietnam
It wasn't the subject of this book that made it weird, but instead when it was published: in 1968, at the height of the war in Vietnam. Not a time when a lot of people were going to Vietnam for bird-watching.The British author, Philip Wildash, didn't even mention the war, except to obliquely refer to it in the first sentence by saying, "Vietnamese ornithology has long been rather neglected."
Amazon link: Birds of South Vietnam.
Minneapolis Star Tribune - Oct 6, 1968
Posted By: Alex - Tue May 22, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Hobbies and DIY, War, Books, 1960s
| 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 |