Death
Toy Hand Grenade
"I'm deeply sorry, Mrs Jones, but the SWAT team had no way of knowing little Tommy wasn't holding a real grenade before they opened fire."
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 25, 2013 -
Comments (2)
Category: Death, Toys, Comics, 1950s, Weapons
California Drag Chute
Broken limbs, entangled drive chains and potential strangulation guaranteed!
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 19, 2013 -
Comments (5)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Death, 1970s
The Willa Wrap
It's an "end of life chin wrap." Also, the "Gift of Dignity." (Though probably not the kind of gift appropriate for Christmas, birthdays, etc.) It solves the problem of post-mortem gaping mouth — which is a problem most people never think about until it happens to someone they know. You can order yours here.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Nov 02, 2013 -
Comments (6)
Category: Death
Apaches
Kids are so perishable!
Get the whole story here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 31, 2013 -
Comments (0)
Category: Accidents, Death, PSA’s, Children, 1970s, Europe
Propellor Car
[Click to enlarge]
Imagine the streets of a city filled with these lethal machines!
Original story here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 27, 2013 -
Comments (4)
Category: Death, Inventions, Motor Vehicles, 1920s
Speedy Funeral Service
They get your loved ones in the ground in a third of the time!From the Washington Post - Apr 21, 1907.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 27, 2013 -
Comments (3)
Category: Death, 1900s
Community Mausoleums
When people talk about what they'd like to be done with their body after they die, you don't hear many people nowadays say that they'd like to be placed in a community mausoleum. But back in the early twentieth century, there was a push to popularize these as an affordable above-ground alternative to in-the-ground burial.A lot of the old community mausoleums have now fallen into disrepair, but community mausoleum burial still remains an option, if that's what you want.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 24, 2013 -
Comments (5)
Category: Death
Embalming Fluid
Ad from Mortuary Management magazine. Makes me wonder, what would happen if an embalmer didn't feel fully confident? [via Bess Lovejoy]
Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 20, 2013 -
Comments (6)
Category: Death, Advertising
Abstract Controversy
This painting was commissioned and displayed in a public building in the 1960s. It immediately aroused ire and controversy and disgust. Can you guess why?
Answer after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 20, 2013 -
Comments (7)
Category: Art, Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Death, Politics, 1960s
Old age to be only cause of death!
Milford Barnes was the Head of the Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine at the University of Iowa from 1930 to 1952. The annual Milford E. Barnes Award for Academic Excellence in Biostatistics was established in his honor. He made this prediction in 1934. Evidently, he was an optimist.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Oct 16, 2013 -
Comments (5)
Category: Authorities and Experts, Death, 1930s, Yesterday’s Tomorrows
| 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 |