Domestic
The Mole Man of London
For some reason I recalled recently the odd case of William Lyttle, the Mole Man of London, who dug out a warren of tunnels under his home.Lyttle, originally from Ireland, inherited a 20-room property in the London borough of Hackney. In the mid-sixties he dug out a wine cellar under his home. Having done so, he said that he had "found a taste for the thing" and kept on digging, for some forty years.[2] He created a network of tunnels, wide and narrow, on several levels. Tunnels led in all directions, some of them up to 18 metres (59 ft) in length, and reaching as far down as the water table.[3] One excavation connected with the Dalston Lane tunnel, and the railway line.
I was intrigued to learn that 3 years ago, his derelict house had been renovated and repurposed! Read about it, with many pics, at the link.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 24, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Domestic, Eccentrics, Caves, Caverns, Tunnels and Other Subterranean Venues, United Kingdom, Twentieth Century
The Foreshadowed Death of Gloria Dickson
In 1943, actress Gloria Dickson had a sizable part in THE CRIME DOCTOR'S STRANGEST CASE.The scene to focus on starts below at 44:23. Gloria is married to a man who's very careless with matches, even starting fires in bed. She remarks that she's been "almost cremated."
Two years later, Dickson would die in a domestic fire in her bedroom, apparently started by a stray match.
Newspaper clip source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas) 11 Apr 1945, Wed Page 3
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 16, 2023 -
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Category: Death, Domestic, Fate, Predetermination and Inevitability, Hollywood, Predictions, 1940s
Follies of the Madmen #552
Please note the last cartoon in this ad (magnified below). Man attempts to kill mother-in-law by darkening the stairwell. Everything A-OK!Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 09, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Death, Domestic, Technology, Advertising, 1950s
Treasure Chest
It occurs to me that these Jam Handy PSA's, with just a little inflection, could become episodes of TWILIGHT ZONE.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 07, 2023 -
Comments (4)
Category: Domestic, Food, PSA’s, Industry, Factories and Manufacturing, 1950s
Hal Hayes’s Swinging Bachelor Mansion
For $600,000 -- adjusted for inflation, about $4.9 million today -- Hayes got a six-level, steel-and-glass pad with masculine, maximum technology and minimal custom decoration. He parked on girders projecting from the edge of his hillside lot, piped in hi-fi music, poured drinks from an ultra-sleek mini kitchen designed for catering, not for cooking, seduced brunettes in an orchid greenhouse and did what bachelors do in a free-standing “playroom.”
There was a circular fireplace, a louvered skylight, a mirrored master suite and an artificial beach for topless tanning. An outdoor hearth in gunite lava rock warmed women chilled by gin martinis.
Guests in the bomb shelter of Hal Hayes's house.
Retrospective write-up at the LA TIMES.
1958 feature in LIFE magazine.
Some great pix with this article.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 26, 2022 -
Comments (4)
Category: Architecture, Domestic, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Space-age Bachelor Pad & Exotic, 1950s
Monsters Under the Bed
It's highly gratifying to see an ancient cliche--OLD MAID CHECKS UNDER HER BED FOR MEN EVERY NIGHT--actually bearing fruit. Although not literally an "old maid," this wife's habit of looking under her bed for intruders paid off.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 22, 2022 -
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Category: Domestic, Sexuality, Stupid Criminals, Wives, 1910s
Houses Integrated with Trees
I once ate at a restaurant in Medellin, Colombia, which featured a massive tree in the dining area that grew up through the roof. The urge to blend trees with houses is an ancient one.Here's an instance from 1920.
This article details modern occurences of the motif.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 12, 2022 -
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Category: Architecture, Domestic, Nature, 1920s
Follies of the Madmen #547
Posted By: Paul - Thu Nov 17, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Domestic, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, Advertising, 1950s
RIP Mehran Karimi Nasseri
Airport dweller Mehran Karimi Nasseri has passed away. His Wikipedia entry offers a good summary of his life.An obit is here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 13, 2022 -
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Category: Domestic, Eccentrics, Emigrants, Immigrants and Borders, Air Travel and Airlines, Europe
Betty Furness for Westinghouse
The weirdest thing about this commercial is the incredibly tiny waist of almost 40-year-old Betty Furness. I can't take my eyes off it.
NOTE: the first video runs slow, at least for me. Best to let it download entirely before hitting play.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 06, 2022 -
Comments (5)
Category: Body, Domestic, Television, Advertising, 1950s, Women, Natural Wonders
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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 |