Eccentrics
The McGuire Twins
Many of you might already know about the McGuire Twins, since they appeared on both Family Guy and The Simpsons. But when I realized they hadn't yet been mentioned anywhere on WU, I thought I should correct that.The two claimed to be the world's heaviest twins. And they probably were. They both weighed well over 700 lbs at their heaviest.
They were born Billy and Benny McCrary. The McGuire Twins was a stage name they adopted later during their professional wrestling career.
Apparently they were of normal weight until age 10, when a case of measles left both of them with malfunctioning pituitary glands, and their weight started to balloon.
They're best known for riding around on their Honda mini-bikes.
More info: goodsparkgarage.com and wikipedia.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 09, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, Human Marvels
Heidi Lee’s Hats
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 10, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Surrealism, Eccentrics, Headgear
W. T. Benda, Mask Maker
More info here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 07, 2017 -
Comments (2)
Category: Disguises, Impersonations, Mimics and Forgeries, Eccentrics, 1930s, Face and Facial Expressions
Charles Coffin, the Maine Hermit
Info here.
And more here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 03, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Motor Vehicles, Regionalism, Twentieth Century
Follies of the Madmen #336
Original ad here.
Wow. This sets the bar pretty high, or pretty far out in the hi-falutin' and pretentious end of the spectrum, in order for a person to purchase or own a ring from Zale's.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 24, 2017 -
Comments (7)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Eccentrics, Family, 1960s
Virgin Hospitals
1945: Mrs. Lenora Hawkes Jones came up with the idea of having a network of "virgin hospitals" throughout America which would house lovely and brainy women willing to bear children by suitable men in order to "improve the race." Suitable men would be those who didn't drink or smoke, and who weren't 'evil-minded.'Didn't the nazis have some kind of scheme like this going?
Brooklyn Daily Eagle - Mar 7, 1926
Piqua Daily Call - Nov 2, 1945
-acme photo caption
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 17, 2017 -
Comments (7)
Category: Eccentrics, Crackpots, 1940s
Photographer Leslie Jones
Leslie Jones (1886-1967) seems to have had a quirky sense of humor. I like his series of shots titled "Odd Fences."You can see more at this link.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 10, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Architecture, Eccentrics, Photography and Photographers, Regionalism, Twentieth Century
Jack Punter’s House
Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 26, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Architecture, Domestic, Eccentrics, 1950s
The Bubble Hat
More pix and info here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 09, 2017 -
Comments (3)
Category: Eccentrics, Toys, Headgear, 1950s
LaVere Redfield, the Silver Dollar King
One of history's more-eccentric rich guys.
Brief essay here.
An outstanding incident from his life.
Source of article.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 30, 2017 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Money, 1950s
| 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 |