Occult Knowledge and Esoteric Wisdom of the Cross

It's always good to "separate the 'shaft' from the wheat."

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 08, 2016 - Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, New Age, Religion

Watered her lawn non-stop

1984 - Richmond, California: After 71-year-old Alice Richie's husband died, she began watering her lawn. And she didn't stop. She kept the sprinklers on 24 hours a day, for over a year. Rain or shine. Using over 20,000 gallons of water a day.

Her yard turned into a swamp, breeding mosquitoes. The runoff poured over onto her neighbor's properties, damaging the foundations of their homes and causing algae to grow on driveways. The city had to put up caution signs on the sidewalk in front of her home.

Richie ignored pleas to turn off the water. When asked why she was watering so much, she replied, "It's none of your goddamn business." People speculated that she believed she was washing away evil spirits.

However, she paid all her utility bills on time, so the water company couldn't simply cut her off. Finally, her neighbors took her to court.

Even in court she wouldn't explain why she watered so much. But the court ordered a flow restrictor put on her waterline, limiting her to 500 gallons a day (which still sounds like a lot for a single person). This finally put an end to the non-stop watering, after a year-and-a-half. A utility spokesman said, "She'll have just enough water to do her laundry, dishes and bathe. But she'll have to make some sacrifices if she decides to water her lawn."

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any photos of Richie's front yard, or of Richie herself. Nor, to my knowledge, was her mania for watering ever explained.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - May 17, 1984

The New London Day - June 10, 1984

Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 21, 2016 - Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, 1980s

Ted V. Mikels, RIP

Obituary here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Oct 19, 2016 - Comments (2)
Category: Death, Eccentrics, Horror, Movies, 1960s, Blood, Dismemberment, Screams, Grunts and Other Exclamations

The Fasting Minister of Memphis

Episcopal minister Israel Harding Noe of Memphis, Tennesse had an odd career.

He first made the news in 1931 when his wife sued him for divorce, claiming that he had attained "such a state of spiritual perfection" that he had lost all interest in her. In other words, he had decided to embrace celibacy. The two eventually reconciled, which is to say that they didn't get divorced, although they apparently remained separated.


Seven years later, 1938, Noe was back in the news when he stopped eating to prove that man can live indefinitely on "spiritual sustenance" alone. Before he stopped eating entirely, he had supposedly spent the previous year living only on oranges. After 22 days of fasting, he fell into a coma, at which point doctors began force feeding him.

Albany Democrat-Herald - Jan 19, 1938

Pittsburgh Press - Jan 20, 1938

After recovering from the fast, Noe returned to preaching, but in 1951 was again making headlines with his claim that he had recreated the lost signet ring of King Solomon. He explained that he knew what the ring looked like because "I developed extra sensory perception until I was able to tap the reservoir of the universal subconscious mind."

Noe declared that he would give the ring to a "worthy wearer" who would then be endowed with "all power and knowledge of the universe — just like its original wearer, King Solomon." After a search, Noe eventually gave the ring to Rev. Canon Gottshall of Oakland, California, who never seemed to develop any special powers from it.

Noe died in 1960, at the age of 68, when he suffered a stroke while driving to church.

Cincinnati Enquirer - Feb 10, 1952

Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 10, 2016 - Comments (7)
Category: Eccentrics

Milka Moo

Introduced in 1948, the "Milka Moo" toy cow had a rubber udder that, when squeezed, would squirt out real milk.

It was one of the many inventions of Beulah Louise Henry (aka Lady Edison). Her inventions made her rich, but she was considered a bit of an eccentric. She lived in New York hotels along with "three sizeable live turtles, a dozen tropical fish, a school of snails and other flora and fauna."

Des Moines Register - Mar 14, 1948

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Dec 5, 1948

The Indianapolis Star - Aug 21, 1948

Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 03, 2016 - Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Toys, 1940s

Richie Jackson Skateboarding

Four million views, but perhaps new to YOU!

Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 29, 2016 - Comments (1)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Eccentrics, Human Marvels, Sports

The Kate Bush Dance Troupe

The Kate Bush Dance Troupe - Babooshka at The Sculpture Center from Kate Bush Dance Troupe on Vimeo.

In case you needed visuals to accompany your Kate Bush songs, these folks will gladly provide them.

More videos here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 31, 2016 - Comments (1)
Category: Amateurs and Fans, Eccentrics, Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Dance

Adolph Heilborn’s Theories on Women

I can learn little personally about Adolf Heilborn (1873-1941). But his book THE OPPOSITE SEXES caused a bit of a stir when it appeared in 1927, given that he described the female human as the missing link between ape and male human. Naturally, there was, um, a little pushback.






Original article here.


Here is the bio of his opponent.



But maybe it was all a joke! If this bookplate belongs to the same fellow, we can see he had a sense of humor.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 26, 2016 - Comments (7)
Category: Animals, Eccentrics, Feminism, Forgotten Figures and Where Are They Now?, Science, Anthropology, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1920s, Men, Women

The Jesus Cloud of 1963

This strange cloud appeared over Arizona in 1963 and inspired many mystical revelations.

Good coverage here.

And here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 06, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Eccentrics, Nature, Religion, 1960s

Hedge Laying Championships

Their homepage.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 04, 2016 - Comments (1)
Category: Boredom, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Eccentrics, Horticulture and Gardens, Europe, Natural Resources