Eccentrics
James Eads How, The Millionaire Hobo
His Wikipedia page.In addition to advocating for hobos, How chose to live as one, even though he had both money and education. He wore a shaggy beard and rough tramplike clothes. It was said that even ordinary hobos looked well dressed compared to How.[3] From about age 25, he traveled around doing hard work for a living.[11] One of How's contemporaries, sociologist Nels Anderson, describes how fully How immersed himself in the hobo lifestyle and how seriously How took his work:
Millionaire that he is, How has not failed to familiarize himself with every aspect of tramp life. He knows the life better than many of the veteran hobos. He has become so thoroughly absorbed in the work of what he describes as organizing the "migratory, casual, and unemployed"...workers that he practically loses interest in himself. He becomes obsessed with some task at times that he will walk the streets all day without stopping long enough to eat.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 10, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Bums, Hobos, Tramps, Beggars, Panhandlers and Other Streetpeople, Eccentrics, Money, Twentieth Century
Loma, A Citizen of Venus
Read it here."Long narrative on a cosmic germ theory of evolution. A Venusian comes to earth to educate the male fetus of an unwed mother so that the fetus will become the apostle of Venus's ideal culture. On Venus clothes are considered ugly and unsanitary, all human faculties are developed and 'balanced,' and social status is determined by a network of interpersonal relations among strangers, acquaintances, associates, brothers, sisters, lovers, and consorts -- the more of the latter three, the higher the status."
Posted By: Paul - Sun Apr 23, 2023 -
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Category: Eccentrics, Gonzo, Demento, Kooky, Wacky and Out-there, Science Fiction, Nineteenth Century, Pregnancy
Sex, the Key to the Bible
If you want to peruse 172 pages of this kind of analysis, dive right in!
Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 06, 2023 -
Comments (5)
Category: Eccentrics, Religion, Sexuality, 1910s
Eight Songs for a Mad King
Essay detailing history of the piece here.The creator's Wikipedia page.
Let us know when you bail.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 31, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Eccentrics, Music, 1960s, Mental Health and Insanity, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
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
Visit Gay’s Lion Farm
The Wikipedia page.A very detailed article on the place, with lots of photos.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 02, 2023 -
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Category: Animals, Eccentrics, Hollywood, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s
Harry Bensley and his Unfulfilled Walk Around the World
This first image is somewhat well-known. At least, it often pops up in my searches. But what's the story behind it?
The whole story is here at his Wikipedia page. In short:
He had to walk around the world to fulfill a bet that he lost. It required him to wear an iron mask (a helmet from a suit of armor) to conceal his identity, and he also had to push a perambulator (baby carriage) throughout his travels. He called himself "The Man with the Iron Mask" (inspired by the seventeenth-century Man in the Iron Mask), and the only way he could support himself during his journey was by selling postcards and pamphlets
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 01, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Costumes and Masks, Eccentrics, Travel, Bets, Wagers, Challenges and Contracts, Twentieth Century
The Outre Costumes of Louise Glaum
The silent-screen star Louise Glaum had a reputation for eccentric fashions onscreen and off, as well as for odd pets.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 05, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Fashion, Movies, Pets, 1910s
The Reber Plan
In this era when we speculate about giant geoengineering schemes, we should honor such past visionaries as John Reber, who wanted to turn San Francisco Bay into two giant freshwater lakes.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 29, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Eccentrics, Engineering and Construction, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 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 -
Comments (0)
Category: Domestic, Eccentrics, Emigrants, Immigrants and Borders, Air Travel and Airlines, Europe
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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 |