Government
Swinging Little Government
Now, THIS is a great campaign song AND party platform. "Our secret weapon will be the Rolling Stones!"
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 21, 2016 -
Comments (2)
Category: Government, Music, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1960s
Banned Singing of Birds
1957: In order to maintain peace and quiet at night, the Long Beach City Council proposed a ban on "singing of birds" between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
The Sedalia Democrat - May 9, 1957
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 18, 2016 -
Comments (4)
Category: Government, Regulations, 1950s
Pig Precinct
In 1972, the City Council of Ames, Iowa reprecincted the city in order to comply with new legislative district lines drawn by the Iowa Supreme Court. In doing so, they inadvertently created one precinct that had no residents in it — except for pigs, because the precinct was entirely occupied by the 15-acre Experimental Animal Disease Laboratory.Ames has redistricted since 1972, so I'm assuming the pig precinct no longer exists.
Arizona Republic - Nov 4, 1972
The Pick And Axe (Bessemer, Michigan) - Aug 8, 1974
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 12, 2016 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Government, 1970s
Deer Vasectomies
On Staten Island, the deer population is reportedly getting out of hand. To address this problem the powers that be have decided on deer vasectomies as the plan of action. The deer will be tranquilized, neutered, and then returned to the wild. At least as wild as it is on Staten Island anyway.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jun 10, 2016 -
Comments (5)
Category: Animals, Government, Really Bad Ideas
Johnny Horizon
"Mom, Dad--I want to grow up to be an EPA field-worker like Johnny Horizon!"
Such were the words probably never actually spoken in the early 1970s, when the icon of Johnny Horizon was launched by the BLM. But if any lad or lassie did utter such a wish, then they could have been placated with the Johnny Horizon Environmental Test Kit. Parker Brothers showed a little poindexter hard at work in their ads for the kit.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 15, 2016 -
Comments (5)
Category: Geeks, Nerds and Pointdexters, Government, Nature, Toys, 1970s
Church Of The FSM Setback
A Federal court judge has ruled that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is not a valid religion. In fact the judge ruled that the church is a parody, a parody, can you believe it?!? Don't worry true believers, this is just a minor setback. Keep on keeping on folks.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Apr 14, 2016 -
Comments (10)
Category: Gods, Government, Religion
The Republic of New Africa
As a science fiction writer, I love alternate history novels, about timelines where things happened differently from what we know. Here's a scenario I had been unaware of, which is particularly timely today, in light of many controversies, sharing many parallels.A factual account of the possible historical turning point is appended below.
Someone did fictionalize it, and you can read the first 58 pages here.
Source of text.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 24, 2016 -
Comments (10)
Category: Government, Racism, Science Fiction, 1960s
Don’t Call It Junk Mail
As George Orwell noted, political language often strives "to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind" — or pure junk, in this case.
Spartanburg Herald Journal - Apr 24, 1989
Posted By: Alex - Tue Oct 27, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Government, Languages, 1980s
The Trouble With The Lottery
The Illinois State Lottery is not currently paying out jackpots above $25,000 until the state budget is passed. There's not even an estimated time frame for the winners who are waiting for their payouts. As you can imagine, the winners have a problem with this.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 29, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Annoying Things, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Government, Politics
Art Is Not Always Found In A Museum
So often here on WU we see "art' displayed in museums or galleries that is anything but artistic. Well, here is some beautifully done, intricate artwork found just lying in the streets of Japan. Manhole covers.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 10, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Art, Government, Utilities
| Who We Are |
|---|
| 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 |