Television
Fetal Soap Addiction
June 1988: Australian researcher Peter Hepper reported in the medical journal The Lancet that fetuses often appeared to learn to recognize the theme tune of their mother's favorite soap opera. As a newborn baby, hearing this tune would then calm them down.He tested this hypothesis by playing the theme tune of the Australian soap "Neighbours" to a group of newborns whose mothers watched the show. Upon hearing it, he reported, six of the seven babies promptly adopted a "quiet alert state."
The Lancet - June 11, 1988
Des Moines Register - June 29, 1988
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 07, 2016 -
Comments (4)
Category: Science, Experiments, Television, 1980s
The School House
I can just hear the executives at Dumont now, probably the owner's son: "You know what would be clever and sexy and hip? A variety show framed in a classroom setting, with all the performers dressed like students, and featuring two of our biggest nebbishes, Arnold Stang and Wally Cox!"
And thus was THE SCHOOL HOUSE born.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 03, 2016 -
Comments (1)
Category: Education, Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Television, Wimps, Milquetoasts and Cowards, 1940s
L.A. 2017
Just a year away from seeing if Steven Spielberg nailed his predictions from 1971, the year he made this show, L.A. 2017. Seeing elderly hippes still performing some fifty years after the Summer of Love, and knowing the Rolling Stones still go on tours, I think Spielberg might have been on to something!
Posted By: Paul - Fri May 13, 2016 -
Comments (7)
Category: Television, Science Fiction, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1970s
The Solarnauts
More info here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 04, 2016 -
Comments (13)
Category: Television, Science Fiction, 1960s
Trigger Happy TV
More episodes on YouTube.
Wikipedia entry here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 09, 2016 -
Comments (0)
Category: Television, 2000s, Pranks, Europe
Follies of the Madmen #273
Happy Joe Lucky was no Roger Rabbit, but he does a credible job here with Gisele MacKenzie.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 06, 2016 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Television, Tobacco and Smoking, Cartoons, 1950s
The Duoscopic TV
In 1954, DuMont came out with a "Duoscopic" TV set that allowed two people to watch different programs on the same set, simultaneously. From Newsweek (Jan 11, 1954):It was priced at $600. So in 2015 money, that would be approximately $5304 (according to the US Inflation Calculator). At that price tag, it made more sense for couples with different viewing preferences to just buy 2 TV sets and sit in separate rooms.
There's more info about the Duoscopic TV at the Early Television Museum. On that site, there's also speculation that DuMont originally developed the Duoscopic TV as a 3D TV, but decided they couldn't get that to work fully, so they repackaged it as a "watch 2 channels simultaneously" TV.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 11, 2015 -
Comments (11)
Category: Technology, Television, 1950s
Television Set for the Differently Abled
Very forward-looking and thoughtful of Westinghouse to create a TV set that aided one-handed people. Of course, nowadays you only need one finger (on the remote) to tune!
Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 27, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Television, Advertising, 1950s, Differently Abled, Handicapped, Challenged, and Otherwise Atypical
Four-Screen TV
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Sep 19, 2015 -
Comments (7)
Category: Television, Chindogu, 1970s, Europe
1956 Commercials: 7 minutes Total Per Hour Show
Now, that's weird! Especially when compared to double that amount today.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 29, 2015 -
Comments (6)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Television, 1950s, 2010s
| 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 |