Twentieth Century
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 Taylor Aerocar
Wikipedia article here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 27, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Air Travel and Airlines, Twentieth Century, Cars
The Miss Ka Palapala Beauty Contest
Contestants divided into racial categories? Seemed like a good idea at the time. Until a cow almost won.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 18, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, South Pacific, Twentieth Century
Native American Endorsements
A good, short essay, with many examples (but not including the two videos below), can be found here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 16, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Advertising, Candy, Cereal, Twentieth Century, Native Americans
Follies of the Madmen #551
Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 29, 2022 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Robots, Women, Twentieth Century
Follies of the Madmen #550
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 19, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Fashion, Shoes, Advertising, Public Indecency, Twentieth Century
Miss Anthracite
No chance of this beauty queen title being reinstated in today's, ahem, "climate."I find a reference to Miss Anthracite as early as 1928.
A few years later, there was a controversy.
She soldiered on through the 1940s.
The fifties saw no lack of interest in the contest.
The seventies certainly saw a stunning winner. But after that references peter out, as the romance of coal tapers off.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 30, 2022 -
Comments (5)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Twentieth Century, Mining
Follies of the Madmen #546
Many more images in this campaign here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 09, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Stereotypes and Cliches, Advertising, Women, Twentieth Century
Follies of the Madmen #545
Sleepwear for hungry insomniacs.Several others in this series here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 28, 2022 -
Comments (6)
Category: Fashion, Food, Sleep and Dreams, Advertising, Twentieth Century
The Great Virgil and Julie: The Spirit Cabinet
His magic encyclopedia entry here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 21, 2022 -
Comments (2)
Category: Magic and Illusions and Sleight of Hand, Twentieth Century
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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 |