Urban Life
Miss New York Experience
This 1975 photo from JET magazine might represent a one-off title, because I can find no photos of other winners.Arguably, to represent the true experience of NYC circa 1975, this charming young woman should have featured a much different, ah, seedier look.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 17, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Urban Life, 1970s
Death by Manhole Cover
Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 26, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Death, Explosives, Luck, Good and Bad, Urban Life, 1930s
Pope.L, Crawl Artist, RIP
We don't want this recent death to get lost in the end-of-the-year chaos!His obituary.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 03, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Urban Life, Avant Garde, Performance Art, Twentieth Century, Twenty-first Century
Unauthorized Dwellings 31
Squatting on an abandoned island with no amenities, even one convenient to Manhattan, seems to offer some drawbacks. (Article is partial, but I figured we got the gist of it.)
Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 20, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Urban Life, Unauthorized Dwellings, 1970s
Underground Smog Shelter
Despite living on a hill that was relatively free of smog, millionaire Bill Bounds built an underground smog shelter where he could "breathe air filtered by activated charcoal."
"Bill Bounds at the entrance to his underground smog shelter"
Lansing State Journal - Dec 5, 1971
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 18, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Architecture, Urban Life, 1970s
Sounds of My City
Say you're on vacation at the beach, and you inexplicably long for urban noises. Well, this album has you covered!Embedded player at bottom.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 26, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Noises and Other Public Disturbances of the Peace, Urban Life, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, 1960s
Genuine Los Angeles Smog
A gag gift from 1958. Cans of the stuff occasionally pop up on eBay, though none are currently available.More info: kcet.org
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Apr 24, 1958
Colorado Daily Sentinel - Jun 22, 1958
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 07, 2022 -
Comments (4)
Category: Gifts, Presents, Tributes, and Other Honoraria, Urban Life, 1950s
Drunken Dancers Arrested In Street
A more-innocent era. Not a single gun confiscated!Source: The NYT for July 8, 1923.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 17, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Noises and Other Public Disturbances of the Peace, Urban Life, 1920s, Alcohol
Summer Skiing in Chicago
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 20, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Sports, Urban Life, 1950s
Balloonfest ‘86
From Wikipedia:Balloonfest '86 was a 1986 event in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, in which the local chapter of United Way set a world record by releasing almost one-and-a-half million balloons.[2] The event was intended to be a harmless fundraising publicity stunt, but the balloons drifted back over the city, Lake Erie, and landed in the surrounding area, causing problems for traffic and a nearby airport. The event also interfered with a United States Coast Guard search for two boaters who were later found drowned.[1] In consequence, the organizers and the city faced lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages,[1] and cost overruns put the event at a net loss.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 18, 2021 -
Comments (4)
Category: Charities and Philanthropy, Disasters, Noises and Other Public Disturbances of the Peace, Urban Life, Air Travel and Airlines, 1980s
| 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 |