Weird Universe Archive

February 2022

February 28, 2022

Keep tooth in mouth

Unusual, but possibly useful, dental advice: If a tooth gets knocked out, put it back in your mouth, between your cheek and gum. This will help to keep the tooth alive. And if you can then get to a dental surgeon within 90 minutes, it might be possible to replant the tooth.

Sunbury Daily Item - Jun 5, 1976

Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 28, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Teeth

Motorcycle Travel Via Pipeline

Source.



Posted By: Paul - Mon Feb 28, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Technology, Infrastructure, 1910s, Motorcycles

February 27, 2022

Around the world on a unicycle

From All Hands: The Bureau of Naval Personnel Career Publication - July 1969:

First man to unicycle "around the world": Lieutenant John E. Mander of Antarctic Development Squadron Six. The squadron says LT Mander did it by riding his one-wheeler in a circle around the geographic South Pole at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott Pole Station.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 27, 2022 - Comments (5)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, World Records

Miss Orchid Bathing Suit

I wish I knew the real title and other details of this beauty queen. But I think, just based on the costume, we can include her in our pageant of Weird Beauty Contest Winners.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 27, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Nature, Twentieth Century

February 26, 2022

Peat Moss Diapers

A manual on infant care, released by the U.S. Department of Labor in 1914, recommended peat moss (aka sphagnum moss) for use in diapers:

From the Karitane Harris Hospital, in Dunedin, New Zealand, we learn of the use of sphagnum moss for these absorbent pads. The moss is that which florists use for packing plants and grows very extensively in the swamp regions of the United States, but it needs to be thoroughly dried and cleaned of sticks and stems before being used for this purpose.

Such a pad (i.e., a pad of sphagnum moss inclosed in cheesecloth) weighing only an ounce will completely absorb and retain a quarter of a pint of urine—say as much as would be passed in the night. This is infinitely cleaner and healthier than allowing the urine to spread over a wide area of napkin and nightdress, and thus cause extensive chillding and more or less irritation of the skin. Dry sphagnum forms an extremely light, clean, airy, elastic pad, which will yield in any direction and accommodate its shape to the parts.

Those living in the country where this moss grows may find it a great convenience to pick and dry the moss for this or other domestic purposes.

peat moss



Some googling reveals that Native American tribes, way back when, would often use peat moss for diapers.

And at the Earthling's Handbook you'll find an account by a modern-day couple who used peat moss for diapers and reported positive results:

it was so convenient. When it was time for a diaper change, we would simply remove the moss, and if we were home, we would compost it under a fruit tree. If we were on the trail hiking, we would simply tuck the soiled moss into the topsoil and cover it with leaves or other forest duff. On car trips, we would pull off the highway and bury it. (Once we even discreetly slipped a wad of our nitrogen-enriched sphagnum deep into the mulch under landscape shrubbery outside a shopping mall.)

Posted By: Alex - Sat Feb 26, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Babies, Nature

Perkin Warbeck, Pretender to the British Throne




Essay here.

Dealing with Warbeck cost Henry VII over £13,000 (equivalent to £10,301,000 in 2019)


Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 26, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: History, Historical Figure, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Royalty

February 25, 2022

Patented by an insane person

Many patents might seem like they've been invented by an insane person. But as far as I know U.S. Patent No. 711,566 is the only patent that actually describes the inventor (Clark D. Hazard) as "an insane person".

The invention itself is unremarkable. It's for a "heating furnace". Evidently Mr. Hazard must have been institutionalized, or otherwise incapable of filing for the patent without assistance. So given this, it's impressive he was able to invent the furnace. But his description still stands out as a curiosity of the patent office.



Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 25, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Patents, 1900s

The Poo Machine

An oldie but goodie, perhaps not seen by newer WU-vies.



Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 25, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Museums, Technology, Excrement

February 24, 2022

Robbing a glue factory

I assume they got the charges to stick.

Decatur Herald and Review - Nov 28, 1993

Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 24, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Stupid Criminals, 1990s

Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 42

This series has suddenly become topical!



Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 24, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Art, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Dogs, 1930s, 1940s

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Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid.

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