1910s
John Duval Gluck: Santa Claus Con Man
The story of this Xmas scammer--as summarized in this article--strikes me as eminently weird, and is detailed at length in the book linked to below. I trust an author whose other publication is the "Weird-o-Pedia."
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 04, 2015 -
Comments (1)
Category: Holidays, Scams, Cons, Rip-offs, and General Larceny, Books, 1910s
How the Bank Sneak Works
After a lifetime of crime, Harry Schindler was thoughtful enough to divulge all his tricks for the edification of bankers and other monied types.
Read the whole thing here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 07, 2015 -
Comments (6)
Category: Crime, Books, 1910s
Cornelis Van Blaaderen and his Floating Safe
After the Titanic, inventors tried to think of ways to preserve items during a sinking. Dutch inventor Cornelis Van Blaaderen came up with his Floating Safe, which never quite caught on.
This site has a brief explanation in English.
This website has the full story, but all in Dutch. Google translate should help. But even if you don't bother, there are great pictures and a film!
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 20, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Disasters, Inventions, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, 1910s, Europe
Mystery Gadget 29
Gadget with closeup.
Different model.
What is this thing intended for? Hint: even though it would have had more widespread use a century ago, it could still be useful today.
The answer is here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 12, 2015 -
Comments (6)
Category: Technology, 1910s
Hoop Skirt Parachute
What are the odds this would actually work? Maybe if you bailed out when your airplane was about twenty feet off the ground....
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 09, 2015 -
Comments (8)
Category: Inventions, Air Travel and Airlines, 1910s
A Strange Pet
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 06, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Death, Children, 1910s, Australia
The Clavilux, or Color Organ
The Clavilux was a device that displayed a psychedelic light show on a screen. It was invented by Thomas Wilfred in 1919, who hoped that it would become so popular that one day every home would have one. That didn't quite work out. Though one of these sitting in your living room definitely would be a conversation piece. More info.The "Clavilux Jr" of 1930 from Bright Eye Cinema on Vimeo.
Posted By: Alex - Tue May 19, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Inventions, 1910s
Mystery Gadget 27
What did this big monster machine do? I'll mention that it was not a one-off experimental device, but something in daily use in New York City.
The answer is here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu May 07, 2015 -
Comments (15)
Category: Technology, 1910s
Alligator Joe
Proving that Florida, home to our esteemed Chuck Shepherd, has harbored weirdos for over a century.
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 20, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Eccentrics, 1900s, 1910s
Diamond Postcard Gun
Original ad here.
Original text here.
I am uncertain about how the technology of 1914 allowed for one-minute development of photos. But somehow they managed, as you can see from the buttons below.
And damn, that was one gorgeous hunk of equipment!
Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 07, 2015 -
Comments (7)
Category: Business, Hobbies and DIY, Photography and Photographers, 1910s
| 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 |