1970s
The Jesus Tortilla
Oct 5, 1977: Maria Rubio was preparing a tortilla in a skillet in her home in Lake Arthur, New Mexico. When she looked down, she realized that a burn mark on the tortilla resembled the face of Jesus.The Rubio family created a small shrine where they displayed the "Jesus tortilla". Over the years, tens of thousands of people came to see it. Many of the pilgrims believed that the tortilla had the power to heal.
Maria Rubio with tortilla - 1978
Maria Rubio's daughter, Angelica, grew up to become a New Mexico state senator, and she kept a blog where she discussed her experiences with the holy tortilla. She also wrote an article on eater.com about it.
The Jesus Tortilla - source: thetortillakid.com
According to Roadside America: "In late 2005, Mrs. Rubio's granddaughter took the Miracle Tortilla into school for Show and Tell, and it was dropped and broken! The shed shrine has been closed and the remains retired to a drawer in the Rubio's home."
Albuquerque Journal - Dec 22, 1987
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 21, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Food, Religion, 1970s, Pareidolia
Diaper-Rash Doll
Jackson Sun - Oct 11, 1978
Posted By: Alex - Sat Sep 19, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Toys, 1970s
For Farrah Fanatics
Offered for sale at the height of the Farrah Fawcett mania in the late 1970s — an "authentic deed to a small piece of land that was Farrah Fawcett's early childhood home in Corpus Christi." Only $4.95 each!The ad doesn't say, but the amount of land a purchaser received a deed to was exactly one square centimeter.
The entrepreneur behind the scheme was Corpus Christi realtor Sam Allen who dreamed up the idea when he learned that a house Farrah had lived in as a child was up for sale.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Mar 5, 1978
So what was the address of the house? I'm not sure, because Farrah lived in four different houses in Corpus Christi, and Allen didn't reveal which house it was, saying that he didn't want treasure hunters damaging it. Two of those houses have sold in the past ten years.
I don't know enough about real estate law to know how, or if, his sale of all these micro-deeds would have affected if the house could ever be sold again. Could the house be sitting empty to this day because random people still own various square-centimeter pieces of it? I'm guessing not. Any claim to ownership must have lapsed if they didn't pay property taxes.
Farrah Fawcett in 8th grade
Other examples of Farrah-Mania we've posted about: Ferrous Faucets and Farrah Fawcett Lookalike Contest Winners.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 18, 2020 -
Comments (5)
Category: Celebrities, Real Estate, 1970s
Eurobad ‘74
Eurobad '74 was some kind of 1974 European interior design exhibition. It showcased rooms such as a kitchen-stable combo, a kitchen-garage combo, and a bathroom seemingly designed by M.C. Escher.More at vintage.es.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 11, 2020 -
Comments (8)
Category: Design and Designers, 1970s
The Wizard of Speed and Time
Full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 29, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Movies, Stop-motion Animation, Special Effects, Fantasy, 1970s
What rights do goldfish have?
1978: The final act of a British play titled The Last Temptation involved a goldfish bowl, with a live goldfish inside, being thrown across the stage, causing the fish to tumble onto the ground, where it died. Outraged animal lovers sued, prompting a two-year legal battle in which the courts deliberated on whether it was possible to be cruel to goldfish. Or rather, should goldfish enjoy the protections given to other animals such as cats and dogs?The first court ruled that goldfish enjoyed no such protections, but in 1980 the High Court overturned this decision, ruling that it is, indeed, possible to be cruel to goldfish, and that the law should not allow such behavior.
I'm not sure if there's any equivalent American law pertaining to goldfish. But I imagine that if there was then surely boiling lobsters alive would also be illegal.
The Guardian - Nov 3, 1978
Victoria Times Colonist - July 30, 1980
Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 20, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Law, Fish, 1970s
Karate Wrecking Crew
June 1972: Phil Milner and 15 other members of the International Budo Association demolished a house in six hours, using only their bare hands, heads, and feet.Personally, I prefer power tools.
More info: Intl Budo Assn
Palm Beach Post - June 5, 1972
Miami News - June 5, 1972
1973 Guinness Book of Records
Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 11, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Architecture, World Records, Martial Arts, 1970s
“You can sniff my mint”
What in the world were the admen thinking who dreamed up this campaign?And I wonder how many parents actually let their kids wear this thing.
Arizona Republic - Apr 29, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 10, 2020 -
Comments (5)
Category: Advertising, 1970s
Croaker College
A training school for frog contestants in jumping competitions.Full SPORTS ILLUSTRATED story here.
Source (page 7).
Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 06, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Education, Frauds, Cons and Scams, 1970s
$10,000 handshake
Must have been quite a handshake.
Redlands Daily Facts - June 30, 1977
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 31, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Lawsuits, 1970s
| 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 |