Crime
Dolphin Lair’s anti-smoking campaign
Dec 6, 1976: 21-year-old Dolphin Lair held a hostage at gunpoint for several hours on top of a building in Los Angeles until police agreed to his demand that local radio stations broadcast his anti-smoking message. The message read, in part, "I want my Congress to put a bill before the law that all cigarettes that contain nicotine and tar should clearly explain what the ingredients mean." Once the message was broadcast, Lair surrendered.Lair's father had recently died of lung cancer. He later explained that when he had first tried to get the media to broadcast his message, "They told me it wasn't newsworthy. So I planned this... and it was newsworthy."
He was eventually convicted of felony false imprisonment and sentenced to a year in county jail.
More info: NY Times
Long Beach Independent - Dec 7, 1976
Coshocton Tribune - Dec 7, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 08, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Crime, Smoking and Tobacco, 1970s
The Birdseed Bandit
Jan 1976: Miklos Petrovics held up a Bank of America branch in Los Angeles, but instead of asking for money he demanded a truckload of birdseed. He also, "demanded the bank landscape its grounds and filter the building's air-conditioning system to fight air pollution that he said was killing his birds." Finally, "he also wanted the people of Los Angeles to 'join hands and march to the ocean to be cleaned.'"After 90 minutes he surrendered to the police. He later pleaded guilty to a felony charge of brandishing a weapon and was sentenced to six months in jail and six months probation.
Shreveport Journal - Jan 7, 1976
Venice Marina News - May 6, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 04, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Crime, 1970s
True Crime Podcast on Vinyl
Well, not exactly, but close enough. Use embedded player below.History of the case here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 25, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Crime, Death, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, United Kingdom, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
ESP Girl
In November 1964, 5-year-old Kenneth Mason went missing. The police searched the river where he was last seen, but failed to find him.Then 15-year-old Linda Anderson came forward and offered to use her psychic powers to help the police find Kenneth. Her father put her in a hypnotic trance, to activate her powers, and she declared, "The boy is not in the river, but is in a house." So the police began searching houses in the area.
Charlotte Observer - Nov 14, 1964
Linda Anderson, ESP Girl
In addition to being able to locate missing children, Linda also claimed to have the power of "dermal optical perception." She could read through her skin (as opposed to through her eyes). The media dubbed her "ESP Girl."
Lewiston Daily Sun - Nov 14, 1964
A skeptical physics professor, James A. Coleman, doubted that she could see through her skin and challenged her to prove it.
Bangor Daily News - Feb 11, 1965
She lost the challenge.
Nashua Telegraph - Feb 15, 1965
And then Kenneth Mason was found. Sadly he was dead and in the river after all. So much for the powers of ESP Girl.
Daily Kennebec Journal - Mar 12, 1965
Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 04, 2023 -
Comments (2)
Category: Crime, Paranormal, Predictions, 1960s
Ubiquitous Perpetuity God
1985: Enrique Silberg had previously tried to change his name to God, but was denied on the grounds that it would be confusing and that he also needed a first name. Finally he convinced a judge to let him change his name to Ubiquitous Perpetuity God.1996: Ubiquitous Perpetuity God was sentenced to nine months in Marin County Jail for indecent exposure, a crime that he had 17 prior convictions for. He said that he exposed himself to women so that they "could have some type of awareness of God".
San Francisco Examiner - Apr 18, 1985
Memphis Commercial Appeal - Feb 15, 1996
Posted By: Alex - Thu Mar 16, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Crime, Odd Names, Religion
Serial aperitif thief
Philippe Delandtscheer may have preferred to steal aperitif, but that's not all he stole. He was later arrested for stealing meat from a supermarket.
Saskatoon Star-Phoenix - Feb 15, 1996
Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 05, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Crime, 1990s
Murder, Inc. Vinyl Album
Get the full story here.Start grooving with this cut, then find the rest of the playlist on YouTube.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 05, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Crime, Music, Space-age Bachelor Pad & Exotic, 1960s
The Elizabethean Underworld
This review by the famous Anthony Burgess (A CLOCKWORK ORANGE) alerted me to the existence of a fascinating book. Turns out it's available at the Internet Archive. The lexicon of thieves talk that Burgess mentions makes for fun reading.Review source: The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) 19 Mar 1965, Fri Page 11
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 28, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Crime, History, Books, Slang
Decoy Santas
Arizona Daily Star - Dec 10, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Sun Dec 25, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Crime, Police and Other Law Enforcement, 1970s, Christmas
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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 |