Mad Mouse/Wild Mouse Roller Coaster

This old-school ride looks scarier than the new ones, because tinier and more vulnerable.

The history of the ride.

Order yours here!

Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 16, 2019 - Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, 1940s, 1950s

“Breakfast” by Cyriak

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 19, 2019 - Comments (3)
Category: Annoying Things, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Death, Destruction, Food, Highways, Roads, Streets and Traffic, Surrealism, Foreign Customs, Fictional Monsters, Cars

Spikehorn Meyer, Friend to Bears

One of the forerunners of those folks who cuddle up to bears. Luckily, Spikehorn was never hurt.



Article here.

Find-a-grave site.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 21, 2019 - Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Cult Figures and Artifacts, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Eccentrics, Regionalism, Twentieth Century

Nuking the Moon

Project A119, also known as A Study of Lunar Research Flights, was a top-secret plan developed in 1958 by the United States Air Force. The aim of the project was to detonate a nuclear bomb on the Moon, which would help in answering some of the mysteries in planetary astronomy and astrogeology. If the explosive device detonated on the surface, not in a lunar crater, the flash of explosive light would have been faintly visible to people on Earth with their naked eye, a show of force resulting in a possible boosting of domestic morale in the capabilities of the United States, a boost that was needed after the Soviet Union took an early lead in the Space Race and was also working on a similar project.

The project was never carried out, being cancelled primarily out of a fear of a negative public reaction, with the potential militarization of space that it would also have signified, and because a Moon landing would undoubtedly be a more popular achievement in the eyes of the American and international public alike. A similar project by the Soviet Union also never came to fruition.

Wikipedia page here.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 10, 2019 - Comments (1)
Category: Antisocial Activities, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Explosives, Frauds, Cons and Scams, Government, Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses, Insane Villains, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, 1950s, North America, Russia

Liver, Bacon and Pineapple

Yes? No? For breakfast? Undecided until you try some? Let us know!

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 09, 2019 - Comments (4)
Category: Annoying Things, Antisocial Activities, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Delusions, Fantasies and Other Tricks of the Imagination, Dreams and Nightmares, Food, 1960s, Nausea, Revulsion and Disgust, Sadness

Charles Fitzgerald, Daredevil

Bored with risking his life on Earth, Fitzgerald offered to become the first astronaut.





Source.



Source.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 05, 2019 - Comments (4)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy, Twentieth Century

Mary Connors - The Human Cannonball

Mary Connors is best known for what she failed to achieve. She repeatedly tried to cross the River Avon by being fired across it in a cannon, and she kept ending up in the river.

She first tried in 1974, and failed three times in a row. When she then tried to cross the river using a rope and pulley, the pulley jammed, sending her once again into the water.

She tried again in 1976. Once again, she ended up swimming. I think, overall, she made five failed attempts, and never succeeded.

Another highlight of her career was that in 1975 she performed the human cannonball act topless, and she did get that right.

You can watch a video of her first failed attempt at crossing the Avon over at the MACE archive (media archive for central England), but the clip isn't embeddable, so you'll need to actually go to the site to view it.

Mary Connors - 1974

The 1974 attempt

San Rafael Daily Independent Journal - Aug 28, 1974

Asbury Park Press - June 6, 1975

The Bryan Eagle - Jan 25, 1976

Posted By: Alex - Fri Dec 28, 2018 - Comments (3)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, 1970s

Heavy Metal High Rise Track

Only in America.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Dec 20, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Buildings and Other Structures, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Entertainment, Motor Vehicles

Emma Harbin, the Dixie Eagle

Not only was she one of the earliest women aviators, but she also helped her husband run a tourist court and dairy! (Lots of great fotos at the link.)

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 28, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Regionalism, Air Travel and Airlines, Hotels, Twentieth Century

Motorized Skis

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 16, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Death, Chindogu, 1950s