In 2003, the UK children’s charity Barnardo’s came out with the ad below. It promptly triggered numerous complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority. Barnardo’s argued that it “caused distress for good reason, but the ASA banned the ad anyway, saying it could “cause serious or widespread offense.” The ad was […]
Weird Universe
216 posts
The idea behind this coffin, created and sold by Tibbetts Woodworking of Windsor Massachusetts during the early 1990s, was that you would buy it while you were still alive and healthy — use it as a bookshelf, wine rack, or display case — and then get buried in it. It […]
On the heels of yesterday’s post, and thanks to loyal and creative WU-vie KDP, comes this literal blast from his past. We hope it brings back childhood memories. Source link
I’m reading the autobiography of musician and composer David Amram, most famous for working with Jack Kerouac on PULL MY DAISY. But he is also known for his ability to play two penny whistles simultaneously, as he does below starting around 4:20. Source link
Or, the sausage piano. It was created using a gadget called Makey Makey, that allows you to turn just about any food (bananas, watermelons, etc.) into a keyboard. Amazon Link Source link
Lord Aberdeen (1847-1934) was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1886, and again from 1905 to 1915. He held the office of Governor General of Canada from 1893 to 1898. He also fancied himself something of a wit and allowed some of his jokes to be collected together in a volume […]
Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is the largest, most beautiful and most famous dolls’ house in the world. Built between 1921 and 1924 for Queen Mary, consort of George V, by the leading British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, it includes contributions from over 1,500 of the finest artists, craftsmen and manufacturers […]
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 […]
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 Source link
Florida alligator farms as tourist attractions are legendary and well known. One of the first such was Alligator Joe’s. Here is a long read about the place. And after the images is the account of one fellow who almost did not return from a visit to Joe’s. Article source. Source […]
Back in 1945, Thomas Curtis Gray of Washington, DC was granted a patent for a theater in which the patrons would view the movie while lying-down. To facilitate this, the movie was projected onto a screen anchored to the ceiling. Gray argued that his horizontal theater had several advantages over […]
No infants were harmed in the making of this ad. Oh, wait a minute, they’re not breathing… Source. Source link
As the Wikipedia page tells us: Cottolene was a brand of shortening made of beef suet and cottonseed oil Source link
When you clean bugs off your car’s windshield, think of Detroit researcher Clark Wells who spent his career figuring out how best to do this. St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Mar 22, 1953 WINDSHIELD-SPATTERING WITH A PURPOSE The curious actions of Frederick Brownell (left) and Clark Wells at Detroit are in […]
According to wikipedia, Lonnie Donegan was “Britain’s most successful and influential recording artist before the Beatles.” And yet, I’d never heard of him. Before my time, I guess. I wonder how many WU readers know of him? In 1959, his song below hit #3 on the UK charts and #5 […]
A training school for frog contestants in jumping competitions. Full SPORTS ILLUSTRATED story here. Source (page 7). Source link
Source: Illustrated World – Apr 1920 Something to worry about, if you have nothing else at all in your life to worry about. Source link
Poe’s Law, loosely paraphrased, states that it can be very difficult to tell the difference between parodies of extreme beliefs and sincere expressions of those beliefs. Confusion of this kind occurred with the 1976 cookbook Cooking With God. The authors, Lori David and Robert Robb, intended it to be, in […]
A recent issue of the Dutch journal Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie (Journal of Psychiatry) reports on the case of a woman who believed she was a chicken. From the report (via Google translate): Patient A, a 54-year-old woman, consulted the emergency department with her brother for acute attacks of deviant behavior, […]
Duchin’s 1938 release of the Louis Armstrong song “Ol’ Man Mose” (Brunswick Records 8155) with vocal by Patricia Norman caused a minor scandal at the time with the lyric “bucket” being heard as “fuck it.” Some listeners conclude that there is no vulgarism uttered, while others are convinced that Norman […]