Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1937, Grady Stiles Jr., aka “Lobster Boy”, was one in a long line of people in the Stiles family, dating back to 1840, who suffered from a rare and strange physical condition known as ectrodactyly. This genetic condition was one in which the fingers and toes are fused together toContinue reading “Grady Stiles – The Murderous “Lobster Boy””
Category Archives: strange and wtf
15 of the Strangest Cars Ever Designed
For most people with modest salaries, cars function more as practical tools than as highly-stylized artistic creations. However, the history of auto manufacturing is chock full of oddities, ranging from the ambitious to the beautiful to the mind-bogglingly impractical. Especially in the early days of the automotive industry, many famous and obscure car designers tookContinue reading “15 of the Strangest Cars Ever Designed”
Dream of Venus: Inside Salvador Dali’s Surrealist Funhouse From the 1939 World’s Fair
In June 1939 Salvador Dalí designed a pavilion for the New York World’s Fair built by the architect Ian Woodner. The building was named Dream of Venus. Dalí’s Dream of Venus is the most recent addition to the still-growing list of amusement-area girl shows and easily the most amazing. Weird building contains a dry tankContinue reading “Dream of Venus: Inside Salvador Dali’s Surrealist Funhouse From the 1939 World’s Fair”
A Highly Suggestive French Postcard Entitled ‘How to Eat a Banana!’ From the 1920s
“Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”A French postcard from the 1920s shows how to eat a banana from age 18-40. Not sure why not peeling said banana… A half a century ago, bananas were more delicious. They were creamier with a more delectable tropical fruit taste. When they ripened, they stayedContinue reading “A Highly Suggestive French Postcard Entitled ‘How to Eat a Banana!’ From the 1920s”
Vintage Photos and the Story of “Olga the Headless Girl” in the Late 1930s and 1940s
The Headless Lady illusion was a popular magic trick performed at sideshows in the 1940s. As the story goes, the poor woman lost her head in a horrible accident, but doctors were able to keep her alive through the miracle of new scientific technology. Fargo, “Olga the Headless Girl” was an illusionary sideshow and wasContinue reading “Vintage Photos and the Story of “Olga the Headless Girl” in the Late 1930s and 1940s”
35 Pages From a 1902 Weird Phrenology Book That Can Help You Ascertain a Person’s Character by the Shape of Their Features
Illustrations from Vaught’s Practical Character Reader, a book on phrenology by L. A. Vaught published in 1902. As he confidently states in his Preface:The purpose of this book is to acquaint all with the elements of human nature and enable them to read these elements in all men, women and children in all countries. AtContinue reading “35 Pages From a 1902 Weird Phrenology Book That Can Help You Ascertain a Person’s Character by the Shape of Their Features”
Weird Inventions From the 1940s
Facing a decrease in demand during the war years, the Los Angeles Brush Manufacturing Corporation created a catalog full of facetious inventions, simply “to take their minds off the ugly fact that they had no brushes to sell.” In a photo shoot by Allan Grant published in LIFE in 1947, actress Olga San Juan andContinue reading “Weird Inventions From the 1940s”
Vashon Island Bike Tree: The True Story Behind “a Boy Left His Bike Chained to a Tree When He Went Away to War in 1914”
The kids’ bicycle embedded into a tree is a bit of a tourist attraction on Vashon Island, Washington, just outside of Seattle. It’s also become a source of folklore and fake internet stories. The most famous of the fakes is that a young boy went off to fight in WWI and left his bike upContinue reading “Vashon Island Bike Tree: The True Story Behind “a Boy Left His Bike Chained to a Tree When He Went Away to War in 1914””
In 1938, Harmon “Oscar” Nelson Ended His Marriage With Bette Davis. The Reason? She Read Books Too Much!
In 1938, Harmon “Oscar” Nelson ended his marriage with American actress, Bette Davis. The reason? He claimed she read too much. The New York Times reported on December 7, 1938 that Harmon “usually just sat there while his wife read ‘to an unnecessary degree.” “She thought her work was more important than her marriage.” “SheContinue reading “In 1938, Harmon “Oscar” Nelson Ended His Marriage With Bette Davis. The Reason? She Read Books Too Much!”
The Mysterious Hasanlu Lovers and Their 2800-Year Old Kiss
The Hasanlu Lovers are human remains found by a team from the University of Pennsylvania led by Robert Dyson at the Teppe Hasanlu archaeological site, located in the Solduz Valley in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran, in 1972. The image depicts two human skeletons, seemingly in an embrace, which earned the photograph its titleContinue reading “The Mysterious Hasanlu Lovers and Their 2800-Year Old Kiss”
