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”
Tag Archives: strange & WTF
In World War II, Boeing Built a Fake Rooftop Town to Hide Its Factory Beneath From Potential Air Strike by the Japanese
During World War II, a strange, house-filled neighborhood could be seen in the middle of an industrial area from the air. A close-up look would reveal that it was camouflage for Boeing’s Plant No. 2, where thousands of B-17 bombers were produced. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese submarines were spotted off the SanContinue reading “In World War II, Boeing Built a Fake Rooftop Town to Hide Its Factory Beneath From Potential Air Strike by the Japanese”
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”
20 Shocking Photos Show How French Women Were Punished by Having Their Heads Shaved Publicly for Collaborating With Nazis
At the end of World War II, many French people accused of collaboration with Germany endured a particularly humiliating act of revenge: their heads were shaved in public. There are thousands upon thousands of joyful pictures of the liberation of France in 1944. But among the cheering images there are also shocking ones. These showContinue reading “20 Shocking Photos Show How French Women Were Punished by Having Their Heads Shaved Publicly for Collaborating With Nazis”
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”
Unbelievable American Slave Sale and Auction Ads From the 19th Century
The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment on December 6, 1865. The Amendment prohibited “slavery [and] involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime.” Slavery wasContinue reading “Unbelievable American Slave Sale and Auction Ads From the 19th Century”
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””
Amazing Vintage Photos Reveal How Babies Used to Travel With Family on Airplanes in the 1950s
Flying with children has never been easy. But before the days of special seat belt attachments and sky nannies parents took a more cavalier approach to childcare, simply placing babies in cradles that hung above their heads. Incredible vintage images, dating back to the 1950s, have emerged revealing that ‘skycots’ were attached to the overheadContinue reading “Amazing Vintage Photos Reveal How Babies Used to Travel With Family on Airplanes in the 1950s”
