Oddities
-
2014 » November
Archive for November, 2014 The bearded lady: The most famous human curiosity of the 19th century. How we treat our fellow humans reveals much about our own humanity… Julia Pastrana: A “Monster to the Whole World” (The Public Domain Review) “Julia Pastrana, a woman from Mexico born with hypertrichosis, became one of the most famous human curiosities of the 19th century, exhibited the world over as a “bearded lady” while both alive and dead. Bess Lovejoy explores her story and how it was only in 2013, 153 years after her passing, that she was finally laid to rest. When Julia Pastrana was born, in the mountains of Western Mexico in…
-
John Titor: Time Traveler or Hoaxster Extraordinaire?
John Titor: Time Traveler or Hoaxster Extraordinaire? If there’s one urban legend we love, it’s the mystery of John Titor. The thing about time travel is that those who claim to have experienced it have a built in device that ensures they cannot be proven wrong — that is, they often claim that there are many future realities and their’s may not line up with ours. So, when John Titor made his claims, most of the Internet took them with a grain of salt — but the thing is, some of those claims have turned out to be close to the truth (some not so much), and the most fearsome…
You May Also Like
The Neverending Poem…
-
2014 » September
Archive for September, 2014 The Tablet That Contains The Secrets of Creation The Emerald Tablet. Have you heard of it? This enigmatic object has many presumed sources – one of which is the the city of Atlantis itself. Other possible associations include the Ark of the Covenant, the tomb of Hermes, and the Medieval and Renaissance era alchemical texts… The Legendary Emerald Tablet (Ancient Origins) “The origins of Western alchemy can be traced back to Hellenistic Egypt, in particular to the city of Alexandria. One of the most important characters in the mythology of alchemy is Hermes Trismegistus (Hermes the Thrice-Great). The name of this figure is derived from the…
-
2014 » August
Archive for August, 2014 16 Oldest Surviving Examples Of Everyday Things These images are endlessly fascinating — it’s wonderful to experience a momentary connection through time with the ancients. Enjoy… 16 Oldest Surviving Examples Of Everyday Things (Bored Panda) “We enjoy quite a few unprecedented technologies today, but much more of the stuff that we use has been around for ages. Ancient humans may not have been able to text or upload selfies, but they enjoyed everyday objects like flushable toilets, chewing gum and nice purses just like we do. Inspired by imgur ’s post, we decided to make an extended list of the oldest examples of everyday objects. Keep…
-
The automobile graveyards of Chatillon
The automobile graveyards of Chatillon As if the zombie apocalypse happened and everyone abandoned their cars trying to get out of town… Photos of a traffic jam stuck in the woods for 70 years (Death and Taxes magazine) “Around the town of Chatillon, Belgium, the end of World War II left a few creepy hallmarks of the armistice in the form of long lines of cars left abandoned by the hundreds in the woods. While one theory goes that the cars belonged to Americans who left them in a hurry on their way off the continent, B ored Panda points out that no one really knows for sure…” For more…
-
2014 » July
Archive for July, 2014 Corpse Bride or Wax Statue? You decide… Folklore or morbid tribute? Her hands, just look at her hands… A Mexican Bridal Shop Mannequin Looks Just Like A Preserved Human Corpse. (Viral Nova) “In the middle of Chihuahua, Mexico, there is a bridal shop that is quite famous. However, it’s not famous because of the dresses. It’s the store mannequins that keep them on the map. That’s because, for the past 75 years, a startlingly lifelike mannequin stood in the window. That Mexican bridal shop mannequin puzzled locals. According to local legends, the mannequin is actually the preserved daughter of the shop’s former owner. Disturbing, but is…
-
2014 » June
Archive for June, 2014 An Old Book, A Video Piece: An Experience of Paintings… “Thumb” through a beautiful old book from The Public Domain Review… Women painters of the world from the time of Caterina Vigri, 1413-1463, to Rosa Bonheur and the present day; 1905; edited by Walter Shaw Sparrow; The Copp Clark Company Limited, Toronto. “A heavily illustrated collection of essays, edited by British art critic Walter Shaw Sparrow, focusing on notable women painters from the 15th century to the beginning of the 20th. Of the eight essays only one is written by a woman, Helena Westermarck, a Finnish artist and women’s historian active in the suffragette movement. From…
-
2014 » May
Archive for May, 2014 Build Your Own Extraordinarily Strange Tesla Spirit Radio We imagine it must have delivered extraordinary strangeness in order to frighten the likes of Tesla! Build The Spirit Radio That Creeped Out Tesla Himself (The Mind Unleashed) “My first observations positively terrified me as there was present in them something mysterious, not to say supernatural, and I was alone in my laboratory at night.” – Nikola Tesla 1901 “Tesla’s Spirit Radio uses a simple crystal radio circuit connected to a computer sound-in jack to generate spooky sounds from all kinds of electromagnetic sources. As you will see, it creeped the hell out of Tesla himself…” For the…
-
The Skin Books of Harvard Library
The Skin Books of Harvard Library Every good story of witchcraft or evil should, at some point, include a creepy book. These real books discovered at Harvard fit the bill… Harvard discovers three of its library books are bound in human flesh (Roadtrippers) “There’s something undeniably creepy about big, expansive libraries. The hushed whispers, the almost artificial quiet, and the smell of dusty tomes combine to create a surreal experience. But when it comes to creepy libraries, Harvard University might take the cake… you see, three of its books are bound in human skin…” For the complete story and more photos, click here. Emily K. Editor on 09 Apr 2014…
-
2014 » April
Archive for April, 2014 The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows… A beautiful, dark, much appreciated creative project about words and emotions. Welcome to The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows… “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a compendium of invented words written by John Koenig. Each original definition aims to fill a hole in the language—to give a name to emotions we all might experience but don’t yet have a word for. The author’s mission is to capture the aches, demons, vibes, joys and urges that roam the wilderness of the psychological interior. Each sorrow is bagged, tagged and tranquilized, then released gently back into the subconscious.” Peruse it here. Visit the page…
