Weird Universe Blog — June 16, 2020

The drift pattern of Nike shoes

In May 1990, five shipping containers holding approximately 80,000 pairs of Nike shoes fell off a freighter during a storm in the North Pacific. About 200 days later, some of these shoes began to wash up on beaches from Canada down to Oregon.

But as beachcombers collected and compared the shoes, they noticed something odd. On beaches up north, in Canada and Washington, almost all the shoes were right-footed; whereas further south in Oregon, most of the shoes were left-footed.

Skye Moody explains why this was so in her book Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam:

The slight toe curvature of left- and right-footed shoes caused the right-footed shoes to tack northeastward into the Alaska Current, passing the Queen Charlottes along the way, where many beached. Meanwhile, the left-footed Nikes tacked snugly into the southeast-bound California Current, and as it passed Oregon, were caught on an incoming tide.




Drift pattern of Nike shoes
image source: The Nike Shoe Investigation



Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer co-authored an academic paper about the 1990 shoe spill ("Shoe spill in the North Pacific" -- unfortunately behind a paywall). It also inspired him to start studying other ocean flotsam, such as rubber duckies, as a way to gain info about currents. He calls this study 'flotsametrics'. He also occasionally puts out a Beachcombers' Alert Newsletter.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 16, 2020 - Comments (0)
Category: Science | Shoes | 1990s

What a Country!

This is a show that could bring the nation together again.



Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 16, 2020 - Comments (0)
Category: Education | Stereotypes and Cliches | Television | Foreign Customs | 1980s

June 15, 2020

Reusing Old Graves

Prompted by a concern that British cemeteries were running out of space, Professor Douglas Davies was commissioned to research public attitudes about reusing graves. The result was his book Reusing Old Graves, which became the 1995 winner of the Diagram Prize for oddest title of the year.

More info from a review in the Ecclesiastical Law Journal:

The primary inquiry of the research was put in a leading way. Respondents were not asked 'Do you think graves should or should not be reused?'. Instead they were asked what period of time should elapse before a grave could be used for new burials by a different family. Despite the form of the question 35 per cent of respondents said they never should be reused. As against this 62 per cent were willing to countenance the reuse of graves after varying periods (3 per cent were undecided). The periods given ranged from one year to two hundred, the most popular being 100, 50, 20, 30, 75, 150, and 10 in that order.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 15, 2020 - Comments (2)
Category: Death | Books

Making Mercury Thermometers



The COVID pandemic has certainly made thermometers part of everyday discourse. Once upon a time, the mercury-filled instrument was the only home-friendly device available. I was not even sure you could buy one these days, but Amazon sells several "liquid-filled" devices. Here is some info from the vendor at the Amazon link.





Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 15, 2020 - Comments (3)
Category: Body | Diseases | Health | Technology | Twentieth Century

June 14, 2020

Man-Catching Tank

Stanley Valinski's "man-catching tank," for which he received a patent in 1921 (#1,392,095), looked a bit like a dalek prototype.

He imagined it would be used in banks for catching and holding burglars. It consisted of an armored watchbox concealing an armed watchman who could peer out through peep holes. The entire device moved on electric-driven wheels, which the watchman could steer. Upon spotting a burglar, he would maneuver the tank into position and then grasp the criminal with six enormous steel claws attached to the side of the machine.



Wichita Daily Times - Dec 18, 1921

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jun 14, 2020 - Comments (0)
Category: Crime | Inventions | 1920s

Fresh Air Vending Machine



Source.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 14, 2020 - Comments (5)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams | Technology | 1960s

June 13, 2020

Krinkles the Clown

Clown mascot of Post's Sugar Krinkles cereal during the 1950s.



source: Mr. Breakfast

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 13, 2020 - Comments (2)
Category: Cereal | 1950s

Acugenics



Learn how to acugenics yourself here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 13, 2020 - Comments (0)
Category: Self-help Schemes | 1980s

June 12, 2020

The man whom bullets bounced off of

In 1976, King Dixon of Miami was shot five times at close range in the head during a bar fight. Not a single bullet penetrated his skull. He was hospitalized overnight for observation, and then released the following day in satisfactory condition.

Alexandria Town Talk - May 10, 1976



Casper Star-Tribune - May 12, 1976



It seemed at the time like he must have been bulletproof, but a follow-up by Miami Herald crime reporter Edna Buchanan, in her book Never Let Them See You Cry, reveals that he was affected by bullets after all:

Dixon was treated at a hospital and sent home, where I talked to him the next day. "My ears are still ringing," he said. "The gun was right at my ear. Those shots were really loud." Other than that, he felt fine. "I guess you have to ask the good Lord why I'm still alive."
But the bullets did kill him. I found King Dixon at the morgue eight years later. Since the shooting he had suffered seizures, and one of them killed him.
The medical examiner blamed the old bullet wounds and ruled the death a homicide.
King Dixon became Miami's only murder victim in 1984 killed by bullets fired in 1976.

Posted By: Alex - Fri Jun 12, 2020 - Comments (2)
Category: Crime | Human Marvels | 1970s | Weapons

Follies of the Madmen #479



UPDATED: the source.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jun 12, 2020 - Comments (3)
Category: Business | Advertising | Emotions | Underwear | 1960s

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All original content in posts is Copyright © 2016 by the author of the post, which is usually either Alex Boese ("Alex"), Paul Di Filippo ("Paul"), or Chuck Shepherd ("Chuck"). All rights reserved. The banner illustration at the top of this page is Copyright © 2008 by Rick Altergott.

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