"Electric knife is used to restore lost sanity."  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.

Here's an ad that actually promotes Stendhal Syndrome, a psychosomatic disorder in which you hallucinate that you are within a work of art.  The text reads, "Are you inside or outside this picture?  Something to think about!"  From Popular Mechanics, 1930.

Here's a surprising bit of occultism in the world of Big Science.  We daren't ask why, but scientists pointed a tadpole's head at a plant to see if it would encourage growth.  And it did.  The so-called scientific explanation was that invisible radiations from the tadpole's head made it happen.  (We aren't making this up.)  What's hilarious is that Big Science's explanation is along the lines of what Big Magic thinks is going on.  And so this item goes in our very, very slim file of articles in Popular Mechanics that we actually believe.  From 1931.

From Peter David's Sir Apropos of Nothing, 2001.

Here's a precursor to near-literates sharing their every thought on the internet.  "Dummy reproduces writing at a distance."  From Popular Mechanics, 1929.

"Prayers for revenge said by nails driven in wooden statue."  From Popular Mechanics, 1924.

"Voice from the sky carried by horns on plane."  From Popular Mechanics, 1930.  (However, the illustration is our own.)

We can affirm that a headache weighs almost nothing compared to the smug bullshit in every issue of vintage Popular Mechanics.  (We haven't dared to look in more recent issues.)  "Science to weigh headaches."  From 1928.

"Get an elephant."  From Popular Mechanics, 1911.

The magazine that glamorized big game hunting and the clubbing of seals for their fur (not to mention poaching eggs from critically endangered species—for merely one example, see "Youth Fights Condor to Win Thousand-Dollar Egg" from the Nov. '29 issue, in which the condor's near-extinction is noted), promoted smoking, considered rainforests to have "no practical purpose," and predicted that blimps would end of war and disease by the year 2000 ... this same magazine was smugly skeptical of physiognomy.  Hence, we're less skeptical of physiognomy than ever before.  From Popular Mechanics, 1928.

You've heard of "zombie Jesus," but some deceased bishops are also at large.  By Richard Henry Clarke, 1872.

"Strange ways of making a living."  From Popular Mechanics, 1925.  If you wish to know a very strange way of making a living, see what we've been up to, here.

"Grain in wood resembles head of animal."  From Popular Mechanics, 1911.

Here's one of the only Popular Mechanics headlines we've ever believed.  "Mysteries of stars' origin increase with time."  From 1928.

A ruler-like spirit board spells out messages from the great beyond.  From Popular Mechanics, 1920.

"Receiving a message while standing on a manhole."  From Popular Mechanics, 1911.

Here's a precursor to the all-mannequin cast of the Japanese series The Fuccons (a.k.a. Oh! Mikey).  From Popular Mechanics, 1920.

Here's a precursor to the "tinfoil hats" of those shielding against mind control by governmental or paranormal forces.  In 1920s England, tinfoil hats were a fashion statement.  From Popular Mechanics, 1927.

You've heard that necessity is the mother of invention, but necessity was raped.  The headline reads, "Necessity is forced to mother another invention."  This blog supports necessity's right to choose.  From Popular Mechanics, 1925.

You've heard of counting tree rings to determine the age, but did you know that the rings in Panama hats are counted as well?  Here are Panama hats being harvested, from Popular Mechanics, 1924.