Why would a Boston shoplifter hide stolen lobsters in
his underwear? What would possess a California physician to give a
cadaver’s severed hand as a romantic gift? What mental misfire
led an Atlanta Braves pitcher to iron his shirt—while he was
wearing it? Renowned bad idea connoisseur Bruce Felton examines these
unanswerable questions and many others in What Were They Thinking?,
revised for this edition to include recently unearthed harebrained
schemes, useless products, and misguided obsessions. You’ll learn
the stories behind:
- The World War II plot to attack Buckingham Palace with exploding chocolate bars
- The zoo that encouraged visitors to shoot the animals (and even supplied rifles for an extra charge)
- The travelers’ phrase book that
translates “The cockroaches have eaten my shirt,” “Is
there a taboo on your house?” and “Where can I
defecate?”
- The British plan to tear down the Taj Mahal and sell the pieces to interior decorators
- The Elvis Vegiform, a plastic mold that turns any vegetable into a bust of the King
|
What Were They
Thinking?
Really Bad Ideas Throughout
History
by
Bruce Felton
The Lyons Press, 2007.
Order
a copy
|
