“Sound Finders”
World War I “Sound Finders” designed to detect which direction enemy planes were approaching (c. 1914 – 1918 )
A “treatment” called forced standing
In 1890, a photographer captured this image that revealed the horrible ways people used to treat mental illness. This German woman stands in a narrow cell of a mental asylum. She is undergoing a “treatment” called forced standing, where patients can do nothing but stand.
It is possible that forced standing exhausted patients enough to make them appear calmer. However, they were incredibly painful. Psychological treatment has greatly improved since then, but these pictures remind us how patients used to be treated.“The Cabaret of Hell”
Believe it or not, this was a real (and popular) cafe in Paris during the early 20th century. It was called the Cabaret de l’Enfer, or “The Cabaret of Hell” in English. Antonin Alexander created and ran the cafe from 1892 to 1950.
The cabaret was designed to mimic Hell as if customers were walking into Dante’s Inferno. It was incredibly popular with artists and surrealists such as André Breton. Next door, they made The Cabaret of Heaven, which was not as scary..Semana Santa
The people are celebrating Semana Santa, the week before Easter. They gather to repent their sins before Lent. But why the outfits? Well, the costumes disguise people so that they can repent without embarrassing themselves in front of their neighbours.
Myrtle Corbin
At first glance, it may look like this girl is holding a doll under her shirt. But those extra pair of legs are real. This is Myrtle Corbin, an American sideshow performer born with dipygus. The condition occurs when the pelvis forks left and right, causing two more legs to form.
Corbin performed as the “Four-Legged Girl from Texas” throughout the late 19th century. But she didn’t have a terrible life; she eventually married and had five children.
Occult Definition