Goldfish Swallowing (1940's)

It began in the 1930’s, a fad so bizarre; some mistakenly believe it to be an urban legend. Goldfish swallowing, where a live goldfish is swallowed, started in the mid 1939 and sizzled out a few months later. Few fads can be traced back to one person but the origination of goldfish swallowing i...
Goldfish Swallowing (1940's)

Phone Booth Stuffing (1950's)

In early 1959, twenty five students attempted something nobody else had ever tried before. The South African students of Durban tried to see if all twenty five could fit into a phone booth. They succeeded and submitted their achievement to the Guinness Book of World Records. Soon, others heard...
Phone Booth Stuffing (1950's)

Prizefighting or Bare-Knuckle Boxing (1850’s)

Prize fighting, or pugilism or bare-knuckle boxing as it is also known as, became very popular during the middle 1800′s. Prizefighting is one of the oldest known sports. Two thousand year old paintings on the walls of Egyptian tombs depict ancient Sumerians competing in boxing matches....
Prizefighting or Bare-Knuckle Boxing (1850’s)

Penny Farthing Bicycle (1860's)

The Penny Farthing bicycle came after the development of the ‘Hobbyhorse’, and the French ‘Velocipede’ or ‘Boneshaker’, all versions of early bikes. However, the Penny Farthing was the first truly efficient bicycle, consisting of a small rear wheel and large...
Penny Farthing Bicycle (1860's)

Vaudeville Theater Shows (1900's)

Vaudeville, popular from the late 1880’s through the early 1930’s, was a theatrical form of entertainment in the United States and Canada. Vaudeville performances, which often ran around the clock, ran a series of separate, unrelated acts which included musicians, dancers, comedians, trained ani...
Vaudeville Theater Shows (1900's)

Radio (1920's)

When KDKA transmitted the first commercial radio broadcast (the election results of the Harding-Cox race) on November 2, 1920, that sound could travel magically through the air to a location many miles away must have seemed magical to the people of that era. Unfortunately, few people heard the...
Radio (1920's)

Planking (2010's)

Planking is an activity where the person lies on the ground or across an object, arms straight at their side with palms flat and facing inward, toes pointed, and body as stiff as a wooden board and facing downward. It is typically done in a funny or unusual place to create a unique photograph...
Planking (2010's)

Smoking shisha flavored tobacco from a hookah waterpipe (2010's)

For kids hoping to avoid the drugs and alcohol crowd, the next best thing is a fad called a hookah which allows groups of teenagers and young adults to smoke flavored tobacco together, in a community-like environment, through a single, multi-hosed water pipe. What most teenagers do not know...
Smoking shisha flavored tobacco from a hookah waterpipe (2010's)

Asking a date to the prom via elaborate "promposals" (2010's)

Who says creativity and innovation is in the youth of the 2000′s is dead? These days it’s not enough to just ask your date to the high school prom. No, now you have to create a moment that will become as memorable as the magical night itself. One inventive Cedar Cliff High School student p...
Asking a date to the prom via elaborate "promposals" (2010's)