The Tuvan People's Republic issued postage stamps between 1926 and 1936. They were popular with stamp collectors in the Western world in the mid-twentieth century because of the obscurity and exoticism of Tannu Tuva and the stamps' quirky, colorful designs. The validity of many stamps purportedly issued by Tannu Tuva has been questioned by philatelists.
Punxsutawney Phil is a legendary groundhog and the focal point of the annual Groundhog Day celebration held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, United States. This beloved rodent, whose origins date back to the 19th century, has become an enduring symbol of weather prediction and folklore in American culture. Each year on February 2nd, thousands gather in Punxsutawney to witness Phil's emergence from his burrow. According to tradition, if Phil sees his shadow upon emerging, it is believed that there will be six more weeks of winter weather. Conversely, if he does not see his shadow, it is interpreted as a prediction of an early spring.
The British Premonitions Bureau was formed in 1966 by psychiatrist John Barker after the Aberfan mining disaster in which 144 people, including 116 children, died when 500,000 tons of debris smashed through the Welsh town and buried the primary school. Reports of precognitive dreams foretelling of the catastrophe prompted Barker to form the bureau in the hope of predicting and avoiding future tragedies. In the 18 months the Premonitions Bureau was open, nearly 1000 reports of premonitions were collected, and while a few seemed to foretell disasters, over 90 percent failed to predict future events and none prevented any disasters.
Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural is an encyclopedia of the supernatural, including magic, mythology and religion. It was edited by Richard Cavendish. The art director was Brian Innes, former percussionist of surrealistic 1960s band The Temperance Seven.
FMR is a magazine published by the Renaissance man Franco Maria Ricci. First published in 1982, it acts as a model for perfection, presenting noteworthy art historical studies without being pedantic. Its past contributors include Italo Calvino and Jorge Luis Borges.
Ferrante Imperato was a Neapolitan apothecary and herbalist with a broad range of interests. His cabinet of curiosities featured animals, stuffed birds, shells, stones, gems, and fossils.
Un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France is a craftsmen competition, held every four years. Created in 1924 and given to the best craftsmen competing in each field, it covers everything from chocolate making and pâtisserie to specific building trades, including Window making and cabinetry. Each competitor enters a masterpiece which demonstrates his craft, which is then evaluated against extremely stringent standards.
Capgras delusion is a disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that a friend, spouse or other close family member, has been replaced by an identical-looking impostor.
Storie Naturali is a book by Luigi Serafini. It contains an entirely invented botanical fantastic world with 22 leaves, printed as illustrations enclosed in pockets which can be extracted from an enchanted forest of trees.
The Bagger 288 (Excavator 288) is a bucket-wheel excavator, the largest in the world.