Marvel Tales and Unusual Stories were two U.S. semi-professional science fiction magazines published by William L. Crawford, a science fiction fan who believed that the pulp magazines were too limited in what they would publish. In 1933, he distributed a flyer for Unusual Stories (cover pictured), stating that no taboos would prevent the publication of worthwhile fiction. It included a page from P. Schuyler Miller's "The Titan", unsellable to professional magazines because of its sexual content. A partial issue of Unusual Stories was distributed in early 1934, and Crawford launched Marvel Tales in May 1934. Five issues of Marvel Tales and three of Unusual Stories appeared over two years. They included Robert E. Howard's "The Garden of Fear", H. P. Lovecraft's "Celephaïs", and Clifford D. Simak's "The Creator"; the last had previously been rejected because of its religious theme. By 1936, Crawford had plans to expand his enterprise, but limited finances meant that no further issues appeared.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Tales_and_Unusual_Stories

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1930:

Uruguay (captain pictured) defeated Argentina 4–2 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo to win the inaugural FIFA World Cup. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930_FIFA_World_Cup

1950:

At the height of a political crisis known as the royal question, four workers were shot dead by the Belgian Gendarmerie at a strike in Grâce-Berleur. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_question

1975:

American labor-union leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared after last being seen outside a restaurant near Detroit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Hoffa

1981:

Amid a widespread economic crisis and food shortages in Poland, up to 50,000 people, mostly women and children, took part in the largest of nationwide hunger demonstrations in Łódź. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Polish_hunger_demonstrations

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

tincture: 1. (transitive) 2. (chiefly in past participle form) To colour or stain (something) with, or as if with, a dye or pigment. 3. (figuratively, chiefly in past participle form) Followed by with: to add to or impregnate (something) with (a slight amount of) an abstract or (obsolete) physical quality; to imbue, to taint, to tinge. 4. (pharmacy) To dissolve (a substance) in ethanol or some other solvent to produce a medicinal tincture. 5. (intransitive, rare) To have a taint or tinge of some quality. [...] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tincture

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It doesn't hurt me. Do you want to feel how it feels? Do you want to know that it doesn't hurt me? Do you want to hear about the deal that I'm making? You, it's you and me. And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God, And I'd get him to swap our places, Be running up that road, Be running up that hill, Be running up that building.   --Kate Bush https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kate_Bush