Buzz
When we think of historical clubs and societies, the first thing that often crosses our minds is the image of "gentlemen's clubs." These clubs were traditionally spaces where wealthy men would engage in “boring” conversations about politics and business, all while enjoying fine dining, drinks, and cigars. However, if you look a bit closer, you’ll discover that many clubs from the past were far more intriguing and eccentric than this.
10. The Anti-Flirt Club
Founded in the early 1920s in Washington, DC, the Anti-Flirt Club was created to shield young women from unwelcome advances made by men in cars. The club’s regulations were published in The Washington Post in 1923.
Rule No. 5 stated, “Don’t wink—a flutter of one eye might result in a tear in the other.” Meanwhile, Rule No. 8 warned women not to fall for “the slick, dandified cake-eater—the rough authenticity of a real man holds more value than the deceptive sheen of a lounge lizard.”
Before long, chapters of the club sprang up in Manhattan, Chicago, and other cities. Interestingly, Manhattan’s Anti-Flirt Club was led by men whose goal was to make sure women pursued legal action against the “mashers” who attempted to flirt with them.
A “masher” was a man who had short-term interactions with various women and made his romantic interest known in an overly forward way. A “lounge lizard” was a sharply dressed man who charmed women with his deceptive allure.
Manhattan’s Anti-Flirt Club adopted the slogan “Jail the flirt,” and its emblem featured a lizard impaled by a hatpin. Despite the early attention it gained, the anti-flirt movement faded from the media in the 1930s.
9. The No-Nose Club
As syphilis spread rapidly throughout the 19th century, many people suffered the loss of their noses due to the disease. This deformity became so widespread that the No-Nose Club was eventually formed.
On February 18, 1874, the Star newspaper reported that a peculiar gentleman, known by the pseudonym “Mr. Crampton,” had witnessed so many people without noses on the streets of London that he decided to invite all the afflicted to join him for a meal at a tavern on a specific day.
The No-Nose Club gathered once a month until Mr. Crampton passed away a year later. After his death, the club disbanded, but not before an intriguing elegy was delivered at their final meeting.
8. The Ugly Face Club
In the 18th and 19th centuries, physical deformities led to social ostracism and, at times, public ridicule. The Ugly Face Clubs emerged as a counter to this discrimination—exclusive gentlemen's clubs where members took pride in their unique facial features.
They rejected the belief in physiognomy, which suggested that a person’s character could be determined by their facial features. Although members of these clubs may have faced mockery on the streets for their physical deformities and lack of conventional beauty, it was precisely their distinctive and unappealing facial traits that earned them admiration within the club.
For instance, the Ugly Face Club in Liverpool, England, was made up of bachelors who mocked their own physical imperfections and were penalized if they ever married. This club was composed of various professionals, including merchants, clergy, doctors, sea captains, and architects, who affectionately called one another by names like “shark,” “pig,” “cod,” and more.
7. The Blizzard Men of ’88 Club
The Great Blizzard of 1888, one of the most devastating storms in US history, swept through the area from Washington, DC, to Maine. The blizzard claimed the lives of over 400 individuals and dumped up to 140 centimeters (55 inches) of snow in some regions.
Survivors from New York, determined not to forget the terrifying storm they had endured, established an exclusive club for storm survivors in 1929. Until 1933, the club's members were all men, proudly calling themselves the “Blizzard Men of ’88.”
The club held annual meetings where they shared their harrowing survival stories and preserved the memory of the storm. But their gatherings weren’t just about recounting past events. For their 50th anniversary, the Blizzard Men of ’88 entertained themselves with a mechanical snowstorm.
The members took great pleasure in reminding others that no storm after 1888 could compare. When the club's final leader passed away in 1969, the tradition of the annual Blizzard Men of ’88 meetings came to an end.
6. The Potato Club
The Potato Club, also referred to as the Potato Society, was founded by Nicholas II, the final emperor of Russia, alongside his brothers Alexander, Sergei, and George Mikhailovich. The name of the society allegedly originated from a paper chase event, a type of outdoor race where one participant is designated as the “hare” and the others act as “hounds.” In one such chase, a peasant informed the hounds that the “fox” had “shot into the potatoes.”
Members of the Potato Club wore gold pendants shaped like potatoes around their necks. Decades later, when Sergei Mikhailovich’s body was discovered in Alapayevsk—where he had been exiled and murdered by the Bolsheviks—the gold potato pendant was still found on him.
5. The Lying Club
In 1669, Harry Blunt is said to have founded the Lying Club at the Bell Tavern pub in Westminster. Blunt, a man known for his sharp wit, possessed an innate ability to deceive in ways that were both masterful and convincing.
The club came about after travelers’ hunting stories grew more extravagant and hard to believe. Though these tales lacked credibility, they provided great amusement.
The members of the Lying Club embraced their craft—telling lies and critiquing one another’s creativity based on the audacity and brilliance of their fabrications.
4. The Wig Club
A club with strong ties to the Scottish Tory establishment, the Wig Club was known for its extravagant feasts and its peculiar adoration of a certain wig. This famous wig, originally owned by the Beggar's Benison club, was rumored to have been crafted from the pubic hairs of King Charles II's mistress.
Following a dispute among some of the Beggar's Benison members, the revered wig passed into the hands of the Wig Club, where it quickly became their treasured mascot. To keep the wig in good condition, every member contributed a hair from their own mistress, kissing the wig before adding their contribution to replace the fading strands.
The wig was so esteemed that it had its own personal attendant and had to be treated with due respect. The ceremony of locking the wig away marked the conclusion of a formal meeting.
3. The Fat Men’s Club
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Fat Men’s Clubs became a popular phenomenon across America. With the proud slogan, “We’re fat, and we’re making the most of it!” their motto was humorously: “I’ve got to be good-natured; I can’t fight, and I can’t run.”
To join, one had to weigh at least 90 kilograms (200 lbs), pay a $1 fee, and learn a secret handshake and password. The club gathered twice a year, indulging in massive feasts. At one such event in 1884, the president of the New York Fat Men’s Association allegedly gained 4 kilograms (8 lbs) just from the banquet.
Fat Men’s Clubs weren't just an American affair. In 1897, a French version called Les Cents Kilos was established, though it never gained popularity. Meanwhile, a Serbian branch was founded in Belgrade in 1932. In Britain, however, the rules had a peculiar twist: those who didn’t meet the weight requirement were fined.
2. The Molly Club
In 18th-century England, Molly Clubs (also known as Molly Houses) were establishments that catered to a male homosexual clientele. The term ‘Molly’ originally referred to a diminutive form of the name ‘Mary’ and was also used as slang for women engaged in the world’s oldest profession. Over time, it became associated with effeminate men.
By the early 1720s, London authorities had identified at least 20 such clubs and houses, mostly around Westminster. What set Molly Clubs apart was their peculiar practice of mock birth ceremonies, where a man would pretend to give birth to a baby. These ‘mock births’ were performed during Festival Nights at the end of December, though the reasons for such rituals remain unclear.
1. Not Terribly Good Club Of Great Britain
The Not Terribly Good Club of Great Britain was established in 1976 by journalist Stephen Pile. To join this club, all one needed was to demonstrate a single trait—ineptitude. Club meetings involved showcasing personal incompetence in various life skills, like making small talk or creating art.
A few years later, Stephen Pile authored a book about the club titled The Incomplete Book of Failures. It chronicled several tales of foolishness, such as ‘the worst tourist’ (the story of a man who spent two days in New York City, believing he was in Rome) and ‘the slowest crossword solution’ (a span of 34 years).
The book came with a membership application, and within two months, the club received a whopping 20,000 membership requests. This unexpected success was too much for a club built on incompetence, and true to its own principles, it had to disband.
