As we’ve discussed elsewhere on this site, LIFE magazine for many years published a popular feature called Miscellany—“a back-of-the-magazine institution,” as one of LIFE’s editors once characterized it, that always featured a full-page photograph of . . . well, of almost anything. Merriam-Webster defines miscellany as “a mixture of various things,” and across the decades LIFE’s version routinely presented readers with photographs of inexplicable natural phenomena; animals with unusual talents, or creatures that had got themselves into some sort of terrible mess; people in bizarre or humorous situations; head-scratching optical illusions, and the like.
Here, LIFE.com offers the first edition of what will eventually become an entire series of galleries paying fond tribute to Miscellany. We start in 1952, the year that the feature launched in the magazine; subsequent entries in the series will feature our favorite pictures from other years, as well as occasional “themed” Miscellany galleries.
We hope you like it. Variety, after all, is the spice of LIFE.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com