Thomas Midgley Jr., the Most Harmful Inventor in History
This post was originally published on this siteThomas Midgley Jr., born in 1889 in Dayton, Ohio, was an inventive American chemical engineer whose work profoundly […]
inventions
The Legal Battle of Robert Kearns, Who Invented the Intermittent Windshield Wiper, vs. Ford Motor Company
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1963, Robert Kearns, an engineer with a PhD, invented the intermittent windshield wiper. Inspired by the human […]
“Tot-Guard” Child Safety Car Seat Made by the Ford Motor Company
This post was originally published on this siteSeat belts may be all right for adults, but try keeping a squirming five-year-old child buckled up for […]
Civil War Veteran Samuel Decker Posing With Prosthetic Arms He Designed Himself, ca. 1867
This post was originally published on this siteSamuel H. Decker (1813–1894) was a Union artilleryman during the American Civil War who became famous for designing […]
Fences in London Made From World War II Stretchers Once Used to Carry Thousands of Wounded Civilians in the Blitz
This post was originally published on this siteDuring World War II about 600,000 steel stretchers were manufactured for use in the Blitz. They were used […]
Remember the Speaking Clock
This post was originally published on this siteA speaking clock or talking clock is a live or recorded human voice service, usually accessed by telephone, […]
Picking Up Golf Balls Off a Driving Range in Japan, 1956
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1956 Japan, before automation transformed the sport, collecting golf balls from a driving range was an exhausting […]
Give It a Rest!
This post was originally published on this siteOne of a pair, this interesting piece is made of clear glass, with two bulbous ends intricately cut […]
In the 1990s, Jatech Created a Disappearing Door System That Retracted Beneath the Car’s Body
This post was originally published on this siteJatech was a California-based design and technology firm that, in the early 1990s, developed a “disappearing car door” […]
The Story of Yoshitada and Fumiko Minami, the Inventors of the Automatic Rice Cooker
This post was originally published on this siteIn post–World War II Japan, cooking rice up to three times a day was an exhausting and labor-intensive […]
Couple Getting Some Worms From the Machine in Eastlake, Ohio, 1957
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1957, the worm vending machine emerged as a novel solution for anglers needing live bait. These machines, […]
The Treadmill Crane, a Human Powered Hoisting and Lowering Device
This post was originally published on this siteThe treadwheel crane (Latin: magna rota), also known as a walking wheel crane, is one of the most […]
Tractor-Cycle, Treaded Motorcycle Designed by French Inventor J. Lehaitre, ca. 1938
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1938, inventor J. Lehaitre introduced a fascinating innovation known as the Tractor-Cycle—a motorcycle equipped with a tractor-style […]
Nikola Tesla’s Foot on an X-ray Image Taken by Himself on a Device of His Own Design, 1896
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1896, Nikola Tesla used a machine of his own design to capture an X-ray image of his […]
The Invention of Precast Pipe in Canada in 1920
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1920, Canada witnessed a groundbreaking moment in construction history with the development of the first ready-made concrete […]
A Model-T Ford Modified to Navigate Flood Waters,1926
This post was originally published on this siteA Model-T Ford modified to navigate flood waters, possibly making it the world’s first Donk in 1926. The […]
Semie Moseley, Founder of the Mosrite Guitar Company, Posing With the First Mosrite Triple-Neck, ca. 1955
This post was originally published on this siteSemie Moseley (June 13, 1935 – August 7, 1992) started playing guitar in an evangelical group in Bakersfield, […]
Norwegian Bank Bus, 1959
This post was originally published on this siteA creative solution to bring financial services to people living in remote and sparsely populated areas. These buses […]
Flakpanzer, Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Tanks Developed By Nazi Germany During World War II
This post was originally published on this siteFlakpanzer is a German term for “anti-aircraft tanks” (“flak” is derived from Flugabwehrkanone, literally “aircraft defence cannon”; “panzer” […]
A Woman Placing a Dish of Food in Her Refrigerator, 1913
This post was originally published on this siteDOMELRE (an acronym of Domestic Electric Refrigerator) was one of the first domestic electrical refrigerators, invented by Frederick […]
Historical Photos of the Caproni Ca.60, Italy’s Failed Floating Triplane
This post was originally published on this siteThe Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo, often referred to as the Noviplano (nine-wing) or Capronissimo, was the prototype of a […]
The Rudge-Whitworth Canoe “Sidecar” From the 1920s
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1925 through 1927, the Rudge-Whitworth company introduced a line of touring accessories which have never been equaled […]
Who Else Grew Up With NOMA Bubble Lights on Their Christmas Trees?
This post was originally published on this siteBubble lights for Christmas decoration were first patented in the United States by Carl W. Otis in 1944 […]
Carriage Pulled by Heilmann Tractor, ca. 1898
This post was originally published on this siteEarly cars were naturally based on horse-drawn vehicles, but this design takes that philosophy further than most. The […]
In 1941, Henry Ford Built a Car with Exterior Made of Soybean Plastic
This post was originally published on this siteIn the early 1940s, Henry Ford experimented with making plastic parts for automobiles. These experiments resulted in what […]