Swimming Taught by Telephone, 1934
This post was originally published on this siteBy means of a special headset and transmitter, a San Francisco coach is teaching swimming via telephone in […]
inventions
Black Spray of Carbon, 1947
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1947, black spray of carbon is blown into the face of this industrial worker to test the […]
Occultus the Bearded Robot, a Clockwork Man That Can Talk and Sing, 1909
This post was originally published on this siteVery little is known other than a weird photo and article on a robot named Occultus or Barbarossa, […]
Underwater Socket Tested, 1941
This post was originally published on this siteA light socket which can be used under water without short-circuiting is shown here in the picture, in […]
Glass Case Protects Baby From Poison Gas, 1938
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1938, masked nurses clad in gasproof rubber garments are testing out the latest invention of war-fearing Europe. […]
Rack Protects Food From Poison Gas, 1940
This post was originally published on this siteSupplies of food and drink can be protected from contamination by poison gas in case of wartime air […]
1948 Davis Divan: The Three-Wheeled Sedan that Wheeled Itself Into Oblivion
This post was originally published on this siteThe history of auto design is filled with failed ideas and strange prototypes that never made it to […]
MetaWriter Software Vending Machine, 1983
This post was originally published on this siteWhen Nolan Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications, he agreed not to compete with the company for a […]
Masks Tested With Real Poison Gas, 1933
This post was originally published on this siteTempting death daily is the lot of a few daring men in a London laboratory, where a steel-walled […]
Fiat X1/23: The Concept of Child-Size Electric Car From 1972
This post was originally published on this siteThe Fiat X1/23 is a concept car originally shown in 1972 at the Turin Motor Show and in […]
Reducing Suits for Horse, 1950
This post was originally published on this siteHorses, as well as overweight humans, can trim off pounds by sunning in this plastic “silhouette” suit, which […]
Safety Belt Moors Baby in the Bathtub, 1939
This post was originally published on this siteIt’s dangerous to leave a small baby unattended in the bathtub, and yet, when the telephone rings or […]
Odd-Shaped Eyeglasses Express Personality, 1936
This post was originally published on this site“Individualized” eyeglasses are becoming a fad in England, and makers, departing from the convention that lenses and frames […]
February 2, 1852: The First Public Flushing Toilets Open in London
This post was originally published on this siteSited at 95 Fleet Street, next to the Society of Arts, the toilets were exclusively for gents. However, […]
1970 Ford Mustang Milano Concept, Purple Haze From Pony Car Past
This post was originally published on this siteIn the late 1960s leading into the 1970s, Ford was intent on coming up with an Italian influenced […]
Bike Keeps Family in Stitches, 1939
This post was originally published on this siteCarrying four persons and a sewing machine, the world’s weirdest bicycle had a tryout in Chicago, Illinois, in […]
Man-From-Mars Radio Hat, Kind of a 1949 iPod
This post was originally published on this siteThe radio hat was a portable radio built into a pith helmet that would bring in stations within […]
The de Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle: A One-Man Personal Helicopter From the 1950s
This post was originally published on this siteThe HZ-1 Aerocycle, also known as the YHO-2 and by the manufacturer’s designation DH-5 Aerocycle, was an American […]
For Not Crying Out Loud! (1942)
This post was originally published on this siteBecause every baby carriage needs a large sheet of glass built into it. Can’t see what could go […]
Muhammad Ali Enjoying Luxury Car Entertainment in 1960: An In-Car Vinyl Record Player
This post was originally published on this siteThe greatest of all-time boxing and cultural superhero Muhammad Ali had a record player installed in his 1960 Cadillac. […]
Cast-Off Shoes Make Tires for “Rough Rider” Bicycle, 1931
This post was originally published on this siteIf you don’t know what to do with your old shoes, here’s a suggestion—make bike wheels out of […]
Portable Auto Jail Houses Fugitive, 1936
This post was originally published on this siteA new style in portable “hoosegows” was set by an Oklahoma police official when he built a steel […]
Strange Shapes for Play, 1962
This post was originally published on this siteUnconventional and modern playground equipment has been developed in Ulm, Germany, by architect Joachim Kimpel in 1962. A […]
Behold the Iter Avto, the World’s First Automobile Navigator, Created in 1930
This post was originally published on this siteOf course, it didn’t have voice prompts and GPS, but we all need to start somewhere. The principle […]
An Automatic Tip Requester for the Chronically Shy, ca. 1955
This post was originally published on this siteWould you put money into that hand considering where it is coming from? (Photo by Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images) […]