Richter’s Rocket Bike: When a daredevil attached rockets to his bicycle, 1930s
This post was originally published on this siteIn pre-war Germany in the 1930s, there was great interest in all kinds of rocket-propelled vehicles; cars, airplanes, […]
technology
Fascinating vintage TV set ads from the 1950s
This post was originally published on this siteTelevision was introduced to Americans in 1939 and began to gain a foothold after the Second World War. […]
The Antarctic Snow Cruiser: Historical photos of an one-of-a-kind vehicle that turned out to be a colossal failure, 1939-1940
This post was originally published on this siteThe Antarctic Snow Cruiser was developed under the direction of famed explorer Admiral Richard Byrd and it was […]
Vintage computer ads that show how far we’ve progressed, 1970-1990
This post was originally published on this siteIt’s quite fascinating to read the vintage magazine adverts because nothing gets old faster than technology news and […]
V-Mail: The WWII program that scanned letters onto microfilm, 1942-1945
This post was originally published on this siteDuring World War II, letters were essential for soldiers and sailors stationed overseas. The average soldier wrote six […]
Vintage pictures of bizarre vending machines you never knew existed, 1920-1960
This post was originally published on this siteThis collection of photographs shows some of the world’s oldest and oddest vending machines. Nowadays almost anything imaginable […]
Vintage photos inside the shipyards where the revolutionary steamships were built, 1860-1900
This post was originally published on this siteDuring the rule of Queen Victoria (1837 1901), the British shipbuilding industry experienced great strides. Especially after the […]
The bizarre Monowheel seen through vintage photographs, 1930-1940
This post was originally published on this siteBetween the 1860s and 1930s, the monowheel (also referred to as a monocycle) was frequently suggested as a […]
Vintage devices of birth control that look appalling, 500 BCE-1970s
This post was originally published on this siteAlthough the birth control pill and other hormonal contraceptive devices are modern inventions, birth control forms have been […]
Schlörwagen: The bizarre German car that was super-aerodynamic but very impractical, 1939
This post was originally published on this siteThe 1930s was a defining decade for automotive design, during which time the car evolved from its horse-drawn […]
The story of the Radio Hat, 1949
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1949, Victor Hoeflich held a press conference to introduce the “Man from Mars, Radio Hat”. Hoeflich knew […]
A lie detector for the power of kisses, 1939
This post was originally published on this siteLie detector tests have become a popular cultural icon — from crime dramas to comedies to advertisements — […]
When the early hairdryers looked like crazy robots, 1910-1930
This post was originally published on this siteBlow dryers were invented in the late 19th century. The first model was created by Alexander F. “Beau” […]
Keedoozle: America’s first fully automated store, 1949
This post was originally published on this siteKeedoozle was the first fully automated grocery store in the United States; a most futuristic shopping experience that […]
The construction of Panama Canal in rare pictures, 1881-1914
This post was originally published on this siteThe Panama Canal idea goes back to the 16th century. After understanding the riches of Peru, Ecuador, and […]
The huge mobile phones of the old days, 1970-1990
This post was originally published on this siteThe history of proto mobile phones goes back to 1908 when a US Patent was issued in Kentucky […]
The story in pictures of the massive Hughes H-4 Hercules, 1945-1947
This post was originally published on this siteThe largest wooden airplane ever constructed, and flown only one time, the H-4 Hercules (nicknamed Spruce Goose) represents […]
The New York World’s Fair of 1964
This post was originally published on this siteAs a sequel to the successful 1939 New York World’s Fair, the second World’s Fair opened on April […]
When Boston was hit by a bizarre deadly wave of molasses, 1919
This post was originally published on this siteOn January 15th, 1919, in what was probably the most bizarre disaster in United States’ history, a storage […]
The weird history of flying cars, 1920-1970
This post was originally published on this siteEver since the car was invented, man has dreamt of taking it to the skies. The idea of […]
Creating Concorde, the first supersonic passenger jet, 1964-1969
This post was originally published on this siteThe Anglo-French Concorde was co-developed by BAC, a forerunner of BAE Systems, and Aerospatiale, now a part of […]
Inside the revolutionary Bell Labs Datacenter, 1960s
This post was originally published on this siteSince the early 1900s Bell Telephone Laboratories, or Bell Labs, has been a major source of technological experimentation […]
The golden age of the video rental store, 1970-1990
This post was originally published on this siteBefore video stores, movies were solely watched in theaters, leaving studios hesitant to embrace video technology and video […]
Spectacular photochrom postcards capture France in vibrant color, 1890-1900
This post was originally published on this siteThese spectacular postcards of France in the last years of the 19th century offer a rare glimpse of […]
Producing the “People’s Car” of Germany, 1945-1960
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1933 Adolf Hitler commissioned automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche to develop a “People’s Car” (literally a VolksWagen). The […]