27 of Humanity’s Strangest Inventions
By Maria Popova
“If at first an idea is not absurd,” Albert Einstein famously said, “then there is no hope for it.” Sometimes, however, absurd is just absurd — yet, even so, it’s a fascinating slice of history’s collective direction of curiosity and experimental innovation. After those vintage versions of modern social media and yesteryear’s visions for the future of technology, here come some of history’s most weird and wonderful inventions, from wooden swimwear to spectacles for reading in bed, captured in archival public domain images by Holland’s Nationaal Archief.
Germany, 1925
Workers operated the so-called bucket dredger with their arms and legs using stepper boards. The machine is a small model, but whether it was actually realized is unknown.
Invented by Italian M. Goventosa de Udine; maximum speed: 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph).
This land-and-water bike can carry a load of 120 pounds; Paris, 1932
This all-terrain car can descend slopes up to 65 degrees; England, 1936.
Stroller equipped with a radio, including antenna and loudspeaker, to keep the baby quiet; USA, 1921.
Wooden bathing suits, supposed to make swimming a lot easier; Hoquiam, Washington, USA, 1929
In the 17th century, it was so cold that meteorologists spoke of a Little Ice Age. The ice sailboat addressed the challenge of transporting goods over frozen lakes and rivers. Designed by A. Terrier, January 17, 1600
Portable radio in a straw hat, made by an American inventor in 1931
A windmill for draining wetlands, lightweight enough to function in marshy areas. It was designed by C.D. Muys in 1589 but was never built.
Demonstration by NYPD’s finest shooter, 1931
In 1936, inventor R. Handl came up with the movable heel plate, but it wasn’t until 1996 that this concept revolutionized skating.
Built by an unknown French engineer in 1934.
Piano especially designed for people confined to bedrest; Great Britain, 1935
A pair of spectacles especially designed for reading in bed; England, 1936
Electrically heated vest, developed for the traffic police in the United States, 1932. The power is supplied by electric contacts in the street.
A turntable linked to a film projector. It comes with single, dual and triple turntable. Designed by F.B.A. Prinsen, 1929
Invented for the purpose of ‘reducing the number of casualties among pedestrians;’ Paris, 1924
1912
Yesteryear’s TomTom, a rolling key map that passes through the screen in a tempo determined by the speed of the car; 1932
The emergency bridge can easily be transported on a handcart; invented by L. Deth. The Netherlands, 1926
Drawing of a ‘pneumatic sports- fish and hunt boat,’ an inflatable boat for one person with boots attached; The Netherlands, 1915
In 1938, the world’s first wireless newspaper was sent from WOR radio station in New York City. In this photo, children are reading the children’s page of a Missouri paper.
Plastic face protection from snowstorms. Canada, Montreal, 1939
A wartime stroller equipped with gas protection; England, Hextable, 1938
A Colt 38 carrying a small camera that automatically takes a picture when you pull the trigger. At the left: six pictures taken by the camera. New York, 1938.
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Published March 21, 2012
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https://www.themarginalian.org/2012/03/21/strange-invetions/
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