27 Fascinating Inventions From The Past

#1. One-wheel motorcycle

One-wheel motorcycle
Germany, 1925

#2. Manual dredger

Manual dredger
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.

#3. Bike tyre used as a swimming aid

Bike tyre used as a swimming aid
Invented by Italian M. Goventosa de Udine; maximum speed: 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph).

#4. Steam automobile design circa 1845

Steam automobile design circa 1845

#5. Amphibious bicycle

Amphibious bicycle
This land-and-water bike can carry a load of 120 pounds; Paris, 1932

#6. All-terrain car

All-terrain car
This all-terrain car can descend slopes up to 65 degrees; England, 1936.

#7. Radio stroller

Radio stroller
Stroller equipped with a radio, including antenna and loudspeaker, to keep the baby quiet; USA, 1921.

#8. Wooden bathing suits

Wooden bathing suits
Wooden bathing suits, supposed to make swimming a lot easier; Hoquiam, Washington, USA, 1929

#9. Ice sailboat

Ice sailboat
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

#10. Radio hat

Radio hat
Portable radio in a straw hat, made by an American inventor in 1931

#11. Wetlands windmill

Wetlands windmill
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.

#12. Bulletproof glass

Bulletproof glass
Demonstration by NYPD’s finest shooter, 1931

#13. Clap skate

Clap skate
In 1936, inventor R. Handl came up with the movable heel plate, but it wasn’t until 1996 that this concept revolutionized skating.

#14. Extensible caravan

Extensible caravan
Built by an unknown French engineer in 1934.

#15. Piano for the bedridden

Piano for the bedridden
Piano especially designed for people confined to bedrest; Great Britain, 1935

#16. Hamblin glasses for reading in bed

Hamblin glasses for reading in bed
A pair of spectacles especially designed for reading in bed; England, 1936

#17. Electrically heated jacket

Electrically heated jacket
Electrically heated vest, developed for the traffic police in the United States, 1932. The power is supplied by electric contacts in the street.

#18. Loetafoon

Loetafoon
A turntable linked to a film projector. It comes with single, dual and triple turntable. Designed by F.B.A. Prinsen, 1929

#19. Car with shovel for pedestrians

Car with shovel for pedestrians
Invented for the purpose of ‘reducing the number of casualties among pedestrians;’ Paris, 1924

#20. Hearing light for the blind

Hearing light for the blind
1912

#21. Early GPS

Early GPS
Yesteryear’s TomTom, a rolling key map that passes through the screen in a tempo determined by the speed of the car; 1932

#22. Folding bridge for emergencies

Folding bridge for emergencies
The emergency bridge can easily be transported on a handcart; invented by L. Deth. The Netherlands, 1926

#23. Booted rubber boat

Booted rubber boat
Drawing of a ‘pneumatic sports- fish and hunt boat,’ an inflatable boat for one person with boots attached; The Netherlands, 1915

#24. Faxed newspaper

Faxed newspaper
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.

#25. Snowstorm mask

Snowstorm mask
Plastic face protection from snowstorms. Canada, Montreal, 1939

#26. Gas-resistant stroller

Gas-resistant stroller
A wartime stroller equipped with gas protection; England, Hextable, 1938

#27. Revolver camera

Revolver camera
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.

You May Also Like