Strange Inventions From The Past That We Wish Stuck Around
In the 1950s, we saw the invention of color tv, the pacemaker, and even Mr. Potato Head. Innovation was happening— it's just that some inventions were more successful than others. Technology has come a very long way over the last century, and there is no better proof of that than examining some of the insanely weird and stupid inventions of the 20th century.
Some of these inventions are strange, some are useless, and some are downright dangerous. Keep reading to see a hairbrush made specifically for bald people...
A Remote Controlled Lawnmower
Mowing your lawn can be hard work on a hot summer day. Nobody wants to be working on a weekend when they could be catching a tan and drinking lemonade in the sun. That's why someone came up with the brilliant idea to invent a remote-controlled lawnmower. What could possibly go wrong?
This whole thing just seems like a disaster waiting to happen. You just know that it's going to run over somebody's foot or the family pet.
A Face Umbrella
This device was marketed as a snowstorm mask. It was meant to replace umbrellas in the winter during periods of heavy snow. I guess it would keep rain and snow off of your face, but it's still going to get all over your head and clothes...
Also, it's pretty silly looking. These ladies look like Spy vs. Spy with those things on, and the one on the left kind of looks like Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter movies.
Dry Your Hair Even Faster
This one's great for those times when you need to blow dry your hair in five seconds. I have to hand it to the inventor of this crazy device — they really went out of their way to create one of the first “hands free” devices on the market. Apparently you need to sit on a tall table to use this thing.
Make A Cup of Coffee On The Go
Make coffee in your car? Sorry, but we have the Starbucks drive-thru for that now. This seemed like a good idea on the surface, but boiling hot coffee while flying around at 65 miles per hour is not smart. Pouring a cup of coffee while driving is also not a very good idea — remember the McDonald’s lawsuit?
A Motorcycle Boat?
Take a motorcycle, attach it to a boat for power. What could possibly go wrong? Well, not much, other than an engine flooding from water as waves hit the boat and perhaps some corrosive side effects. At the same time, it does look like a fun and unusual way to spend a little time on the lake.
A Neck Brush Or A Torture Device?
This device that looks like something out of a medieval dungeon was actually supposed to be a neck brush. Is was meant to clean children's necks. We weren't aware that you needed to brush your neck to get it clean. Face cloths have been doing the job for years. We know they're called face cloths, but they do work on necks as well.
This product was actually made after one mother requested it from a company. Who would ask for this monstrosity?
Now You Can Read In Bed!
Ok, so this invention might not be so bad. Is it weird? Absolutely. But we get the appeal. With these glasses, you can read in bed without ever having to lift up your head. It's the perfect invention for people who are lazy but also like to read. Now that's a ven diagram we'd like to see.
You can actually get glasses like these today. They didn't take off in the 50s, though. Apparently, consumers were not willing to pay for the ability to be this lazy.
Just What We've Always Wanted: Gas Powered Rollerskates
Gas-powered rollerskates actually sound super fun, but they also sound super dangerous. Besides the high speeds and the fact that this guy isn't wearing a helmet, having a full tank of gas strapped to your back just seems like a fire hazard.
This whole invention seems like an explosion waiting to happen. We're pretty sure this contraption would also be deemed illegal pretty quicky. There are safer, more efficient ways to get around. Nobody needs this death trap.
Plow Through Crowds With The People Shovel
How do you stop pedestrians from getting run over by cars in the old days? You attach a shovel to the front of the car. This idea didn’t catch on — maybe because it would actually give reason for drivers to scoop up passengers who got in their way. I have to admit I would love one of these in a snowstorm though.
Egg-Cuber For Fancy Getogethers
Before we had melon ballers and were putting avocado on literally everything, the big question at every dinner party was "why are my eggs so round?" Imagine those tv infomercials, where a family of five is just bumbling those lousy, round eggs all over the place. Thank God we have the Eggcuber, so we can hold our eggs with confidence.
Get Yourself A Robot That Answers Calls
A robot to screen your calls for you would be nice. Yet, having a robot in your house that looked like this one would be horrifying. Could you imagine walking downstairs and seeing this in the middle of your living room? No, thank you... I'll answer my own phone.
Try Destressing With A Portable Sauna
Next time you want to go camping in the woods or accidentally book a hotel without a sauna, you can bring along your own. The portable sauna was actually manufactured but probably fell out of style once saunas became available in almost every hotel.
Toilet Mask, 1875
No, it is not a mask to protect you from the toilet. It was invented for women to wear during the night so their skin would be brighter, smoother, and silkier when they woke up in the morning. It was invented by Madam Rowley in 1875. I would not want to wake up next to the person wearing that.
How About A Surfboard With A Motor?
This surfboard with a motor actually looks pretty cool. Hopefully, it is stable enough for the man in the suit not to fall over, because that would really ruin a commute to work. Otherwise, it is an interesting contraption.
Cyclomer, 1932
The cyclomer was designed to be a bicycle that could operate both on land and in the water. It featured four air floats and used fan blades to propel it forward once it was in the water. Pretty interesting concept, if it actually worked.
A Brush For Bald People
If you're going bald but you still have that awkward ring of hair around the side of your head, this is the brush for you. It comes with a smooth part that shines the top of your head while you brush the hair around the sides. This device is called the Brush & Shine, which is a fitting name for a thing that both brushes and shines.
Is it desirable to have a shiny head? Maybe it was in the '50s.
A Different Type Of Baby Character
Babies get heavy, and carrying them around gets even more difficult as the baby grows bigger. With this suspended baby carrier, now you can share the burden of carrying the baby. Hopefully, you and your partner are able to walk in sync so the baby doesn't fall out.
Piano for the Bedridden, 1935
If you were confined to a bed in 1935 you could still play the piano because of this invention. This is good because what else there to do in 1935 besides watch paint dry on the wall? Hopefully it was stable, because it looks pretty heavy.
Folding Bridge, 1926
Have you ever went to cross a river and thought "Oh crap, I forgot to pack my emergency folding bridge?" Well, people in 1926 did. The emergency folding bridge was invented to be portable. Who knows how well it worked, but it held these guys for a photo at least.
Ice Mask For Your Face
This ice mask was actually created by the famed Max Factor and it was targeted towards females in Hollywood. The idea was that by placing plastic ice cubes on the face, it could rejuvenate the skin while cooling down the wearer.
The Revolver Camera
Every time the trigger was pulled on this gun a photo was taken. The creators used this ad to show off some of the photos that had previously been taken. We’re a little concerned about the photo of the person in one of the examples. While the revolver camera didn’t become a huge hit, we are starting to see body cams on police officers so it wasn’t the worst idea on our list.
Radio Hat, 1931
Babies weren't the only ones who had portable radios. In 1931, the portable radio hat was invented. The hat looks like it could pose a danger around power lines and low-flying aircraft. It also seems like it would fall off of your head pretty easily.
Wooden Bathing Suits
These wooden bathing suits were an early attempt at something akin to water wings. Because wood is lightweight, it floats in water. These suits were supposed to make people more buoyant while swimming, which would, in turn, make swimming less tiring.
They never caught on with the public, though. Probably because they're really weird looking and nobody wants to wear wood. How would you even wash these things? How long would they take to dry?
An All-In-One Appliance
Back in the '50s, somebody thought it would be a good idea to invent an appliance that was a refrigerator, a sink, and a stovetop all in one. Yeah, this contraption would save you space in your kitchen, but it would also be a nightmare to use. How would the stove not heat up everything in the refrigerator? Also, if your sink leaks everything in your fridge is going to get wet.
Also, if you want to get anything out of your fridge while you're cooking you might end up burning yourself...
Get A Spray Tan On The Go
We really hope that this spray tan vending machine was located in a private place because you can't exactly get a spray tan with all of your clothes on. I mean, this could be placed near a beach where people are already walking around in bikinis, but if you're at the beach why would you need a spray tan?
Also, you kind of need to be able to reach your own back be able to successfully give yourself a spray tan, which I don't think anybody can actually do unless they're a contortionist.
Ahead Of Its Time
This automated shopping machine was meant to be an entire supermarket packaged as a vending machine. It was supposed to make groceries more accessible, so people could still do their shopping when the store was closed.
This idea is actually pretty interesting. In Japan, vending machines are everywhere. You probably could get all your grocery shopping done through vending machines over there. America still prefers to do their shopping in stores (or online). Amazon may have usurped this invention's place in the future.
An Upside Down Phonograph
Why? I understand that sometimes inventors do things just because they can, but unless you plan on using this phonograph in a zero gravity environment, is there really no reason to turn it upside down. This photograph of the invention doesn’t even really give a plausible reason for why you would ever need to turn one upside down.
The Atari Mindlink
Control your video game console with your mind. Because we should give gamers even less reason to call themselves athletes. The Mindlink required users to wear a special apparatus on their head. By squeezing and loosening their head muscles, they could move around a game’s characters.
A Mouse Repeller
This device meows like a cat to repel rodents. It was never proven to actually work. But this was actually a successful product for several years — proving that anyone will buy a product if they are told it works and if it’s shaped like a cat.
Old School VR
Who would have thought that virtual reality would be on people's minds before we even had color photos? Back when everyone had those big, boxy televisions that would take up half your living room despite its 14-inch screen, people were already looking for a way to make things smaller. So, we got these television glasses, which look totally ridiculous, and would take another half-century to catch on.
It's Called Fashion Sweetie
It's important to learn about our roots, and when it comes to swimming safety gear, this was the pinnacle of safety. These German teenagers went about creating something that would help them learn how to swim, which looks like the beginnings of today's modern lifejackets. They simply used bicycle tires and tied them up to use as a flotation device.
Walk The Dogs While Taking A Nice Drive
Back before doctors began telling us to exercise on a regular basis, people invented an easier way to walk the dogs. Just attach them to your car and take them for a walk. This seems extremely dangerous, which is probably why the idea never caught on.
Brooms For Tires
Back before street cleaners were a common convenience, dust and debris would get in the way of cars' tires. Even worse, nails and screws could puncture the wheels. What was the solution to this problem? Put brooms in front of the tires, of course. They just brush everything out of the way.
Another Strange Hair Dryer
Air drying your hair can take forever and women have had hair tools since the beginning of time (okay, that might be a slight exaggeration). This is a hair dryer that looks like it would push your hair straight down so it'd lay flat.
Baby Radio, 1921
The radio was extremely popular in 1921, so popular in fact that people even wanted to strap it to their baby buggies. This elaborate contraption was strapped to strollers so that babies could listen to the radio on the go. It was made to keep babies from crying.
Clip-on Ice Skates, 1936
When men walked to work in the 1930s, it could get pretty slippery, especially because their shoes didn't have much grip. The clip-on ice skates were invented in 1936 to help make commuting much easier. They probably went out of style because you can't exactly skate on snow
Motorized Bathtub, 1960
During the 1960s, a group of engineering students created a motorized bathtub. They attended the Surrey Technical College in Kingston, England. You have to admit, it is the perfect size to travel around town in.
Scalp Massager
If you ever wondered what 480 fingers on your head would feel like, this scalp massager has the answer. Every housewife deserves a good head massage after a long day of doing chores and it looks like the product developers delivered with this one.
A Gadget to Measure Pain Felt by Fruit and Vegetables
Have you ever wondered how much pain your fruit and vegetables are in? Certainly, it is on your mind as you dice them up for fruit salad. Even if it isn't, you'll start wondering now that you've seen this odd invention to measure a banana or apple's "feelings."
Well, this Electrometer was designed to measure exactly how much pain they were in. Interesting? Yes. Did it really work? We'll let you be the judge.
Krummlauf, 1943
The Krummlauf was a Nazi invention during WWII. Basically the goal was to curve bullets so soldiers could shoot from around corners or from undercover. It's a nice idea but anyone who understands the mechanics would quickly realize that it's a total failure.
When the gun would fire, the bullet would put too much stress on the barrel, causing the gun not to work. We're glad this didn't end up working too because it would have taken even more lives.