Inventions
Moving Advertisements for Devices and Vehicles
Are you tired of screens at the gas pumps that flash ads? Or perhaps screens on buses and taxis that display same? You can perhaps blame Elias Atherton Lyon, who patented such a notion in 1910.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 30, 2022 -
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Category: Inventions, Patents, Advertising, 1910s
Screaming Roomba
Here's an oldie but goodie (24 million views) that you might not have seen before, inspired by Alex's Atomic Vacuum Cleaner post.Caution: many, many swears.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 28, 2022 -
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Category: Anthropomorphism, Domestic, Inventions, Swears
Spanking Toy
Although cats are featured in the drawing, the inventor wants you to know the figures may be generalized to other animals or humans.The patent is here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 27, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Inventions, Patents, Toys, Sadism, Cruelty, Punishment, and Torture, 1900s
The Rotor Corres-File
This reminds me of the days when I used to have a filing cabinet. That now marks me as an old-timer.
Richmond Times Dispatch - Mar 15, 1953
Pittsburgh Press - Jul 20, 1952
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 25, 2022 -
Comments (7)
Category: Inventions, Offices, Business Supplies, Institutional Regulations, 1950s
Portable Oasis
The "portable oasis" of Belgian artist Alain Verschueren consists of a small, plexiglass greenhouse that he wears over his head. He came up with the idea around 2005, but only got attention for it in 2020, due to Covid, when he began wearing it around town instead of a mask.More info: Alain Verschueren, Reuters
I'll give Verschueren the benefit of the doubt and assume he wasn't aware of Waldemar Anguita's "greenhouse helmet," patented in 1986. The two ideas are basically identical.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jul 24, 2022 -
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Category: Art, Inventions, Patents
Combined Oscillator, Go-Cart, Sled and Step-Ladder
Sometimes you want to rock, sometimes you want to roll, sometimes you want to slide, and sometimes you want to climb.Full patent here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 10, 2022 -
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Category: Inventions, Children, 1900s
Word-Counter for Typewriters
Any user today of word-processing software knows instantly how many words a document contains. Could similar information be obtained for a typewritten document? Certainly!The US Patent Office features several documents for similar devices, but I'm not sure they were ever produced. They had the theoretical advantage of also being hooked to various punctuation keys, so that when you hit such a key, the counter would also recognize the end of a word, as well as with the space bar.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jul 04, 2022 -
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Category: Inventions, Offices, Business Supplies, Institutional Regulations, 1930s
Bernard Bernard’s Height Increaser For Short People
"The patient lifted himself by the chin which was cradled in a sling attached to ropes looped to an overhead beam."In 1937, the American Medical Association warned the public that this device, despite being widely advertised, didn't actually work.
The Muncie Star Press - Apr 9, 1937
Update: The inventor of this device was a man named Bernard Bernard who was, himself, only 5 feet 1 inch tall. Details from Hygeia (May 1936):
LA Times - July 31, 1932
LA Times - May 1, 1930
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jul 02, 2022 -
Comments (8)
Category: Inventions, Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, 1930s
Triple-Bristle Toothbrush
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 07, 2022 -
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Category: Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Hygiene, Inventions, Chindogu, Teeth
The Ross Unicycle
The birth of the Monowheel? See videos below.The patent is here.
From SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 04, 2022 -
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Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Inventions, Nineteenth Century
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |