The Rigsby Electric Machinegun

Ahead of its time.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 14, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Inventions, 1930s, Weapons

Combined Suspenders and Garters

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 30, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Fashion, Inventions, Nineteenth Century

The Taylor Aerocar

Wikipedia article here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 27, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Air Travel and Airlines, Twentieth Century, Cars

Shoes with Hinged Soles

There must be a good reason why, for millennia now, all shoes have come with unibody-construction soles. But Robert M. Lyden thought differently.

Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 17, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Body, Inventions, Patents, Shoes, 1990s

Trapdoor for bank tellers

I'm aware of quite a few inventions designed to trap or incapacitate bank robbers. But the idea of allowing a bank teller to abruptly vanish is more novel.

Of course, this approach could only work if there was a single teller working, and hopefully no other customers in the bank.

I was curious whether this bank with the cashier trapdoor might still exist, but I had no luck finding its address. I did find that it was acquired by another bank in 1948. So it was probably demolished long ago.

Hagerstown Morning Herald - Aug 9, 1932

Posted By: Alex - Mon Nov 28, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Crime, Inventions, Money, 1930s

Hair Coloring Calculator

Pity the poor inventor of the 1980s, who had a notion for something not supported by the clunky digital tech of that era. This elaborate device is today just a free app.

Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 25, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Patents, 1980s, Hair and Hairstyling

Mystery Gadget 103

What's this device do?

The answer is at the link.

Or beyond the jump.





More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 14, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Inventions, Nineteenth Century

The Orukter Amphibolos

We've seen many amphibious vehicles at WU, but mostly from the 20th century. Here's one of the earliest, from 1804.

Wikipedia page of the inventor, Oliver Evans.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 04, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Inventions, Motor Vehicles, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Nineteenth Century

Goat-mobile

Not only bucks, but bleats! The inventor's predilection for a goat figure definitely NOT Satanic!

Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 22, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Inventions, Patents, Toys, Nineteenth Century

The Pug Anti-Bandit Bag

Inventor John Rinfret debuted his "Pug Anti-Bandit Bag" in 1963. His idea was that, if attacked, you could activate a spring that would forcefully eject all the contents from the bag. The attacker would be so shocked that he would run away. At least, that was the theory.

From what I can gather, Rinfret hoped to rent his anti-bandit bags to companies that used couriers to carry important documents or money. He definitely put a lot of work into promoting his invention. He even came out with a new and improved version of the bag the following year. But evidently few companies were interested in using his bag.

Possible reasons why: 1) a bandit might pick up the money instead of running away; or 2) what if the spring was activated by accident, spraying money everywhere?

London Daily Telegraph - Aug 28, 1963

Rinfret demonstrates his anti-bandit bag (August 27, 1963). Source: Getty Images

London Evening Standard - Aug 27, 1963

London Daily Telegraph - Sep 25, 1963

Personnel Management and Methods - April 1964

Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 09, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Crime, Inventions, 1960s