Wild And Wacky Inventions!
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Millions of gadgets and gizmos are invented daily - However, only a lucky few are fortunate to actually get manufactured and even fewer are successful. Over the last 35 years, British author, Maurice Collins has made it his hobby and business to collect as many of these weird and wacky, albeit unsuccessful inventions, as he possibly can.
Over the years he has collected over 1,500 inventions, dating back to the 1920's. He says he has paid anywhere from a dime to six thousand USD for the gadgets. He recently lent fifty of his most favorite ones to the British LIbrary Business and Intellectual Property Center, for public display.
WRISTWATCH STYLE ROUTE FINDER
Among the ones on display is this wristwatch style device that would have been a GPS device had we had satellites in the 1920's. However, this cool looking device was truly the next best thing to one. It came with several maps, which had the routes drawn on them. After loading the right one in, the driver would manually scroll and unfold the map as he/she drove along, until the destination was reached.
ENVELOPE SEALER
Love to send out invites but don't like to lick those envelopes - Don't fret, this envelope sealer will do the job quite efficiently. Just crank the lever, and a roller will force the envelope to open, moisten it, while another roller will seal the envelope - no fuss-no muss!
MOUSTACHE PROTECTOR
Sipping tea or drinking soup gracefully is so difficult to do, especially when you have one of those distinguished moustaches - However, fear not - for this moustache mug or spoon protector will ensure that you will never have a 'milk moustache' again!
BURGLAR ALARM
Think the burglar alarm is a recent invention? Think again - This alarm invented in the 1820's, comprised of a clockwork mechanism that was wound up, with the upright lever set. The alarm was then placed near the door, with the spike pushed into the floor - if someone tried to break in, the lever would be pushed in, and the alarm would sound loudly, waking up the inhabitants of the household.
GLASSES WITH BATTERY POWERED LIGHTS
Out for a walk on a dark street? -These glasses with built-in lights are just the thing you need. Invented in the 1930's in the U.S.A, the only drawback to this great invention is the long wire that trailed behind and the danger of being electrocuted if it rained!
While none of these gizmos were successful, we think they are pretty cool and very useful indeed - What do you think? Be sure to add your comments below.
If you want to read about the rest of Maurice Collin's collections check out his two books - 'Eccentric Contraptions: And Amazing Gadgets, Gizmos and Thingambobs' and 'Ingenious Gadgets: Guess the Obscure Purposes of Over 100 Eccentric Contraptions'
Source: Telegraph.Co.Uk
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109 Comments
- g12over 12 yearsI think the moustache protector is better then the glass with battery power light becuase the moustache is more useful then the glass.why? Is becuse the glass you might use them only for if you won't to read a book in the night and it may be dark and you can not see or if you you get lost.stuff like that.that's why the moustache is better.
- g15over 12 yearsMason; I chose the burglar alarm because if someone tries to steal your stuff you want to keep that would not be good but it will wake you up before it gets stolen .
- g09over 12 yearsman the glasses whit the batery is so cool. wher can i git some.
- g01over 12 yearsI think the mustststash invention shold have been sold in stors.I think that the invention wuld be a good seler. Because wat if a fancy rich man did not wont to get milk in his mustststash. He could drenk out of the mustststash cup.Then he wuld not get milk in his mustststash.
- g02over 12 yearsthe glassis were not very smart at all they can kill some one you would be craze if you put on glasses that can kill you!
- g02over 12 yearsThe burglar alarm could have saved peoples lifes it would keep them from armed robers killing them so it was a grate invention. The GPS watch was a good and usful for road trips somebody made it 90 years later and got famous for it that is not right for the real maker of it how old was the person who made it. who made the watch (or) GPS ? The envelope sealer was a grate build to do it dose take longer to do it like that way just a waste time and money only ritch people would use that thing so i am done but face the facts some are good some are junk. : ]
- g11over 12 yearsI had a whole page of work like longer than Codys and Iwas typeing and it just disapperd
- g21over 12 yearsI think an envelope sealer would be very useful so we wouldn't have to lick the glue off the envelope. A moustache protector would be hullaryous, and I would like to see someone were one of those.
- g04over 12 yearsI think that the envelope sealer should have been sold ,because if you didnt want to lick the flap then it would be helpful to you.
- g16over 12 yearsI think that the alarm was a good idea bbecause if someone tryed to break in the lever would have been pushed in and the alarm would have set off.