Wild And Wacky Inventions!

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