John Edlund and His Life-Preserving Valise, 1915
When the Titanic sunk in 1912 south of Newfoundland, the world mourned the deaths of more than 1,500 people, and were outraged by the news that there were not enough lifeboats for all of the passengers on board. As a result, more stringent regulations were established for the number of safety vessels a ship had to carry. But a Canadian inventor had his own idea: passengers could carry their own personal lifeboats — in their suitcase. Continue reading »
Adhesive Bras: The Stick-On Bra Swimsuit that Was Quite Distinctive in 1949
Nina Leen/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images/Mashable.com
In May 1949, Charles L. Langs announced a daring innovation in beachwear: a pair of bra cups a woman could affix to her breasts with an adhesive. His idea was to use individual strapless cups for each breast, backed with specially developed glue. Continue reading »
12 Year Old Girl Invents An Adorable Teddy Bear That Hides IV Bags Making Infusions Less Scary To Children
Ella Casano, a 12 year old girl who has been receiving intravenous (IV) infusions for ITP since the age of seven, came up with the really brilliant idea that would make the experience less scary for other kids, the Medi Teddy. This clever invention is an adorable teddy bear that offers a friendly face to a child while hiding an IV bag in a mesh pouch in the bear’s back. Ella based the Medi Teddy on her own experience. Continue reading »
Pants For Men Only – Penis Pants By Eldridge Cleaver In The 1970s
Eldridge Cleaver has been an underrated figure in the Black Power Movement of the 1960s and 70s. He was the Minister of Information and Head of the International Section of the Black Panthers and he wrote the monumentally important book Soul On Ice. Plus he ran for President in 1968.
Also, he invented Penis Pants. Continue reading »
Max Factor’s Beauty Calibrator: A Beauty-Measuring Mask Analyzes Facial Flaws For Makeup From The 1930s
The beauty micrometer, also known as the beauty calibrator, was a device designed in the early 1930s to help in the identification of the areas of a person’s face which need to have their appearance reduced or enhanced by make-up. The inventors include famed beautician Max Factor, Sr. Continue reading »
The Isolator: This Insane Anti-Distraction Helmet From 1925 Would Fit Into Any Modern Open Office
Maybe you blame your smartphone or your open office for the fact that you can’t concentrate at work. But distraction isn’t exactly a new problem: In the 1920s, Hugo Gernsback published a design for a creepy-looking helmet that blocks out sound and vision so someone can focus on their work. As a writer, editor and inventor, he had a lot to do and no time for distractions. And yet, they lurked everywhere he looked. So, he created something he called “The Isolator”. Continue reading »
Artist’s Amazing Invention Offers Handicapped Children a Fun Way to Paint
From a young age, Dwayne Szot knew that he wanted to be a different kind of artist. “I knew growing up that I was never going to be this kind of art guy who put paintings on the wall in a museum,” Szot told The Huffington Post. “I wanted to be the kind of art guy who made something that was going to create social change – that was going to make a difference. And there’d be a usefulness to what I did as an artist.” Continue reading »
