Cool Inventions

1. Mr. Ted Spence, engineer of the Los Angeles Brush Manufacturing Corp., demonstrates the newHairline Brush in Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 12, 1950. The brush is constructed to fit a bald head's contour, with bristles for brushing the sideburn area and a felt pad to gently massage the exposed scalp on the top. .....

Smog Experiment

2. Betty Cook, a lab assistant at the Stanford Research Institute, is shown taking ablink test as part of a project to study smog in Stanford, Calif. April 27, 1949. The test gauges eye irritation through photoelectric cells which record each blink of the eyes. The plastic helmet is filled with measured amounts of smog. Mrs. Cook wears glassless goggles which act as blink recorders. She reads a book to give uniform reaction conditions.The smog proje .....

Snail Pacer

3. Ten year old Martin Witter watches two snails from histeam go through their rounds during a trial race in his home in Lynwood, Calif., Oct. 1, 1954. Martin has formed, what he claims to be, the only snail stable in the country. Every afternoon the snails are awakened for their trial runs by being placed in the sun. As the sunshine begins to penetrate their shells, the mollusks come to life. On top of the racing snail's shell, Martin has glued a t .....

Vending Machine For Tanning

4. Model Betty Dutter demonstrates how the spray nozzle is held of the new Sun Tan Lotion dispenser at the Annual Vending Machine Convention in Chicago, Ill., Jan. 19, 1949. A 30 second spray job can be had for a dime. It is designed for use at pools, beaches and tennis courts. It is a product of the Star Manufacturing Co. .....

Horse Gas Mask

5. A docile horse wears a gas mask as a precaution against gas attacks, on March 27, 1940. It was developed byOur Dumb Friends League, a humane society in London, England. .....

Flying on the Ground

6. Albert H. Luke, center, instructor at the Sheil School, advises a student as she operates the controls of pre flight trainer called thePenguin in Chicago, Ill., July, 25, 1945. The penguin gives flight students the basicfeel of flying without leaving the ground. Luke says that a student is often able to take off in a real plane after finishing the pre flight penguin training. .....

Records While You Roll

7. A young woman demonstrates theAuto Minion, a new German record player which can be attached to the dashboard of a car, at the International Industrial Fair in Hannover, West Germany, May 12, 1959. The player is fully automatic and works simply by placing a 45 rpm record in the slot. It is made by the German Phillips Company. .....

Upside Down Phonograph

8. Even upside down, a stereophonic turntable continues to play and hold the interest of Helen Sorowitz, a visitor to the New York High Fidelity Show in New York, Sept, 9, 1960. .....

Neck Brush

9. Five year old Tim Gregory wears, under protest, a brush that cleans a child's neck without the use of soap and water in Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 12, 1950. The plastic collar brush will dry clean the youngster's neck thoroughly as he plays. The brush was developed by the Los Angeles Brush Corp. at a mother's suggestion. .....

Pipe For Two

10. George Braunsdorf, left, 6 feet 4 inches and Joe Damone, 5 feet 1 inch, demonstrate a pipe called theDouble Ender in New York, June 2, 1949. According to its manufacturer, the pipe was designed as a means of conserving tobacco by a couple of pipe smokers down on their luck, or, sharing a smoke at a ball game. .....

Nuclear Bomb Shelter

11. Beverly Wysocki, at top, and Marie Graskamp, at side, emerge from a new family type bomb shelter on display in Milwaukee, Wis., Sept. 12, 1958. The shelter was designed by Thomas Villa, a Milwaukee architect. It is 8 feet by 8 feet by 14 feet 8 inches high, and can hold 8 to 12 persons in an emergency. It can be buried in the earth for added protection. Covered with three feet of earth, it is said that the shelter would be safe to within three qu .....

Pain Free Spanking

12. For fathers who can't bear to hurt the young one when he needs a spanking, this brush with rubber bands replacing the bristles is offered by the Los Angeles Brush Corp. in Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 12, 1950. The idea was suggested by a Montana father who balked at the conventional type hairbrush. .....

Hanging TV Stand

13. A portable television set can be raised or lowered to any height with this new stand, demonstrated by Carol Smith at the China Glass and Gift Market in Chicago, Ill., Feb. 6, 1963. The stand, designed to hold a 19 inch TV set, is brass plated and lacquered, with chains and hooks to carry the set. .....

Driving Under Hypnosis

14. Hypnotist Henry Blythe, gives his daughter Sally, 17, advice before she starts a driving lesson at Torquay, England, Jan 15, 1960. Blythe says he hypnotizes her as he has some 40 other new drivers, all of whom have passed their test. Sally has not yet taken her test. .....

Early Video Dating

15. Visitors to the Radio and Television Fair in Frankfurt, West Germany, Aug. 21, 1957, use a TV telephone to communicate with each other. Phones used for calls are linked to four TV sets and two cameras so each person can see a picture of himself and the person he is talking to. .....

Hi Fi Television

16. This combination hi fi and television console was exhibited at the High Fidelity Music Show in New York, on Oct. 9, 1959. The wing section, which swivels in any direction, houses a 21 inch TV set and a full range hi fi stereo speaker system. The sides of the long cabinet repeat the angles of the wing section. A drop door conceals the equipment. The console is namedFantasia and is manufactured by Arkay. .....

Family Drive

17. To keep the kids happy when out driving, Jack Fletcher, designer at 21st Century Home, has installed three miniature steering wheels and a plastic windshield in their car at West Covina, Calif., Jan. 4, 1955. In the car are Joan Fletcher, left front, Jack Fletcher, right front and in the backseat are Johnny, 21 mos., Janie, 3yrs. and Ricky, 21 mos. .....

Power Mower Deluxe

18. ThePower Mower of the Future is demonstrated in Port Washington, Wis., Oct 14, 1957. The lawnmower has a five foot diameter plastic sphere in which the rider sits on an air foam cushioned seat. It has its own electric generating system for operating running lights, a radio telephone, air conditioning and even a cooling system to provide a chilled drink on a hot day. It can be used for many purposes. It can mow the lawn, weed it, feed it, seed it, .....

Amphibious Car

19. Karl Baier, at wheel, and a passenger, test out the new midget amphibious car that was developed by Baier in West Berlin, Germany. Jan. 22, 1952. Baier has simplified construction of the vehicle so that the motor, steering system, gear case, clutch, all cables and even the brakes are inside the body. .....

Motorcycle Plane

20. Eric Kemp, an aircraft engineer from Melbourne, Australia, tests his motorcycle, of unusual design, on a Melbourne road, Sept. 23, 1957. Kemp was inspired by his plane designing skill to create this motorcycle. .....

Motorized Scooter

21. Linda Mason sails along on an motorized scooter called theMcCoy Sportsman in Hollywood, Calif., March 14, 1949. When given a slight push, the Sportsman travels at 8 mph with a 120 pound passenger aboard. .....

Plastic Car

22. Flanked by his two daughters, Egon Bruetsch sits in his new three wheel car for which he developed a plastic body in Stuttgart, Germany, Oct. 10, 1954. He claims it weighs only half as much as a normal metal body. The car seats three persons. .....

Robot Commando Toy

23. Toy designer Marvin Glass, of Chicago, issues an order to theRobot Commando Soldier in a preview of Christmas toy designs in New York, March 10, 1961. The robot shoots rockets and can be controlled by voice through an attached microphone. Glass says,I'm trying to develop a concept of toys that a child can actually participate in, that will allow some expression of the dynamism of his personality. .....

Artificial Brain

24. A giant electrified model of the human brain's control system is demonstrated by Dr. A.G. Macleod, at the meeting of the American Medical Association in New York, June 26, 1961. Macleod is the coordinator for its development by a pharmaceutical company. The maze of twisting tubes and blinking lights traces the way the brain receives information and turns it into thought and then action. .....

First ATM

25. This newbanking machine was displayed for the first time at the American Bankers Association annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 25, 1966. Banks of the future may havetellers installed in office and apartment house lobbies. Richard Glyer demonstrates how to deposit a check in one. Through the medium of automation he can talk to a teller whom he sees on the television screen. She will answer his questions, cash checks and issue currency .....

Filing Made Simple

26. Jane Martin remains seated andgets her filing done using theCorresfile electric/hydraulic lift and circular file system at the Office and Management Association's 11th Annual Seminar and Business Show in Chicago, Ill., March 6, 1953. The electrically operated hydraulic lift raises a person from floor level to five feet alongside a circular file. The circular file has six shelves and each holds the equivalent of three file drawers. The Corresfile .....

New Cigarette Lighter

27. A young man demonstrates a new type of cigarette lighter which does not use a flint or wick and is not much bigger than a cigarette. It was exhibited for the first time at the Frankfurt Autumn Fair in Frankfurt, West Germany, Sept. 20, 1950. The lighter is fully automatic and smokers need only to unscrew the left end of the lighter and touch the other end to the cigarette. The new gadget is filled with a special liquid called Vulcanit and manufac .....

The Kuba Komet

28. A television screen is inset into an avant garde cabinet for canned music called theKuba Komet at the Radio and Television Exhibition in Frankfurt, West Germany, Aug. 5, 1957. As well as the television set, the Komet houses a radio, a record player and a tape recorder. The upper part of the assembly swings on a vertical axis to face any direction. .....

Infra Red Lamp

29. Marion Liebig, Miss Hesse 1959, keeps warm under the artificial sunshine of an infra red lamp in a snow covered park in Wiesbaden, Germany, Jan. 18, 1960. The shivering bystander standing nearby is unidentified. The lamp, shown at the nearby sporting goods fair, is powered by bottled gas. .....

Separate TV Screen

30. The world's first separate television screen and receiver was presented by James M. Skinner Jr., left, President of Philco Corporation, the developer and manufacturer of the set, to W. Laurance Lepage, President of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 11, 1958. This set will be placed in the Benjamin Franklin Hall of the Institute for public display. .....

Aquaplane Debut

31. Model Diane Dorsey demonstrates the new motorizedAquaplane, which was put on display for the first time at the Inventor's Convention in Los Angeles, Calif., Dec. 5, 1938. The craft is powered by a four horsepower motor, which inventor Raymond Strawn says will function even when submerged, and carries two gallons of gasoline, enough for a 25 mile cruise. .....

Lincoln Tunnel Catwalk Car

32. A Port Authority officer demonstrates a self propelled catwalk car near the Manhattan end of the Lincoln Tunnel in New York, Aug. 25, 1960. The demonstration was held in a 2,200 ft. section of the 8,000 ft. tunnel, which connects New York City with New Jersey. The car was intended to hasten traffic supervision and bottleneck relief. .....

Gas Station Architecture

33. Pictured is a swooping roof design at a national service station in Retford, England, Sept. 22, 1961. Technically known as a hyperbolic derabold structure, the reinforced concrete roof weighs about 90 tons. There will be a motel, a restaurant and a repair section on the site when the station is completed. .....

Early Television

34. Peewee, a toy Boston Bulldog, appears to recognize the features of his owner, Doris Brownlee, who is getting a television test in San Francisco, Calif., March 1, 1938. This is a type of home receiving cabinet being experimented on in the San Fransisco laboratory of the Farnsworth Television Company. The man at left is unidentified. .....

Oversized Hamilton Beach Mixette

35. An oversized Hamilton BeachMixette is presented at a convention in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 11, 1960. .....

Police Armor

36. Detroit policemen demonstrate steel armament designed for use in combating riot crowds and barricaded gunmen in Detroit, Mich., Jan. 18, 1956. The armament will soon become available at all precincts. .....

Dating Service

37. Alfred Mederer, 27, a newsreel photographer on the lookout for a mate, watches Siglinde Fendt, 19, on the screen in the privacy of theEthos Studio in Munich, Germany, Feb. 3, 1952. .....

Cigarette Lighter

38. A new type of cigarette lighter for car smokers is this Safe T Lite, which was recently announced by its manufacturer in Los Angeles, Calif., Oct. 1, 1950. The driver drops a cigarette into a conventional opening, and pushes a button located on the side. The button pops up to indicate that the cigarette is lit and ready to be smoked. The entire process can be done without taking one's eyes off the road. .....

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

39. Robert May, a Chicago advertising writer, places his hand on his creationRudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in front of his home in Skokie, Ill., Dec. 19, 1949. May dreamed upRudolph in 1939, at the request of his boss. The firm used the character as a Christmas promotion. .....

Braun Loudspeaker

40. A young woman demonstrates a new type of loudspeaker, right, shown at the German Radio Exhibition in Frankfurt, West Germany, Aug. 14, 1959. The loudspeaker works on the basis of metal foils oscillating between electrodes. Makers say the tone range is much wider than that of the usual membrane loudspeaker. At left, radio and record player units feed the loudspeaker. The makers is Firma Max Braun. .....

Plexiglas Dome

41. Model Gladys McDaniel endows this exhibit of molded plexiglas with a bit of glamor during the third annual meeting of the Society of Plastics Engineers in Chicago, Ill., Feb 2, 1947. The transparent product was made into this dome shaped object by the Fabri Form Co. of Byesville, Ohio and is used in the manufacturing of airplanes. .....

Belly Tank Hot Rod

42. Colleen Townsend, selectedMiss Safety First by the Southern California Timing Association, poses in a streamlined car, made from an airplane belly tank mounted on a Ford frame in Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 21, 1948. The car, built by Bill Burke, is powered by an inverted Mercury Motor, mounted in the tail, and has been clocked at better than 139 miles per hour. It will be featured in the First Annual Hot Rod Show here Jan. 23 25. .....

Hot Rod Monster

43. Art Arfons of Akron, Ohio, wears a monstrous outfit as he checks on new equipment on his dragster namedGreen Monster, in Los Angeles Calif., July 27, 1959. Arfons was in Los Angeles for pre meet warm ups for the 1959 National Championship Drag Races in Detroit on Sept. 3 7. His dragster, known as one of the most powerful, is one of 750 hybrid cars entered in the races sponsored by the National Hot Rod Association. .....

Gas Station Architecture second

44. Pictured is a swooping roof design at a national service station in Retford, England, Sept. 22, 1961. Technically known as a hyperbolic derabold structure, the reinforced concrete roof weighs about 90 tons. There will be a motel, a restaurant and a repair section on the site when the station is completed. .....

Automated Shopping

45. Model Joan Lockwood selects items from the glass case at a completely automated section of a supermarket at the 30th Annual IGA Food Store Convention at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, July 19, 1956. She puts a large roundkey in a matching slot while she presses buttons to make her selection. The selected items are recorded on a tape inside the key. The amount due on the purchases is tabulated at the same time. This is jut one of the systems to .....

Ford Gyron

46. This is the new two wheeled Ford, called theGyron , which is on display at the New York Coliseum, with model Patricia Marand standing alongside, April 1, 1961. .....

Hula Hoop

47. Model Fay Shott spins one of the new plastic Hula Hoops around her waist in Denver Colo., on Aug. 24, 1958. The hoops are currently popular with the younger crowd. .....

Hula Hoop in Japan

48. A young Japanese woman in a kimono takes part in the Hula Hoop craze that has swept America and Japan in this Oct. 30, 1958 picture. .....