20 Crazy Things That Seemed Normal In The Past

A lot of these crazy ideas from the XX century were actually granted patents! The U.S. Patent Office has seen a lot of wacky ideas throughout its history. But what’s even more hysterical is that a lot of these crazy ideas were actually granted patents! Let’s take a look at some of the wildest of them. From a hat with a parachute to a douche for breasts, they’ll all have your jaw hitting the floor!

TIMESTAMPS
Flying machine 0:35
Diving apparatus 1:19
Racing monkey harness 2:05
“Improved” fire escape 2:55
“Life-indicator” coffin 3:49
Eye-protectors for chickens 4:42
Rocking bathtub 5:20
Saluting device 5:52
Baseball catcher 6:23
Animal trap 7:00
Initiation device 7:40
Surgical appliance 8:15
Grasping fork 8:45
Ladder-gripping attachment for shoes 9:22
Creeping baby doll 9:54
One-wheeled vehicle 10:29
Jack-o’-lantern helmet 10:57
Smoke-excluding mask 11:39
Cork swimming suit 12:09
Breast douche apparatus 12:48

SUMMARY
– There was something that made Reuben Spalding want to spread his manmade wings and fly like an eagle. In 1889, he patented his “flying machine” that consisted of a balloon and bird-like wings.
– The idea was to keep the underwater pressure from crushing the diver. There was also a central tube for air to flow in and out of and a rope harness to move the diver up and down.
– Monkey jockeys trained by Loretta and Charles David raced for peanuts. The Davids traveled all over the country with their little show, and it was a pretty big hit!
– People in the past were scratching their heads trying to come up with innovative ways to help people escape from burning buildings.
– John Kirchbaum was terrified at the thought of being accidentally buried alive because in 1882 he designed and patented a coffin with a “life indicator”.
– In 1903 Andrew Jackson Jr. designed these “pecktacles” to be made out of celluloid or aluminum in order to prevent chickens’ eyes from being pecked out by more aggressive hens.
– Otto Hensel decided to go one step further by designing the rocking bath in 1900. It would splash the healing water all over the bather kind of like the waves of the sea.
– James C. Boyle even patented a saluting device back in 1896 that allowed a gentleman to raise his hat without using his hands while bowing.
– Meet the baseball catching device! Brought to you by James E. Bennett in 1904.
– Rat trap maker John Williams must have really hated these rodents. Otherwise, what would make him patent an animal trap containing a loaded gun?
– In 1909 Ulysses DeMoulin patented a goat model to ride, and it was a pretty rambunctious one for its time, jerking and moving unpredictably.
– Do you ever have trouble trying to get hold of those slippery pickles? I feel your pain, and so did Roswell Turner.
– According to the inventor Edmond Dennis, the ladder-gripping attachment was designed for aerial athletes, specifically those doing theatrical stunts.
– In 1885, John Otto Lose patented a unicycle for real gentlemen.
– George Neally patented this device in 1877 to filter smoky air with the help of sponges.
– Avant-garde 1882 swimming fashion? Or was it more about safety? You decide! Okay, actually it was about safety.
– Frenchman Alexis Mantelet liked his ladies to have squeaky-clean ta-tas since he invented this “breast douche apparatus” in 1910. It was pretty simple, consisting of a breast-cupping contraption with a hose that could attach to a faucet for easy bosom-cleaning.