FROM HEATHEN IDOLS TO PLAYTHINGS
MAY 1927Horned Toads as Trained
Pets Popular in Texas
AUGUST 1929247936851APRIL
1929@PopularMechanics _ March 2019 77JULY 1912
(^1) Boxing
on Horseback
“A new sport novelty
recently introduced in
Germany.”
NOVEMBER 1921
(^2) New Life
Preserver Makes
SinkingImpossible
“When effort ceases,
the body assumes a
perpendicular position,
with the chin above
water.”
SEPTEMBER 1922
(^3) Map Holder for
Motorcycle Fastens
to Handlebars
“The road map is folded
to show the route to
be traveled and then
inserted in the holder,
which has a transparent
celluloid cover.”
FEBRUARY 1932
(^4) Sun Glasses
Cover the Nose and
Archives edition!
Prevent Burns
“Tender noses may
now be protected from
sunburn.”
JANUARY 1951
(^5) Car-Trunk Soda
Fountain
“A container filled
with CO 2 gas supplies
pressure for a four-
way dispensing head
that delivers two kinds
of soft drinks and two
pressures of soda.”
JANUARY 1965
An Axe Can
Shoot Tear Gas
“A policeman merely
needs to pull a ring to
release the tear gas
grenade.”
JUNE 1967
(^6) Bag Keeps
Sharks Away
“Inside this plastic bag, a
shipwrecked seaman is
safe from shark attacks,
says the Navy.”
NOVEMBER 1995
(^7) Ski Toboggan
to Hit the Slopes
“The Skikart yokes
two independent skis to
a flexible saddle. You sit
down and slip your feet
through stirrups at the
front of each ski.”
JULY 1998
(^8) Inflatable
Dump Truck
“It allows a standard-
size pickup to lift up
to 4,500 pounds to
an angle of 50 degrees.
It takes about 35
seconds.”
AUGUST 2002
(^9) Ghosts Move
Merchandise
“3D holograms of
sneakers, cellphones,
and other products that
float in midair. Images
are so realistic custom-
ers are often startled
when their hands pass
through them.”