May 12, 2007

DIVING HELMETS WORN AS SWIMMERS LEARN STROKES (Sep, 1934)

Filed under: Impractical — @ 5:19 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1934
| Buy on Ebay

DIVING HELMETS WORN AS SWIMMERS LEARN STROKES

Diving helmets are worn by pupils taking swimming lessons from a San Francisco, Calif., instructor who employs a radical new method of instruction. Wearing these helmets, the beginners frequently remain under water for long periods during which they study the swimming movements of the instructor and later attempt to imitate them. The helmets are made from thin metal containers and cost little. The bottom is removed and the sides hollowed out to fit over the shoulders. The helmet is held in place by straps that pass under the arms of the wearer. Good vision is insured by a large rectangular window in the front of the helmet and air is supplied by a hose that leads to an air-pump at the surface.

Human Body Gets Machine Tests (Sep, 1933)

Filed under: Medical — @ 5:19 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1933
| Buy on Ebay

Human Body Gets Machine Tests

JUST as they might keep performance charts of a steam engine or gasoline motor, engineers are now studying the human body, an engine far more efficient at turning fuel into work than any other known. At the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, in Germany, subjects work in a miniature mine, operate sewing machines and compressed-air hammers, drive make-believe cars and walk treadmills, while electric contacts record their movements, and their diet and respiration are chemically analyzed. The data obtained will lead to improved factory design and management.
Read the rest of this entry »

Unique Activities of Unusual People (Oct, 1927)

Filed under: Just Weird, Sign of the Times — @ 5:18 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Oct, 1927
| Buy on Ebay

Unique Activities of Unusual People

Pygmy Castle and Telescope Made from Bottle Only Two of Many and Varied Novelties

Production of petroleum from some fields is unprofitable because of its high content of sulphur, harmful to gasoline engines. Gladys E. Woodward, Northwestern University chemist, is working on a method of removing the sulphur

The world’s youngest deep-sea diver, according to his claim, is George Knight, of Brighton, England, being congratulated here by the Brighton Harbor Master after descents in gear weighing two hundred and twelve pounds. He is fifteen years old
Read the rest of this entry »

JAZZ INSTRUMENT MINUS KEYS “PLAYED” BY HUMMING (Jan, 1924)

Filed under: Music — @ 5:18 am
Source: Popular Mechanics ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jan, 1924
| Buy on Ebay

JAZZ INSTRUMENT MINUS KEYS “PLAYED” BY HUMMING
Producing music with a “jazzy” effect, a keyless reed instrument is being made which can be “played” by anyone who can hum a tune. Equipped with a rest, it can he kept in the proper position without being held by the hands, and can be used to accompany any selection. Having sufficient volume and carrying power, it is suitable for orchestral work.

He Runs a Hotel for Bats (Sep, 1940)

Filed under: Animals For Profit — @ 5:17 am
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1940
| Buy on Ebay

He Runs a Hotel for Bats

PLAYING host to 250,000 bats is the queer but profitable hobby of Milton F. Campbell, of San Antonio, Tex. His lakeside bat hotel, a tall wooden tower shaped like the base of a windmill, is the outgrowth of experiments begun years ago by his father, Dr. Charles A. R. Campbell, at that time city bacteriologist of San Antonio. Believing that bats would rid the area of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, Dr. Campbell spent years trying to induce the creatures to settle in a wooden roost which he constructed near the city sewage plant. Finally, by means of ear-splitting phonograph records, which drove the bats from their accustomed haunts, he effected their transfer to his specially constructed tower.
Read the rest of this entry »

Milwaukee Police Department Develops Auto Fort (Mar, 1937)

Filed under: Crime and Police — @ 5:17 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Mar, 1937
| Buy on Ebay

Milwaukee Police Department Develops Auto Fort
A HUGE armored patrol van capable of housing 25 men plus full equipment consisting of revolvers, rifles, machine guns, tear gas bombs, and ammunition is being developed by the police department of Milwaukee, Wis. The mobile fort will be 22 feet, 7 inches long, 9 feet, 8 inches high, and 8 feet wide. The van will have a body of bullet proof metal and windshield and windows will be shatterproof. A bullet proof mesh shield will protect radiator and wheels, and motor will be shielded so repairs can be made from inside.

20 queries. 0.784 seconds.