Interestingly Strange Inventions From the First Half of the 20th Century

Ever wondered what we did before sat navs and mobile phones? Here are the bizarre vintage inventions that never caught on. A series of photographs has revealed the ingenious efforts from the first half of the 20th century that helped people manage the pressures of everyday life. From a manual sat nav to a straw hat portable radio – some have been replaced by smart phones and tablets. The old-school sat nav from 1932 included a paper map dotted with landmarks that automatically rolled as the car drove along.

Monopod seats, 1953

Portable radio in a straw hat, made by an American inventor, 1931

Pram provided with a radio, including antenna and loudspeaker, to keep the baby quiet, United States, 1921

Revolver camera, New York, 1938=

'Ski-sailing', a new sport invented in Austria, demonstrated in St. Moritz, Switzerland, January 1938

Soup-cooling spoons, 1948

Sunbathing with a foldable reflector, The Netherlands, 1961

The chain smoker, ca. 1930s

Wooden bathing suits, supposed to make swimming a lot easier, Hoquiam, Washington, USA, 1929

A police dog with a radio receiving set on her back, 1939

Bald-head polishers, 1950

Blind man hearing light with a new invented apparatus, 1912

Bulletproof glass, demonstration by the best rifle man of the New York police, 1931

Clap skate, 1936

Electrically heated jacket, 1932

Faxed newspaper, New York, 1938

German scientist with detective camera, ca. 1910s