15 Old Inventions Even We Can Tell Were Never Going to Work
Inventors have always had a talent for solving problems nobody else noticed, usually with a questionable number of wheels, straps, or propellers. Some creations were genuinely clever, at least until someone tried using them. Others required an extraordinary amount of confidence just to climb aboard. The early days of transportation were particularly ambitious, but strange ideas also found their way into beauty products, household gadgets, and entertainment. A few of these inventions actually worked, although not well enough to become everyday essentials. Others were based on promises that simply couldn’t be delivered. Here are 15 old inventions that probably should have stayed on the drawing board.
A Motorcycle Inside a Giant Wheel
A 1931 photograph shows the Cislaghi Motoruota, modified by Giuseppe Govetosa, with its rider seated inside an enormous wheel surrounding the motorcycle’s mechanical components.
The Bicycle That Wanted to Fly
The Fokker brothers built this propeller-driven flying bicycle in the Netherlands in 1930, attaching an aircraft-style propeller to a bicycle frame.
A Piano for Bedtime
A woman demonstrates a specially designed folding piano in 1935.
Reading in Bed Takes Special Equipment
A woman demonstrates Hamblin glasses in 1936, wearing unusual spectacles designed to let people read while lying flat on their backs.
An Entire Sauna on Wheels
A floating sauna offered bathers the chance to enjoy a traditional steam bath on the water, bringing an entire wooden sauna along for the ride.
The Radio Hat Nobody Asked For
Hope Lange models the Radio Hat on a 1949 magazine cover, wearing a portable radio with two tubes protruding from the top.
The Hairbrush With Big Promises
An 1890 advertisement for the Florentine electric hairbrush claims it could strengthen hair, prevent baldness, and relieve headaches in five minutes.
The Duck With a Digestive System
An 1899 illustration depicts Jacques de Vaucanson’s mechanical duck, a famous 18th-century automaton that supposedly ate and digested food.
A Car That Went Swimming
The Amphicar promised drivers a vehicle that could travel on roads and across water, although fewer than 4,000 were produced.
Taking Your Bicycle Swimming
An 1894 illustration shows a water bicycle supported by large airtight wheels fitted with paddles, allowing its rider to pedal across the surface.
Television Through a Tiny Window
A woman watches an experimental mechanical television in 1928, peering into a viewing cone that displayed an image only about 1.5 inches wide.
The Personal Rocket Backpack
A 1962 demonstration shows the Bell Rocket Belt carrying a pilot into the air, although the device’s extremely limited flight time made everyday use impractical.
The Car That Didn’t Look Like a Car
Buckminster Fuller’s 1933 Dymaxion car featured three wheels, a streamlined body, and rear-wheel steering, but only three prototypes were ever built.
A Baby Carriage Built for Gas Attacks
A 1938 photograph shows an experimental gas-resistant baby carriage being tested in England, complete with an enclosed compartment designed to protect its occupant.
A Bicycle With Airplane Ambitions
Engelbert Zaschka sits at the controls of his pedal-powered aircraft during a 1934 test near Berlin, with a bicycle-like frame beneath its enormous wings.