The WORST Inventions of All Time!
We always focus on what inventions have made a lasting impact on our daily lives, that sometimes we forget that some truly horrendous inventions existed or exists as an outline of what exactly NOT to do. As we look back in time, we can see that many dumb ideas actually came to light. Here are a few of those…
Franz Reichelt’s Parachute Jacket
Although Franz’s invention never made it to market for obvious reasons, his intentions were well meaning. A French tailor, Franz wanted to create a jacket for aviators which would deploy if the pilot had to vacate the plane. He became obsessed with creating the contraption, testing it several times with dummies dropped from his 5th story building. Reichelt repeatedly petitioned the Parisian police to allow him to test his invention on top of the Eiffel Tower. When he finally received permission to attempt this test in 1912, he immediately fell to his death…..yikes. Let’s just say that one failed in a particularly gruesome and embarrassing way.
The Phone Answering Robot
Ok, so this invention looks completely ridiculous, right? However, this was ahead of its time. Before answering machines and voicemail, there was an idea for artificial intelligence to take the call and immediately hang up. I thought this was a hilarious invention and totally synonymous with the robot fascination of its day (1964). Although it’s almost completely useless and silly product for the time, today we consult a similar concept, Alexa, for weather, music, food, and much more. Maybe it’s NOT so silly!
The Baby Cage
Patented in 1922, the baby cage looks exactly as it sounds. Placed in a wire contraption suspended outside of your window your baby can get the fresh air he or she needs in tight city apartment spaces. This invention not only looks midevil in terms of materials, but the strength of the supports would worry me to no end. New mothers are already paranoid for their child’s safety as it is. So why add a death defying looking sky box to it?
The Ice Skating Baby Carrier
Speaking of safety, the Ice Skating Baby Carrier is a sling meant to carry a baby between two partners enjoying a nice ice skate. This device looks like they’re about to sling shot the baby across the frozen lake. Even worse, what if one of the parent’s slips and takes a fall while still attached to the other partner. Unless you’re an expert skater, I would say this is an absolutely ridiculous invention and I’m glad that it never sold many.
The Shower Hood
Everyone has heard of the shower CAP, but what about the shower HOOD? Completely laughable because of the suffocation hazard, and why on Earth is she showering the material of the hood? Made in 1982, the device was supposed to keep your face and hair from getting wet. I mean, why take a shower then at all of your covering up your entire head anyway? Maybe that’s just me…
Have you heard of or seen any laughable products? Comment below!