Table of contents:
Video: How things looked like in the old days that are in every home today
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
We are surrounded by many items and household little things, the manufacturers of which every year try to make them more and more convenient. As a result, some modern gadgets resemble mini-space stations: many functions, buttons for all occasions. However, at the very beginning of its journey, all household appliances were deprived of not only any excesses, but even electricity. Looking at the prototypes of well-known devices, it is not always possible to guess what it is all about.
Mailbox
This adaptation takes us back to very ancient times. In the 16th century, sailors began to use such boxes for sending letters. Initially, there was only one "post office" in the world - the Cape of Good Hope. The sea route from Europe to India was long and dangerous, and the southernmost point of the African continent served as a place to leave a letter. Ships heading in the opposite direction picked up such mail, but no one knew when it would happen. At first the boxes were secret, and the sailors exchanged letters by agreement, but then the "service" became common.
Vintage toaster
This device appeared already several hundred years ago, and was so popular in the old days that it was transformed several times even in the "wireless" version. This simple model was simply heated on coals, and slices of bread were leaned against the heated surfaces. More expensive models had a ceramic core for more even heating and removable "doors" for cleaning the inside of the fixture. And the first electric model at the beginning of the XX century brought the company "General Electric" huge profits and fame at that time.
Fridge
Preserving food and extending its shelf life has always been an important challenge. In the old days, special cellars, glaciers, were built for this. Ice was brought there in winter, which melted gradually, and the water left through special grooves. Roughly the same principle was used as the basis for the first indoor appliance. The upper compartment was loaded with ice, which, of course, gradually ran out, and it had to be replenished, and the tank for melt water at the bottom had to be emptied. The device, imperfect by modern standards, nevertheless, successfully coped with its function.
Lawn mower
Probably, at that time it was much easier to mow the lawn with a simple scythe than to charge such a unit into operation, because in addition to gasoline, this monster also required water for cooling. And what sounds he made and how much smoke he threw out - one can only guess. However, the example of this device is very indicative: even if the device seems bulky, inconvenient and simply unnecessary, it should be created in the hope of future improvement.
Vacuum cleaner
Another example of the unbridled power of innovation is the vintage vacuum cleaner. It took two people to use this model. Therefore, the first electric and more compact carpet cleaners were already a huge step forward and seemed to be truly convenient. William Henry Hoover registered a patent for the invention of a vacuum cleaner in 1908, his model was revolutionary for its time.
Washer
The first model of a washing machine from the early 20th century also looked so intimidating that it might have seemed much easier to do it by hand. After all, you had to turn this unit with your hands. However, over several decades, the model has become much more compact and convenient.
Automatic alarm
But this device could even be considered by modern alarm manufacturers. Of course, it cannot be compared with modern tracking and video surveillance systems, but it can boast of compactness, simplicity and low cost. The system was simple and did not depend on any energy sources: a small device was installed under the door from the inside and propped up with a pin, when the door was opened from the outside, the pin fell and hit the bell.
Hair Dryer
The hair dryer prototype was designed by a hairdresser. Alexander Kodfoy was the first to think of creating a device for quick hair drying, which brought him great fame. Of course, the necessary device gradually appeared in every home. But such unusual models of the middle of the last century look funny today.
Looking through old photographs, you can truly immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the beginning of the 20th century. A look into the past: color photographs of the Russian Empire
Recommended:
How "someone else's age was seized," and Why in the old days there were so many old beggars
Memory is arranged like this: the further the past, the brighter it was, kinder and dearer to the heart. This works not only with individuals, but also with nations. Everyone, for example, is sure that in the old days grandparents were treated with special respect. But the popular print crumbles, it is worth reading the classics of literature and ethnographers: it was not so simple in the old days with the old people
Movies for Colored People, Chinatown for Japanese: What Racial Segregation Looked Like in Old America
It seems that everyone knows about segregation in the history of the United States. For example, once a black woman refused to give up her seat to a white man, and the first black girl had to go to a "general", that is, white, school under police protection, otherwise she would have been killed for this. But the segregation was much more extensive
How famous historical sights looked like 150 years ago, which have changed today
Perhaps there is nothing more interesting than traveling the world, enjoying the scenery outside the window or admiring the local sights with a rich history. Arc de Triomphe, Great Wall of China, Mount Rushmore - all this and much more looked completely different not so long ago, unlike what it looks like now
Fading beauty: What abandoned villas and old mansions look like today, where life once was in full swing
Roman Robrok from the Netherlands loves to photograph abandoned buildings: old houses, abandoned villas and mansions that for various reasons were left without owners. In his photographs, he seeks to capture the outgoing architecture of the past century and the beauty of abandoned European buildings. Take a look at these old buildings, and you will definitely be impressed by the details in each of which - the past
The mysterious 2,500-year-old Goujian sword that still looks like new today
In 1965, archaeologists discovered an ancient sword in China that was different from any previously found. This unique ancient weapon is believed to be about 2,500 years old, and what is even more exciting - at the time of its discovery there was not a single speck of rust on it and the sword was sharp … after millennia