A New Source of Oil (for the 1920s)
The Bowie-Gavin process of extracting oil (June 1927 issue of Science and Invention magazine) As a non-renewable resource,…
Build Your Own Electric Ghost
An “electric ghost” from the cover of the April 1923 issue of Practical Electrics magazine Have you ever…
Bobbing Machine for Amusement Parks
Today's amusement park rides thrill with the frisson of danger, but for the rides of the last century the risk was more real than imagined.
The Great Depression and the Rise of the Refrigerator
How the gleaming white fridge changed our relationship to food.
‘Speeches Must Be Short’: Radio and the Birth of the Modern Presidential Campaign
The origin of the soundbite can be traced to the 1924 U.S. presidential election, the first one ever covered heavily by a broadcast medium, radio.
The TVs Are Coming! Station ID Cards From 1951
In the early days of television, before homogenization set in, the identification graphics each station used broadcast a flash of regional personality for the viewer.
Time Machine: Build Your Own ‘Iron Man’
Robots had a mixed reputation in the early 1930s. They represented the promise of streamlined, modern living that…
The World’s First Earbud Headphones
Apple may have popularized the earbud, but these ear-mounted speakers have roots to the Roaring '20s.
Depression-Era Public Payphones On Wheels
Cover of the November 1938 issue of Radio-Craft magazine. On July 14, 1938, Howard Hughes and four companions…
A River Runs It
In these electronic gadget-saturated times it’s hard to imagine that a century ago, electricity was scarce, and expensive,…