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13 Weird Inventions You Won’t Believe Are Real
From the wheel to the telephone and the internet, humans have created inventions that have changed the way we live. It’s hard to imagine life without these extraordinary inventions, although humans are hit-and-miss when it comes to innovations. While some are groundbreaking, others are just plain weird. These weird inventions might have made sense at one point but now seem outdated and unusual.
Some inventors saw an untapped market and let their imaginations run wild. They created weird inventions that seem to serve no purpose or are bizarre inventions for odd situations. Let’s take a look at the most phenomenally weird inventions ever created.
13 Weird Inventions You Won’t Believe Are Real
1. Baby Cage
British Pathé/YouTube
As tuberculosis spread rapidly in the 1900s, doctors began suggesting lots of fresh air to combat the deadly disease. In 1906, a new invention known as the baby cage became popular to help protect babies from tuberculosis and other diseases. Also known as the health cage, it was perfect for mothers living in the city without a garden. It would attach to the apartment window, providing plenty of fresh air and sunlight.
A young Eleanor Roosevelt created an early version of a baby cage herself. However, her neighbors complained and threatened to call the Prevention of Cruelty of Children. Eventually, baby cages were on most apartment windows before quickly declining in popularity.
2. Shoe Umbrella
Viktoria Marchuk/YouTube
Shoes are an expensive and vital part of every outfit. Some shoes cost hundreds of dollars and need the best protection possible. Enter shoe umbrellas.
Shoe umbrellas are a weird, wacky, practical creation invented in Japan. The idea behind the invention is to keep the shoes dry and safe. It has nothing to do with keeping the feet dry. It’s easily one of the weirdest inventions we’ve ever seen.
3. Mustache Guard
Alfred English/YouTube
Since the 1800s, men have struggled to keep their mustaches dry when drinking tea, coffee, or alcohol. It’s such a truly significant problem that men got to work on one of the weirdest inventions, the mustache guard. The guard covers the mustache or goes on the cup to protect the mustache.
The modern-day version takes inspiration from the mustache cup, immensely popular in the Victorian Era. While it might be weird, it keeps tons of mustaches dry.
4. Pissoir
CriticalPast/YouTube
In the mid-1830s, the people of Paris, France, wanted to prevent urination on buildings, sidewalks, and street corners. They created public urinals known as pissoirs. They were simple free-standing columns also known as vespasiennes, and they became so popular that Paris quickly installed 400 around the city. The urinals evolved over time, with many made from cast iron steel featuring partial screening or fully enclosed areas, and began popping up all around Europe.
5. Shower Hood
In the 1970s, a German inventor realized a unique problem some people had when showering. Apparently, they wanted to take a shower but not get their hair or face wet. So the German inventor came up with the shower hood, a mask that kept the face and hair dry while you washed the rest of your body. The weird design featured a beekeeper-like helmet that covered the entire head and includedf a face mask.
6. Multiple Cigarette Holder
From the early 1900s to the 1970s, cigarette holders were essential to every woman’s outfit. They blew up in popularity, becoming more than a stylish way to smoke cigarettes. Women often used cigarette holders to prevent ash from falling onto their clothing. They also kept the smoke from the person’s eyes and worked as a filter. Another unique advantage was that cigarette holders had the ability to allow individuals to smoke a pack at once.
Model Frances Richards appeared in a photograph smoking multiple cigarettes at once using her trusty cigarette holder. Many of Hollywood’s most prominent female stars, including Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, and Jacqueline Kennedy, followed suit and often used cigarette holders when going for a drag.
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7. Amphibious Cycle
The invention of the wheel resulted in the creation of the bicycle. It doesn’t matter the century or decade, people love riding bikes. In the 1930s, several inventors created an amphibious cycle for both land and water. They had various versions, but most featured attached floating devices that inflated, allowing for bicycles to be ridden in oceans, lakes, or ponds. Later versions would easily deflate, allowing the rider to carry the bike.
8. The Pluto Lamp
During the Victorian Era, London, England, was the center of the world for art, entertainment, and weird inventions. In 1898, the Pluto Lamp debuted in the streets of London. Combining a lamp post with a vending machine, the Pluto Lamp sounded like a good idea on paper.
The Pluto Lamp offered tea, coffee, hot water, beef stock, and other items for only a few coins. The gas lamp seemed like cutting-edge technology, but locals quickly discovered they could steal items using pieces of tin instead of coins. By October of 1898, the Pluto Lamps had disappeared from the streets, never to be seen again.
9. The Flask Tie
Marc Freccero/YouTube
There are weird inventions, and then there’s the flask tie. The flask tie is a weird invention made for those that work long hours in the office. All it takes is filling up the tie’s bladder with your favorite beverage. The bottom of the tie includes a little tube to take a sip when working all day.
It’s wise to stick with cold drinks like water, juice, or even alcohol because you don’t want a leak if it’s full of something hot like coffee. There’s no way to go wrong with the flask tie. It’s not only practical and weird but very stylish.
10. Motorwheel
British Pathé/YouTube
In the early 1930s, the Great Depression was starting to take shape, and the Roaring Twenties were only a distant memory. Inventors didn’t let the depression get in their way of creating the most bizarre items though. For years, inventors attempted to make motorized single-wheel transportation.
It’s similar to a unicycle, although it has slightly more stability. Also known as the monowheel, it was common to see them by 1931. It might seem strange, but the 30s was all about saving money while reinventing the wheel.
11. Blizzard Cone
Montreal, Canada, is famous for enduring some of the most intense snow storms in Canadian history. In the late 30s, the people of Montreal were desperate for anything to defend against the snowy weather. Therefore, they created the blizzard cone, one of the wackiest-looking winter accessories.
The face mask had a long beak shape to protect against cold weather, ice, and snow. Sadly for the inventors, this 1938 phenomenon didn’t catch on with the public and quickly disappeared from sight.
12. Highway Hi-Fi
Pamela Hirschhorn/YouTube
From 1955 to 1959, Chrysler Automobiles teamed with CBS Records to create the Highway Hi-Hi. It allowed music lovers to blast their favorite vinyl records as they drove the open road down Route 66. They made special records that fit up to 45 minutes of music so you could have something to listen to for the entire journey.
It was so popular that iconic musician George Harrison and boxing legend Mohammed Ali even had a Highway Hi-Fi. Unsurprisingly the Highway Hi-Fi had problems from day one and often malfunctioned or broke during the ride.
13. TV Goggles
bitividi/YouTube
In the 1920s, Hugo Gernsback helped elevate the science-fiction genre by creating the first science-fiction magazines. Gernsback was also an inventor who came up with several wacky ideas. However, even his wackiest ideas had an impact.
In 1963, Gernsback modeled the groundbreaking TV Goggles in Life magazine. They were basically a pair of glasses with tiny television-like boxes covering each eye. Each side had a giant antenna sticking out, with the glasses designed to watch television on the go. Despite the silly design, Gernsback was ahead of his time and would likely be amazed at virtual reality technology today.
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