TIPPING-HAT In 1896 James Boyle decided the world needed an automatic tipping-hat The mechanism was first wound up like an alarm clock and then fastened to whichever hat was to be worn that day Next the wearer put the hat on his head and a number of curved-spring fingers firmly secured both the hat and the machinery in place Once the hat was on the head operating it was simple The gentleman bowed his head slightly and the arm and ball pendulum shifted forward triggering the machinery into action To the amazement of passersby the hat would tip itself swing around in a complete circle and gently settle back into place If the wearer had an armful of packages this invention made it simple for him to tip his hat And the wearer’s hair wouldn’t even be mussed up What could be more polite Because hats were once worn by so many people from businessmen to shopkeepers to stagecoach drivers to cooks inventors lavished much attention on devices for the hat since their inventions if accepted would be sold to thousands and thousands of people To ensure that a hat fit perfectly complicated instruments were devised to measure the size and contours of the head In addition hats came to be used as hearing aids spying implements and to provide comfort during the summer there were special hat ventilators to cool the wearer’s head The one on the left was invented in 1860 by James Jenkinson the one on the right by Albert Lee Eliel in 1890 Both of these hat ventilators were operated in the same way A wind-up mechanism much like the one that ran the tipping-hat spun a tiny fan that was attached to the inside of the hat 10 WEIRD WACKY INVENTIONS
The user of this 1924 invention held the long handle portion at the right in one hand An electric motor inside the handle turned the larger wheel As complicated as this drawing may appear the inventor hoped his invention would make a daily procedure cut and dried 1 a scalp shampooer and massager 2 a wrinkle remover 3 an eye-examining device 4 an electric safety razor 1 a hairbrush for horses and sheep This 1961 invention was made of rubber and was operated by hand 2 a mustache curler 3 a facial scrubber 4 a toothbrush for dogs and cats JIM MURPHY 11
ELECTRIC SAFETY RAZOR This is an early electric safety razor invented by Charles Bailey The sharp cutting blades were built into the large wheel As this large wheel turned the user would move it back and forth across his face cutting facial hair in the process The interesting thing about this razor is that the blades came into direct contact with the skin So while this was obviously a faster way to shave it increased the chances of cuts and nicks and could hardly be considered a safety razor Now most electric razors have a fine mesh screen that separates the blades from the skin reducing the possibility of accidents TOOTHBRUSH FOR DOGS AND CATS Even dogs and cats need to have their teeth cleaned so Bird Eyer invented this toothbrush for dogs and cats It is used just like an ordinary toothbrush The up and-down and back-and-forth movement of the soft spikes and cylinders was supposed to remove food particles and any tartar buildup While this sounds very simple to do in practice it is not Dogs and cats have very sensitive gums so even the most careful brushing is painful Today most people take their dog or cat to the veterinarian to have its teeth cleaned There the animal is given a mild anesthetic to eliminate the pain and an electric machine just like the one that cleans our teeth is used 12 WEIRD WACKY INVENTIONS
This invention consisted of a hat made of a hard material and a streamer made of a flexible fabric When the streamer moved the wearer was supposed to enjoy what happened 1 a toy hat 2 an army helmet with portable weather detector 3 a motorcycle helmet radio and advertising banner 4 a rain hat and lightning rod Carl Wahl wanted his machine to make an important activ ity that we do every day easier and more efficient The handle on one end turned a small soft brush at the other end 1 an applicator for cosmetics 2 a shoe polisher 3 a tooth-cleaning device 4 a device for cleaning glasses JIM MURPHY 13
