Give It a Rest!

One of a pair, this interesting piece is made of clear glass, with two bulbous ends intricately cut into delicate patterns and striations that prevent the object from rolling around the dining room table. The middle section is notched all the way around, belying its purpose.

And what is this object?

It’s a knife rest! Knife rests have graced dining room tables as far back as the 17th century and were commonplace through the early 20th century. Like the name suggests, diners would place their knives onto the knife rest to prevent soiling the tablecloth. At a time when table etiquette was paramount, placing a knife on a plate – or worse yet, the table itself – would have been a major faux pas. And so, the fashionable dinner tables of the middle and upper classes included knife rests to their table settings.

While earlier styles of the 1600s were fashioned from wood or even fragile porcelain, the Victorians preferred rests made from metals, glass, crystal, and horn. Both European and American models could have elaborate figures of people or animals, sometimes molded from metal or painted onto ceramic. Style, of course, depended on the taste and wealth of the host/hostess.

As the focus shifted from formal dining etiquette to a more casual style during the 2nd quarter of the 20th century, knife rests began to fade from fashion. One would be hard pressed to find a knife rest next to their plate at a dinner party today. The need for maintaining clean tablecloths has diminished thanks to advancements in washing efficiency and a more relaxed view on messes.

(This original article was published on Tiny Tuesdays at the Fall River Historical Society)

In the 1990s, Jatech Created a Disappearing Door System That Retracted Beneath the Car’s Body

Jatech was a California-based design and technology firm that, in the early 1990s, developed a “disappearing car door” or “rotary drop door” system. This innovative design was intended to solve the problem of traditional car doors, which require a lot of space to swing open and can be awkward in tight parking spots.

Unlike conventional doors that swing outward or other alternative designs like gullwing or scissor doors that swing upward, Jatech’s door was a motorized system that slid downward into a sealed compartment beneath the car’s body. The door was mounted on a track system and would lower into a reinforced undercarriage. When a button was pressed, the door’s window would retract, and the entire door would descend into the car's sills, leaving a completely open side for easy entry and exit.

Jatech claimed that its design had several advantages. It eliminated the need for swing-out space, making it ideal for cramped urban environments and tight parking spots. The company insisted the system improved a car’s structural integrity and crashworthiness. Jatech argued the doors would allow for easier escape in emergencies, as they wouldn't be blocked by other vehicles or objects.

The company received some early interest from major automakers like Ford and General Motors. The most famous prototype was a modified Lincoln Mark VIII, but the system was also demonstrated on a Ford Explorer and a Chevrolet Corvette. The Lincoln Mark VIII prototype, in particular, gained attention and became the subject of a viral video years later.

Despite its intriguing design and apparent advantages, the Jatech disappearing door never made it to mass production. The system required a complete redesign of the car’s understructure to create the compartment for the door, which would have driven up production costs significantly. The motorized system, exposed to road grime, debris, and weather, raised concerns about long-term reliability and maintenance.

While Jatech claimed enhanced safety, critics were skeptical, particularly about what would happen in a minor fender-bender or if the mechanism failed, potentially trapping occupants inside. A manual override was reportedly part of the design, but the heavy doors would have been difficult to move without the motor’s assistance.

The doors were completely featureless on the inside, as the space was needed for the mechanism. This meant no storage pockets, speakers, or other standard door panel features.

By the 2010s, Jatech had ceased operations, leaving behind only a handful of prototypes and a legendary viral video that continues to fascinate car enthusiasts. The company’s name has, in a way, lived up to its invention's fate, having largely disappeared from the public eye.

30 Fascinating Vintage Portraits of People Wearing Pince-Nez Spectacles From the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Pince-nez is a style of glasses, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. The name comes from French pincer, “to pinch,” and nez, “nose.”

Early versions were simple lorgnettes without handles, designed to rest lightly on the nose. At first, they were often associated with scholars, clergy, and the upper classes, as spectacles in general still carried social stigma.

By the mid-1800s, pince-nez had become widespread across Europe and America. They were prized for their compactness—easy to slip into a pocket or hang from a ribbon or chain. They became especially common among professionals, academics, and politicians. Mark Twain, Anton Chekhov, and Theodore Roosevelt all wore pince-nez, helping solidify their intellectual and dignified image.

Around 1900–1920, pince-nez began to decline in favor of modern spectacles with sidearms (temples), which were more stable and comfortable for active use. By the 1930s, they were considered old-fashioned and often caricatured in popular culture as a symbol of fussy intellectuals or stern authority figures.

Today, pince-nez are rare but remembered as an iconic style of eyewear associated with the Victorian and Edwardian eras. They still appear in historical dramas and period films, and vintage pairs are collectible. Some opticians even make modern reproductions for enthusiasts.

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The Story of Yoshitada and Fumiko Minami, the Inventors of the Automatic Rice Cooker

In post–World War II Japan, cooking rice up to three times a day was an exhausting and labor-intensive task. Housewives often started before dawn, tending traditional fire-powered stoves called kamado—and any slight misstep could result in the harsh judgment of being a “failed housewife.”

During this era, Toshiba assigned a project to Yoshitada Minami—then managing a struggling electric water-heater factory—to create an automatic rice cooker. Though Minami had the technical prowess, he lacked expertise in cooking rice.

Minami turned to his wife, Fumiko—mother of six—to bridge that gap. Over five years, she meticulously documented the perfect rice: measuring water-to-rice ratios, experimenting with temperature profiles, timing, and even testing “in the harshest of conditions”—hot rooftops, cold mornings, and everyday domestic routines.

After years of trial and error, the Minamis, along with Toshiba engineers, discovered a key principle. The perfect rice could be achieved by turning off the heat automatically when the water in the pot had fully evaporated. This rapid increase in temperature (above the boiling point of 100°C) was the signal to stop cooking. Toshiba engineers developed a bimetallic switch that would bend and cut the circuit at this exact moment.

The result was the Toshiba ER-4, the world’s first mass-produced automatic electric rice cooker for home use, launched in 1955. Despite its steep price (about a third of the average monthly salary at the time), it was a massive success. Sales soared—with 200,000 units produced each month within a year. The invention freed women from the daily chore of cooking rice and became a staple in Japanese households, eventually spreading worldwide.

Toshiba’s ER-4, introduced in 1955, was the world’s first automatic rice cooker.

A 1956 advertisement for Toshiba’s world’s first automatic electric rice cooker, priced at 3,200 yen and capable of cooking 900 grams (2.0 lb) of rice.

Their youngest son, Aiji Minami, recalled how the entire family pitched in—helping with testing and even waking up late at night to try new rice cooker prototypes. One breakthrough moment came when Yoshitada presented a working model late at night, leading to a celebrated family tasting: “Ah, this is delicious.”

Fumiko received heartfelt thank-you letters from housewives across the country, which moved her to tears—recognition of a quiet yet profound accomplishment.

The story of Yoshitada and Fumiko Minami is a powerful example of how combining engineering knowledge with real-world user experience can lead to groundbreaking innovation. Fumiko Minami’s often-unrecognized contributions were essential to the success of the automatic rice cooker, making her a true, though unlikely, inventor.

Couple Getting Some Worms From the Machine in Eastlake, Ohio, 1957

In 1957, the worm vending machine emerged as a novel solution for anglers needing live bait. These machines, often placed near fishing spots, allowed fishermen to conveniently purchase worms at any hour, eliminating the need to visit a bait shop. This invention reflected the post-war trend towards automation and the growing popularity of fishing as a leisure activity.

The worm vending machine was a quirky yet practical innovation of its time. It provided a 24/7 solution for a specific niche market, demonstrating the era’s fascination with convenience and automation. By simply inserting coins, anglers could retrieve a container of live worms, ready for use. Beyond its functional aspect, the worm vending machine also symbolized the cultural trends of the 1950s.

The machine’s appearance and purpose tapped into the desire for efficiency and accessibility in leisure activities, making it a memorable piece of mid-century American ingenuity.

The Treadmill Crane, a Human Powered Hoisting and Lowering Device

The treadwheel crane (Latin: magna rota), also known as a walking wheel crane, is one of the most iconic lifting devices from ancient and medieval times. It operated using human power, where a person would walk inside a giant wheel (similar to a hamster wheel) to generate rotational force, lifting heavy loads via a system of pulleys and ropes.

The origin of the treadwheel crane dates back to Ancient Roman times (around the 1st century AD), where it was used in the construction of large structures like temples and aqueducts. Its widespread use re-emerged in medieval Europe, especially between the 12th and 19th centuries.

These cranes were commonly used in harbors, church construction sites, and castles. In major ports like Gdańsk (Poland), Strasbourg (France), and Bruges (Belgium), the treadwheel crane played a key role in loading and unloading ships. Some cranes were even built permanently atop stone towers or large wooden structures.

One or two people would walk inside the wheel, much like climbing stairs. Their movement turned a drum that wound up a rope to lift heavy cargo. Depending on the wheel’s size and human effort, the crane could lift tons of weight.

With the rise of steam engines in the 19th century, treadwheel cranes became obsolete, replaced by more efficient and powerful machinery. However, several of these historic cranes still survive today as monuments and engineering heritage sites.

Tractor-Cycle, Treaded Motorcycle Designed by French Inventor J. Lehaitre, ca. 1938

In 1938, inventor J. Lehaitre introduced a fascinating innovation known as the Tractor-Cycle—a motorcycle equipped with a tractor-style transmission belt instead of conventional wheels. Designed to handle a wide range of terrain, this unique vehicle could travel at speeds of up to 25 mph.

Its rugged, tank-like track system gave it impressive off-road capabilities, making it suitable for military or rugged exploration purposes. In fact, it was even designed to accommodate a machine gun, suggesting potential military applications at the time.

Though it never became mainstream, the Tractor-Cycle remains an intriguing example of early 20th-century experimentation in all-terrain vehicle design.

Nikola Tesla’s Foot on an X-ray Image Taken by Himself on a Device of His Own Design, 1896

In 1896, Nikola Tesla used a machine of his own design to capture an X-ray image of his foot. He called this early X-ray photograph a “shadowgraph,” and it clearly showed his foot inside a shoe.

Nikola Tesla, with over 300 patents to his name, is best known for his groundbreaking work in electricity and radio. He may have been the first to discover X-rays, but a devastating fire in 1895 destroyed much of his laboratory, setting back his research.

Shortly after, German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen published his findings on X-rays. Rather than feeling discouraged, Tesla congratulated Röntgen and even sent him some of his own X-ray images, which Röntgen praised. Undeterred, Tesla continued his experiments, developing high-energy vacuum tubes powered by his Tesla coil. These allowed him to produce highly detailed X-ray images, which he called “shadowgraphs.” He even captured images of his own body, including his hand and foot.

Despite his remarkable contributions, Tesla struggled with financial difficulties and personal setbacks later in life. He spent his final years in solitude and passed away at the age of 86.

The Invention of Precast Pipe in Canada in 1920

In 1920, Canada witnessed a groundbreaking moment in construction history with the development of the first ready-made concrete pipe — an innovation capable of withstanding up to 23 tons of pressure.

To prove its incredible strength, a dramatic public demonstration was held. The pipe was placed on the ground and stacked with heavy bags weighing several tons. To add even more weight, a group of men climbed on top. But the most astonishing part? The inventor himself climbed inside the pipe during the test — a powerful show of confidence in his creation.

This wasn’t just a publicity stunt. It marked a turning point in modern engineering, revolutionizing the way water and sewerage systems are built. The invention laid the foundation for today’s prefabricated construction methods used across the globe.

A Model-T Ford Modified to Navigate Flood Waters,1926

A Model-T Ford modified to navigate flood waters, possibly making it the world’s first Donk in 1926.

The Model-T Ford, renowned for its adaptability and robust design, was modified in 1926 to navigate flood waters, showcasing early innovation in automotive customization. This unique modification involved raising the vehicle’s suspension and possibly altering its wheels to better handle submerged terrains, effectively turning it into a precursor to what is known today as a “Donk”—a car with oversized wheels and elevated suspension. This creative adaptation not only highlighted the versatility of the Model-T but also set a precedent for future automotive modifications aimed at enhancing performance in challenging environments.

Semie Moseley, Founder of the Mosrite Guitar Company, Posing With the First Mosrite Triple-Neck, ca. 1955

Semie Moseley (June 13, 1935 – August 7, 1992) started playing guitar in an evangelical group in Bakersfield, California, at age 13. He and his brother Andy experimented with guitars from their teen-age years, refinishing instruments and building new necks.

Semie began building guitars in the Los Angeles area around 1952 or 1953, apprenticing at the Rickenbacker factory. There he learned much of his guitar making skills from Roger Rossmeisl, a German immigrant who brought old-world luthier techniques into the modern electric guitar manufacturing process. One of the most recognizable features on most Mosrite guitars is the “German Carve” on the top that Moseley learned from Rossmeisl. During the same time, Moseley apprenticed with Paul Bigsby in Downey, California, the man who made the first modern solid-body guitar for Merle Travis in 1948, and who invented the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, which is still used today.

In 1954, Semie built a triple-neck guitar in his garage (the longest neck was a standard guitar, the second-longest neck an octave higher, the shortest was an eight-string mandolin.) He presented a double-neck to Joe Maphis, a Los Angeles-area TV performer of country music. He also made several similar twin-neck guitars (with the performer's name inlaid into the neck) for Maphis’ protegé, the child prodigy guitarist Larry Collins, who still owns his three Mosrite twin-necks.

By 1956, with an investment from Ray Boatright, a local Los Angeles Foursquare Gospel minister, Semie and his brother Andy started their company, Mosrite of California. In gratitude to Reverend Boatright, Moseley named the company by combining his and Boatright’s last names; the name is properly pronounced MOZE-rite, based on the pronunciation Semie Moseley used for his own name. Semie, who built guitars for the L.A.-based Rickenbacker company, told his co-workers that he was making his own product and was fired by Rickenbacker.

When they began, their production was all custom, handmade guitars, built in garages, tin storage sheds, wherever the Moseleys could put equipment.

In 1959, Andy moved to Nashville, Tennessee, for a year to popularize the Mosrite name and sold a few, including to Grand Ole Opry entertainers and road musicians. Andy said: “And that’s how we kept the factory going at the time: custom guitars.”

Norwegian Bank Bus, 1959

A creative solution to bring financial services to people living in remote and sparsely populated areas. These buses were fully equipped to function as mobile bank branches, allowing residents in rural villages to access essential banking services without having to travel long distances to a town. The bank bus would follow a regular route, stopping in different villages on specific days, making it a vital link between rural communities and the banking system during that time.

Armored Bank Van With Tail Gunner, 1936

It’s a Wellington Everett (Ev) Miller design built on a 1936 Mack chassis by Advance Auto Body Works in Los Angeles in their second factory located at 1000 Macy Street, Los Angeles (at the corner of N. Mission Rd. and E. Macy St. - now N. Mission Rd. and Cesar E. Chavez Ave.).

Advance built other Miller designs such as the Gilmore tankers (including the neon one) and the Arrowhead Spring Water tear-drop car. They got out of the business in 1951.

(via Just A Car Guy)

1 Cent Blinkey Eye Gum Vendor by Standard Gum Machine Works

The 1 Cent Blinkey Eye Gum vendor, produced around 1907 by Standard Gum Machine Works of Pittsburgh, is a notable example of early 20th-century vending machines. Crafted from cast iron, the machine features embossed lettering on the front that reads “Soda Mint Gum.” Its distinctive design includes a figural face, and when gum is dispensed, the clown's eyes blink, giving rise to its “Blinkey Eye” moniker.

The machine operated through a simple but clever mechanical system that combined vending with a visual novelty effect. Here’s how it worked:

• The user would place a 1-cent coin into the machine's slot.
• After inserting the penny, the user would turn a crank or press a lever to activate the dispensing mechanism.
• The machine would release a piece of Soda Mint Gum, which would drop into a retrieval slot.
• As the gum was dispensed, the figural face on the machine would animate—specifically, the clown’s eyes would blink. This effect was likely triggered by an internal lever or cam mechanism that moved the eyelids in sync with the vending process.

This vending machine is considered rare and highly sought after by collectors. For instance, a 2012 auction saw a Blinkey Eye Gum Vendor sell for $22,500. Another example was listed in a 2017 auction with an estimated value between $30,000 and $35,000.

Standard Gum Machine Works was an American company active in the early 20th century, known for manufacturing coin-operated vending machines. According to the International Arcade Museum, the company released at least eight different machines, with its earliest known model dating back to 1905.

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Flakpanzer, Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Tanks Developed By Nazi Germany During World War II

Flakpanzer is a German term for “anti-aircraft tanks” (“flak” is derived from Flugabwehrkanone, literally “aircraft defence cannon”; “panzer” is derived from Panzerkampfwagen, literally “armored fighting vehicle”). These vehicles are modified tanks whose armament was intended to engage aircraft, rather than targets on the ground. Several vehicles with this name were used by the German Army during World War II. After the war, others were used by both the West German Bundeswehr and the East German National People’s Army.

By 1943, it had become apparent that the Luftwaffe was losing control of the skies, and that the need for a Flakpanzer was dire. For this reason, the German Heer (German Army) took the first steps in developing new Flakpanzer designs. Given the long development time necessary to bring a new chassis to maturity and the shortage of available production capacity, it was decided to amend existing designs to fulfill the Army’s needs. The simpler and more logical solution was to simply reuse already produced chassis. The Panzer I and II were outdated or used for other purposes. The Panzer 38(t) was used in small numbers as a temporary solution, but it was needed for anti-tank vehicles based on this chassis and, in any case, it was deemed inadequate for this task due to its small size.

The Panzer III tank chassis was used for the production of the StuG III and thus not available. The Panzer IV and the Panzer V Panther were considered next. The Panzer IV tank chassis was already in use for several German modifications, so it was decided to use it for the Flakpanzer program. The Panzer V Panther was, for a short time, considered to be used as a Flakpanzer armed with two 37 mm anti-aircraft guns, but mostly due to the high demand for tank hulls, the project never went beyond a wooden mock-up.

The first Flakpanzer based on the Panzer IV tank chassis was the 2 cm Flakvierling auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen IV. It did not receive any production orders but the prototype was modified and upgraded with the larger 3.7 cm Flak 43 (known as the Möbelwagen to its crews) and around 240 of this version were produced. The Möbelwagen had sufficient firepower to destroy enemy planes and the crew was protected by armored plates on four sides, which needed to be dropped down to use the gun effectively. The Möbelwagen needed time to set up for action and was therefore not a success.

It was apparent that a Flakpanzer with a fully rotating turret, enclosed on all sides and open-topped, was needed. For this reason, in early 1944, Generaloberst Guderian, Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen (Inspector-General for Armored Troops), gave In 6 (Inspektion der Panzertruppen 6/ Armored Troops Inspection Office 6) direct orders to begin work on a new Flakpanzer.

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A Woman Placing a Dish of Food in Her Refrigerator, 1913

DOMELRE (an acronym of Domestic Electric Refrigerator) was one of the first domestic electrical refrigerators, invented by Frederick William Wolf Jr. (1879–1954) in 1913 and produced starting in 1914 by Wolf’s Mechanical Refrigerator Company in Chicago. Several hundred units were sold, which made it the most commercially successful product out of several competing designs of its time. The unit replaced the block of ice in the icebox with an electrical-powered cooling device, and was completely automatic.

DOMELRE has been described as “revolutionary” in the history of domestic refrigeration. It has been described as the “first domestic refrigerator,” the “first household refrigerator,” the “first electrical refrigerator,” the “first successful, mass marketed package automatic electric refrigeration unit,” the “first plug-in refrigeration unit,” the “first mass-produced small refrigeration system,” the “first electric household refrigerator to survive its infancy” or just as “the domestic electric refrigerator.”

According to ASHRAE, DOMELRE contained a number of innovations not found in prior domestic refrigerators, such as offering automatic temperature control by thermostat, an air cooled condenser that did not require water, and not the least, it also introduced a freezing tray for ice cubes.

DOMELRE refrigerator, ca. 1914

Commercially, DOMELRE was described as “a quick hit.” The unit was considered relatively inexpensive for its time. The original model was sold for $900 ($28,691 in 2025 dollars); the 1916 model was priced at $385 in 1916 ($11,147 in 2025 dollars), later dropping to $275 ($7,962 in 2021 dollars). 525 were sold.

A 2005 assessment of the history of the ice delivery business in the New York Times concluded that the technology that DOMELRE pioneered gradually led to the end of that business in New York by 1950.

DOMELRE refrigerator advertisement from 1914

Historical Photos of the Caproni Ca.60, Italy’s Failed Floating Triplane

The Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo, often referred to as the Noviplano (nine-wing) or Capronissimo, was the prototype of a large nine-wing flying boat intended to become a 100-passenger transatlantic airliner. It featured eight engines and three sets of triple wings.

Only one example of this aircraft, designed by Italian aviation pioneer Gianni Caproni, was built by the Caproni company. It was tested on Lake Maggiore in 1921: its brief maiden flight took place on February 12 or March 2. Its second flight was March 4; shortly after takeoff, the aircraft crashed on the water surface and broke up upon impact. The Ca.60 was further damaged when the wreck was towed to shore and, in spite of Caproni’s intention to rebuild the aircraft, the project was soon abandoned because of its excessive cost. The few surviving parts are on display at the Gianni Caproni Museum of Aeronautics and at the Volandia aviation museum in Italy.

The Caproni Ca.60 was ahead of its time in its vision of large-scale air travel. While its design was ultimately impractical, it paved the way for future innovation in long-distance and high-capacity aircraft. The Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo remains a fascinating example of early aviation history, showcasing both the bold dreams and technical limitations of its era.

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