Snoring Remedies From the 1940s: Fun Photos Show a Variety of Gadgets and Tools Designed to Stop Snoring

Here are some fun pictures from a LIFE magazine article called “Snore Stoppers,” from their February 28, 1949 issue. As you might have guessed by now, it focused on a variety of gadgets and tools designed to stop snoring, one of mankind’s great remaining scourges.

(Photos by Herbert Gehr, via The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit)

New Metallic Collar Reflects Health Rays of Sun on Face, 1932

A new apparatus for directing the health-giving rays of the sun to the face, known as the “Rivierasonne,” has been introduced in Berlin in 1932. The device is made out of a thin metal and shaped like a large collar.

Health-giving rays from the sun are attracted to this thin metal collar and directed onto the face by means of the multiple reflectors. Flexible metal allows adjustment.

The metal collar collects the sun’s rays and throws them onto the face by means of a multiple reflector. Being extremely flexible, the apparatus, shown in the photo, can be adjusted to any angle to catch the rays and reflect them as desired.

1939 Schlörwagen, the Concept Car That Never Made It

The Schlörwagen (nicknamed “Göttinger Egg” or “Pillbug”) was a prototype aerodynamic rear-engine passenger vehicle developed by Karl Schlör (1911–1997) and presented to the public at the 1939 Berlin Auto Show.

In a test drive with a production vehicle Mercedes 170H as a comparison, the Schlörwagen tested about 135 km/h (84 mph) top speed – 20 km/h (12 mph) faster than the Mercedes; and consumed 8 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers – 20 and 40 percent less fuel than the reference vehicle. According to Karl Schlör, the vehicle could reach a speed of 146 km/h (90 mph).

A year later it was unveiled to the public at the 1939 Berlin Auto Show. Despite generating much publicity, it was perceived by the public as ugly. The project was shelved with the onset of World War II and mass production was never realized.

It never went into production, and the sole prototype has not survived.

See more»

“Glamour Bonnet” Provides Vacuum to Aid Complexion, 1941

Not a deep-sea diver, but a beauty-parlor patron in the vacuum helmet in 1941.

Some persons believe a mud pack is the answer to the search for a beautiful complexion, others think massage will do the trick, but Mrs. D. M. Ackerman, of Hollywood, California, has decided that reduced air pressure is a good treatment.

So, she has devised a “glamour bonnet” like a diver’s helmet with which the atmospheric pressure around the beauty seeker’s head can be lowered. The effect is similar to what a person feels who climbs a high mountain or flies high in a plane, and Mrs. Ackerman claims that the reduced pressure stimulates blood circulation and thus aids the complexion to attain its natural beauty. A window has been installed so the customers can read during treatments.

First Inflatable Push-Up Bra in France, 1952

November 1952, and the inflatable bra comes to France for the first time. Here, French TV celebrity Jacques Angelvin demonstrates the proper method for inflating it. Angelvin was later arrested for drug trafficking in 1962.

Some women of the time, seeking to mimic the breasts of Marilyn Monroe, resorted to blowing up their bras, not unlike how you might blow up a pool float. The bras would lose air from time to time, and we just can’t have that, so the bras could be inflated on the go, using a straw apparatus.

They simply inserted it into the bra’s valve and blew. Once they’d reached the desirable plumpness, they removed the straw and sealed the bra. If you think that the word “valve” and “bra” don’t belong in the same sentence, you’ll be happy to know that the ’60s came soon enough.

(Photos: Getty Images - Universal / Contributor)

Shower Hood, 1970

February 12, 1970: Munich actress Inge Marschall demonstrates use of the new shower-hood, invented in Germany to protect hair and make-up in the shower.

(Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Guard Prevents Lipstick Smears, 1934

A tiny device which slips between the lips effectively prevents lipstick from making smears while actresses try on gowns, 1934.

These lip protectors keep lipstick smears off costly gowns when actresses change costumes.

Studio wardrobe departments are finding the guard especially valuable in protecting expensive costumes. The device is pressed out of heavy paper.

Baby Rides in a “Rumble Seat” When Daddy Goes Fishing, 1938

Playing nursemaid is no deterrent to a day’s fishing when you can carry the youngster on your back.

There was no use in staying home with the baby when his wife was away, a Miami man decided. So he rigged up a seat slung over his shoulders for the youngster, attached a sunshade, and now the baby goes along whenever daddy fishes.

Surgical Mask Made From Transparent Material, 1938

Invented by a well known doctor in 1938, a new type of surgical mask is constructed from transparent material and, due to its flexible metal frame, can be instantly adjusted to fit the contour of the face.

By permitting lip reading, the transparent mask enables doctors and nurses to converse more conveniently during an operation. An opening in the bottom of the mask permits air to circulate.

Use Seesaw to Start Stopped Heart, 1933

A life-saving seesaw has been invented in 1933 by a University of California scientist to revive those whose hearts have stopped, as the result of certain kinds of accidents. While oxygen is forced into the lungs and heat is applied to the body, the patient will be rocked steadily up and down on the pivoted plank, to which he will be strapped lying on his back.

The patient is rocked while oxygen is administered.

The theory is that the steady change in position will cause gravity to send the blood coursing through the veins and will start the heart beating. The apparatus, the inventor points out, is for use only in certain cases where the patient has met with an unusual accident.

Cape, Stick, Vanity in Beach Umbrella, 1939

Besides shielding its user from the sun, a versatile new beach umbrella can be used as a walking stick, a vanity case, or part of a bathing costume.

The detachable fabric top may be worn over a bathing suit as a cape, or will serve as a skirt. The rest of the umbrella folds within a lightweight metal tube, forming a staff to aid in walking over the sand.

Flipping open the lid of an oblong cap, at the end where the umbrella ribs converge, reveals a small mirror and make-up in handy form to be applied after a dip.

Japanese Rollerblades: Skates for Rough Surfaces Are Built Like Army Tank, 1938

Constructed with several sets of wheels along the lines of an army tank, skates introduced in Japan may be used on unusually rough surfaces, 1938. The multiple wheel skate tends to level out the rough spots. Braces attached to the leg help to hold the skates on the feet.

Trying out the tractorlike skates. Note the multiple-wheel construction and the heavy braces with which the skates are attached.

Collection of Sexual Aids in a Storage Wooden Box, Japan, Early Twentieth Century

Here’s a set of woman’s ‘toilet’ implements for sexual gratification, consisting of six dildoes and penis supports, two rings (rin no wa, namako no wa) and metal ball (rin no tama). Made of horn, metal. In wooden storage box.

Phalluses were often made in stone and wood, and presented as offerings to shrines as part of phallic cults to pray for good harvests and fertility in the family. They were also positioned at the boundaries of village settlements.

Even today, phalluses are often used at local festivals. Of course there is a clear distinction between the phalluses that were used for religious rituals and the dildos that were used for daily use. The pieces in the above set were for practical use. They are called, ‘laughing devices’ (warai dōgu) to emphasize the close connection between sex and laughter.

These are all examples of Japanese sex toys that are featured in certain shunga designs. Included are buffalo horn-made dildos (ushizō), tortoiseshell (kamezō) and wood (mokuzō). The hollow dildo (centre) could have cotton wadding soaked in hot water placed inside it, the hot water making the dildo soft and warm. Another striking toy is called ‘Dōkyō’s armor and helmet’ (Dōkyō no yoroi-kabuto), named after the monk Dōkyō (d.AD 772), of whom it was said that he was the lover of Empress Kōken (AD 718-70). It was worn on the penis to give it a ribbed texture.

The ‘armor’ was worn on the shaft of the penis and the ‘helmet’ over the glans. In this set we can see two kinds: in one, the armor and helmet are separate (left); in the other, they form a single piece (right). There are also two examples of rings, with knobbles on them worn around the penis: these are known, literally, as  secret rings to make women cry’ (himenaki-wa).

It is apparent from these real examples of sex toys that they were made by craftsmen of great skill. Such sets were still made into the early twentieth century.

(via British Museum)

Brutsch 200 “Spatz”, a 3-Seater and 3-Wheeled Car With a Plastic Body in the 1950s

Egon Brutsch was one of the most prolific microcar designers of the 1950s, but he didn’t enjoy much commercial success. His first car was the Spatz (Sparrow). Instead of a chassis the Spatz featured a glassfibre monocoque – which fell apart because it was too weak. This led to the car being banned in Germany, which proved something of a setback.

Flanked by his two daughters, Egon Brutsch sits in his new three-wheel car for which he developed a plastic body in Stuttgart, Germany, Oct. 10, 1954.

The car seats three persons.

Brutsch claimed the car weighs only half as much as a normal metal body.

A 3-seater, 3-wheeled roadster, powered by a single cylinder 191 cc Fichtel & Sachs engine driving through a four speed gearbox. Top speed was around 90 km/h (56 mph) and about five cars were produced.

Also built under license by A. Grunhut & Co of Switzerland with minor changes and sold as the Belcar. Another license was sold to Alzmetall for production by Harald Friedrich GmbH of Germany, but so many faults were found with the original design that their production model, the Spatz Kabinenroller was fundamentally a different car. Because of this Brutsch took Alzmetall to court to ensure payment of his license fees but lost the case.

Pipe for Two, 1949

George Braunsdorf, left, 6 feet 4 inches and Joe Damone, 5 feet 1 inch, demonstrate a pipe called the “Double Ender” in New York, June 2, 1949.

(Ed Ford/AP Photo)

According to its manufacturer, the pipe was designed as a means of conserving tobacco by a couple of pipe smokers down on their luck, or, sharing a smoke at a ball game.

The Evinrude Flying Saucer Fishing Boat, 1957

The Flying Saucer fishing boat was designed by maritime company Evinrude and was said to be the work of Brooks Stevens. It was the first of its kind to be built and had seen trial runs, reportedly on Milwaukee River and had even graced the 1957 New York Boat Show, but was never commercially manufactured.

While the U.S. military had experimented on flying saucer flying contraption without any obvious practical success, this Evinrude outboard fishing boat, aptly named Flying Saucer outboard, was the opposite.

It was built at a cost of $14,000, a princely time at that time (which based on inflation, would be over a 100 grand), with the intention of encouraging boat builders to think outside box. The flying saucer-like watercraft was powered by two outboard motors of 18 horses each and could ferry an entourage of up to eight persons. It was without doubt, the most radical design of its time by today’s standard and should be worthy the namesake of “fishing saucer.”

Unfortunately, the law of physics do not quite allow anything too radical that will contradict good hydrodynamics. It was a nice discovery for us and we appreciate the fact that the 1957 Evinrude Flying Saucer Fishing Boat had tickled our dream of a The Jetsons-like future, once.

(via Mikeshouts)

Mechanical Hands With Remote Control: GE Master-Slave Manipulator by John Payne, 1948

The village blacksmith of Longfellow may have had “muscles like iron bands,” but scientist John Payne of General Electric has done him one better; he has arms and hands made of steel, and what’s more, he can operate his from the next room.

Designed for use by re-mote control in radioactive areas, a pair of mechanical hands can do everything human hands can and more. The hands extend over a protective wall into the radiation area while the operator controls them from a safe place. Most movements are mechanical, being controlled by linkages with the handles, but wrist action is electrical. This permits the wrist to twist around completely any number of hand that consists of a pair of snips instead times, a feat which is particularly useful of hooks. Control of the hands is so sensitive that a gentle squeeze can be applied to break the shell of a hard-boiled egg without damaging its contents.

John Payne’s device has an important function of course; with it he can handle remotely the hot, radioactive materials used in atomic research at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory at Schenectady, NY. His “hands” can perform delicate chemical experiments, operate machine tools and do countless other tasks involving great dexterity. In use the metal manipulators extend over a wall impervious to the harmful radiations, and reach into the radio-active area to handle the material.  The operator remains in a separate control room and atches the operation by means of mirrors.

A model having her cigarette lit by a “Master-Slave Manipulator” for remotely working with radioactive materials, Schenectady, NY, 1948.

Gun-Shaped Makeup Compacts, ca. 1920s

Conceived as a crime deterrent, some ladies makeup compacts fashioned in the shape of an inoperable pistol; complete with powder, cheek rouge and lipstick in the shape of a bullet. These were popular with Flappers from the 1920s.

1934 Peugeot 601 Eclipse, the First Automatic Retractable Hardtop for an Automobile

Fixed-roof cars of the early 20th century could feel claustrophobic. But convertibles of the time were often leaky, drafty, noisy, and insecure. The advanced solution came from Peugeot in 1934, with the introduction of the retractable hardtop on its luxurious 601. The self-storing roof structure automatically disappeared behind the passenger's compartment into a space revealed by the reverse-opening rear deck in lieu of the trunk.

This Georges Paulin design set the general design standard for retractable hardtops. The technology surfaced in an American production car when Ford introduced the 1957–1959 Skyliner, and all modern variants can trace their roots back to prewar France and have evolved from Peugeot’s idea.

It used an electric to operate the roof mechanism which Peugeot promised would take 15 seconds to erect or lower, but it actually took closer to a minute to fully complete. Furthermore, four such cycles were sufficient to completely drain the car’s battery a situation which meant you had to do it by hand via a manual lever.

In 1935 the 601 was further developed with minor modifications and some new body variants on the C-series of 1934 and these were classified in the series 601D. The long body styles were called 601DL. The D-series are recognizable by the lowered headlights and the elongated handles on the hood instead of the flaps.

A total of 1,235 units were produced of the C variants in 1934 and approximately 779 units of the L. There were 1,074 copies of the D variants and 911 copies of the DL.

Although the 601 was only in production for 2 years, the 601 was a popular car at concours d’elegances. The body style “transformable electrique” (now known as the CC) in particular appealed to the public’s imagination.

The transformable electrique, or the Peugeot ‘Eclipse’, was born thanks to the meeting of three men: Darl’Mat, one of the most important Peugeot dealers, coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout and Georges Paulin, who was actually a dentist but also found his talent in designing of cars. It was Georges Paulin who entrusted the paper with an idea in 1933 to fold a metal roof completely into the trunk. He patented his invention and then went for coffee with Marcel Pourtout. Eventually, they enlisted their friend Darl’Mat to try out the concept on the new 601. The result was astonishing. The iconic Peugeot Eclipse was born.

Within the walls of Peugeot, the Eclipse is also called the Paulin car. Most Eclipse were built on a 601 frame, but some copies were also built on a 401 frame.