Winter 2001
 The Pedespeed - 1870 |
The PedespeedAbout the same time that roller-skating was becoming a popular pasttime (the first roller-skating rink opened in London in 1975), an inventor came up with a competing wheeled skate that never quite caught on. Each skate consisted of a single wheel, some 14 or 15 inches in diameter, with footpads and a stout wooden support that strapped to the calf. A ladies version of the pedespeed features a shield, what we might today call a fender, to keep their dresses from being caught in the spokes. One can see that such a design might prove more graceful than the four-wheeled variety of skate, althought perhaps more difficult to master. |
 An Improved Swimming Device - 1880 |
An Improved Swimming DeviceThe brainchild of American inventor, William A. Richardson, this device features a long shaft with a bouyant panel upon which to rest the torso and both hand and foot cranks to turn a four-bladed propeller. This rather novel vehicle was capable of speeds of four to six miles per hour. |
 A Novel Unicycle - 1884 |
A Novel UnicycleAll manner of odd conveyances were dreamed up in the nineteenth century. Many combinations of wheels were tried, from one to four and occasionally even more. The unicycles, of which there were many designs seem the oddest. The particular model was particularly strange because of the odd design of the pedalling system. In the particular engraving, it is not entirely clear how one enters or exits the craft, though no doubt there is a gap in the spokes on the left hand side. |
 The Talking Watch - 1895 |
The Talking WatchA Swiss watchmaker by the name of Sivan apparently was the first to execute the talking pocket watch. It contained a phonographic disk made of vulcanized rubber engraved with recordings of a voice calling out the hours and each quarter of the hour. Sivan also apparently built alarm clocks that called out "Wake up" at the designated time. About this same time, talking dolls designed on a similar principal were developed in America. |