This design was originally created during the Victorian Era and was built as a deep-diving prototype. The diving suit was made entirely of metal and weighed over 800 pounds, making it impossible to travel with. Initial driving tests were all unsuccessful, as the suit always ended up filling with water when submerged.
It’s easy to look back today and point out just how clumsy this invention was, but unfortunately for Victorians, this was the top of the line when it came to diving equipment at the time. This design was built by the Carmagnole brothers of Marseilles, France. It took almost six more decades before the world’s first fully-functioning scuba gear was invented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Émile Gagnan.
This Boot, Perfectly Preserved for More Than 2,300 Years
We can’t remember the last time a shoe lasted for more than one winter. However, keep in mind that today, most of us don’t walk for more than a mile or two on an average day. But imagine a boot that was used to track thousands of mountains in the winter snow, being preserved almost perfectly for over 2,300 years.
The boot in the picture dates back to 300 BCE and was used by travelers in the Altai Mountains. It was preserved thanks to the freezing cold, which kept it in perfect condition for researchers to admire. The boot contains various materials, such as pewter, pyrite crystals, gold foil, and glass beads. While it doesn’t look like anything we’d ever wear, you can’t help but appreciate its beautiful craftsmanship.
The World’s Oldest Functional Sunglasses
Most people don’t know that the sun is actually a lot harsher on the eyes in snowy, cold areas rather than in scorching hot deserts. The Inuits were more than aware of this fact as they trudged through snowy regions more than 4,000 years ago.
Back then, Inuits couldn’t just stroll into a Ray-Ban store and pick up a pair of sunglasses. So they carved their own out of various rocks and wooden objects. These sunglasses worked in principle, as they helped limit the sun’s exposure to their eyes. Unfortunately, they also severely limited the wearer’s line of sight, which often resulted in some very unfortunate accidents.
This Picture of Gold Miner Bernhardt Otto Holtermann, Posing With Over $15 Million Worth of Gold
Gold has been used for ages as a hedge against inflation, and it helped keep the world’s currency from imploding. Gold prospectors made it their life’s work to look for rich veins of gold. These were often worth between a hundred thousand and a hundred million dollars.
Bernhardt Otto Holtermann was a gold prospector and businessman who fled Germany and relocated to Australia to avoid being drafted by the military. He was quite unsuccessful at digging gold until one day, he hit a 1,000-pound piece of gold. Above, you can see a famous photograph of Bernhardt with his discovery. In today’s money, the piece is worth about $15 million, which made him a quintessential American success story.
This Futuristic Steam Line KJ Henderson Motorcycle
The 1930 Henderson Model KJ Streamline is a bike so cool that it looks futuristic even by today's standards. It was originally built in 1930 by Orley Ray Courtney, a revolutionary streamliner engineer. He believed that the motorcycle industry wasn't up to par with current technology, so he built his own instead.
The bike features a complex curved body that was extremely hard to replicate. This futuristic masterpiece features a low, wide seat that fits a single rider. There's nothing currently like the Henderson, and it is considered the pinnacle of art deco design in the motorcycle industry. Even today, riding around town in this would turn some heads - so imagine the response in the 1930s!