THE SIX BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT

8 CRAZY INVENTIONS THAT NEVER MADE IT- BRITISH PATHÉ

Many inventions changed the face of our world, shaping our practices, customs and the way we live.

But what about those genius gadgets that never became mainstream? We want to take a look at some crazy devices that never made it. Let's shake some dust.

Cars brought progress, but also road casualties. To prevent this, several pedestrian safety scoops were designed during the 1920s. Often attached to the radiator or the bumpers of the vehicle, when the scoop or the net touched an obstacle, it would automatically drop to the ground and push it away.

"It could be fitted to bumpers or take the place of them. And it falls neatly away when it isn't eating pedestrians. A flick of a lever and the scoop has another mouthful.

When the scoop is open the jaywalker simply can't get run over."

"Baby follows ball out of window and mother just looks on."

Believe or not, this article was distributed among the members of the Chelsea Baby Club in London in 1937, as a solution for families without a garden. Patented in 1922 as a healthy antidote to growing children in crowded cities, it could also double up as a bed, incorporating removable curtains! You might be surprised, but this invention never quite took off... thanks to those very grounded mothers!

"From now on it's high society and life in a penthouse for her."

In the early 1930s, when fascist Italy was suffering from financial sanctions, the country's propaganda publicised its self-sufficiency, using their own resources. An Italian chemist, Antonio Ferretti, developed a successful method to make regenerated protein fibers. Lanital was a fabric made from casein, a major component in the making of cheese, for instance. Casein was processed with formaldehyde and metal salts and then pressed through spinnerets to form long, silk-like fibers.

"Very much like milk. So in future, you'll be able to choose between drinking a glass of milk or wearing one."

During WWI, horses were used extensively for tasks like pulling ambulances or moving heavy artillery. Both sides started using gas as a warfare weapon and protective equipment was gradually developed both for men and horses. It didn't go mainstream for long, no, because luckily, horses are no longer used in military conflicts.

"Don't look now ladies, but these girls are trying to get their fat down, to put it plainly.

"And this is how they do it in the States."

For some reason, this one doesn't sound so outdated, does it? That's right, fitness vibrating belts stayed around til the mid-1970s, providing no scientifically-proven weight loss to the millions who used it. The principle is quite a logical one. Instead of exercising the muscle yourself, you let the belt vibrate and exercise it for you. Perhaps that's why it's commonly known as “the lazy option” of fitness. However, several studies show that body vibration does not reduce weight or any type of body fat, unless one reduces the ingestion of calories. So, the miracle of “loose it by shaking it” vanished, as well as the presence of these belts around gyms.

In the early 30s, there was a boom in the exploration of wireless radios. Long before the transistor offered such options, this Radio Hat was seen in the streets of Paris in 1931. Following today's notion of “don't use it, wear it” applied to technology, the radio hat offered the groundbreaking possibility of carrying music with you when walkmans were not even a dream.

"For the benefit of motorists who haven't got a garage at home, we pay a visit to the home, in Hampstead, of Colonel Westmond Wright, for a really original and down-to-earth idea of housing a car. A garage in the front garden that disappears when it is not wanted." Those lucky enough to have space in front of their house had to choose between having a garden or a garage. But not with these inventions. During the 50s, several solutions tried to break the frustration of having to choose between the two. From foldable instant garages to sophisticated platforms that could hide underground. Unfortunately, in our days, only Batman and 007 can enjoy the privilege of a hidden garage.

The things we do to keep young! The relationship between science and beauty treatments has always been a strange one. Since Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898, it started being used for medical and commercial applications. This radioactive mask is a good example of why applications should never run faster than research. Thankfully, nowadays, beauty treatments look at science more and more to check and control the “purity” of natural products, rather than to create health-damaging scary gizmos.

"It's a delicate treatment that calls for very exact timing. She mustn't be overcooked."

And these were just a few inventions that never made it to our days. Bold, ingenious, ridiculous... you name it. But, remember, most useful devices were initially taken for a loony idea.

COMMONLY CONFUSED ADJECTIVES & QUANTIFIERS

COLLECTIVE NOUNS FOR ANIMAL GROUPS

KITCHEN VERBS

 

EXERCISE & SPORTS

WHEN LOVE ARRIVES

I knew exactly what love looked like – in seventh grade

Even though I hadn’t met love yet, if love had wandered into my homeroom, I would’ve recognized him at first glance. Love wore a hemp necklace.
I would’ve recognized her at first glance, love wore a tight french braid.
Love played acoustic guitar and knew all my favorite Beatles songs.
Love wasn’t afraid to ride the bus with me.
And I knew, I just must be searching the wrong classrooms, just must be checking the wrong hallways, she was there, I was sure of it.
If only I could find him.

But when love finally showed up, she had a bow cut.
He wore the same clothes every day for a week.
Love hated the bus.
Love didn’t know anything about The Beatles.
Instead, every time I try to kiss love, our teeth got in the way.
Love became the reason I lied to my parents. I’m going to- Ben’s house.
Love had terrible rhythm on the dance floor, but made sure we never missed a slow song.
Love waited by the phone because she knew if her father picked up it would be: “Hello? Hello? I guess they hung up.”

And love grew, stretched like a trampoline.
Love changed. Love disappeared,
Slowly, like baby teeth, losing parts of me I thought I needed.
Love vanished like an amateur magician, and everyone could see the trapdoor but me.
Like a flat tire, there were other places I planned on going, but my plans didn’t matter.
Love stayed away for years, and when love finally reappeared, I barely recognized him.
Love smelt different now, had darker eyes, a broader back, love came with freckles I didn’t recognize.
New birthmarks, a softer voice.
Now there were new sleeping patterns, new favorite books.
Love had songs that reminded him of someone else, songs love didn’t like to listen to. So did I.

But we found a park bench that fit us perfectly
We found jokes that make us laugh.
And now, love makes me fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies.
But love will probably finish most of them for a midnight snack.
Love looks great in lingerie but still likes to wear her retainer.
Love is a terrible driver, but a great navigator.
Love knows where she’s going, it just might take her two hours longer than she planned.
Love is messier now, not as simple.
Love uses the words “boobs” in front of my parents.
Love chews too loud.
Love leaves the cap off the toothpaste.
Love uses smiley faces in her text messages.
And turns out, love shits!

But love also cries.
And love will tell you you are beautiful and mean it, over and over again. “You are beautiful.”
When you first wake up, “you are beautiful.”
When you’ve just been crying, “you are beautiful.”
When you don’t want to hear it, “you are beautiful.”
When you don’t believe it, “you are beautiful.”
When nobody else will tell you, “you are beautiful.”
Love still thinks you are beautiful.
But love is not perfect and will sometimes forget, when you need to hear it most, you are beautiful, do not forget this.

Love is not who you were expecting, love is not who you can predict.
Maybe love is in New York City, already asleep;
You are in California, Australia, wide awake.
Maybe love is always in the wrong time zone.
Maybe love is not ready for you.
Maybe you are not ready for love.
Maybe love just isn’t the marrying type.
Maybe the next time you see love is twenty years after the divorce, love is older now, but just as beautiful as you remembered.
Maybe love is only there for a month.
Maybe love is there for every firework, every birthday party, every hospital visit.
Maybe love stays- maybe love can’t.
Maybe love shouldn’t.

Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to,
And love leaves exactly when love must.
When love arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.”
If love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her.
Turn off the music, listen to the quiet, whisper,
“Thank you for stopping by.”

OUR WALK IN THE WOODS

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE

 

FOOD IDIOMS

POSITIVE & NEGATIVE VOCABULARY

HOW QUICKLY CAN YOU LEARN ENGLISH?

100 COLORFUL WORDS TO USE IN PLACE OF 'SAID'

THE RED TREE, by Shaun Tan

THE GIRL WHO HATED BOOKS

RAY BRADBURY'S SHORT STORIES

Read it here

Read it here

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Read it here

VIDEO STORIES FOR CHILDREN

Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horacek from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Penguin by Polly Dunbar from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Noah's Ark by Lucy Cousins from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Ho, Ho, Ho, Tucker! by Leslie McGuirk from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Goodnight, Harry by Kim Lewis from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Baby Brains by Simon James from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

You're All My Favorites by Sam McBratney from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

This is Our House by Michael Rosen from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Tucker's Spooky Halloween by Leslie McGuirk from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

The Ravenous Beast by Niamh Sharkey from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

MNEMONIC DEVICE TO LEARN VOCABULARY

 

CLICK ON THE IMAGE

THE STORY OF KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

In the spring of 1939 during the build-up to war with Germany the British government commissioned a series of propaganda posters. These posters were intended to offer the public reassurance in the dark days that lay ahead. They were required to be uniform in style and would feature a special and handsome typeface making them difficult for the enemy to counterfeit. They used the crown of King George the 6th as the only graphic device and had just two colors. Of the three final designs that went to production, the first poster carried the slogan "YOUR COURAGE YOUR CHEERFULNESS YOUR RESOLUTION WILL BRING US VICTORY", the second poster had the words, "FREEDOM IS IN PERIL DEFEND IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT", but the third design, of which over two and a half million posters were printed simply read, "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON". The first two designs were distributed in September of 1939 and appeared up and down the country in shop windows and railway platforms but the Keep Calm posters were held in reserve intended for use only in times of crisis or invasion. In the end the poster was never officially issued and it remained unseen by the public until a copy turned up more than 50 years later. It was found in a second hand book shop called Barter books in the north east corner of England. Barter books was begun in 1991 by a couple Stuart and Mary Manley. The building used to be an old Victorian railway station. Huge rows of stacked shelves now stand in the place where the tracks would have been but the station's old tea rooms and waiting rooms are still there. It was in 2000 that Stuart found the poster in a box of dusty old books that had been bought at auction. Mary liked it so much she had it framed and put up near the shop till and it proved so popular with the customers that a year later they began to sell copies. Since that time the poster has been reproduced, parodied, trivialized and has become a truly iconic image of the 21st century. It is hard to say exactly why such a phrase from a by-gone decade would have so much appeal and resonance now. Its design is considered simple and timeless and now commonly recognizable however it is perhaps the words on the poster that people find most enchanting. Like a voice out of history it offers a very simple warm-hearted message to inspire confidence in others during difficult times and its something that should never fade from fashion, to Keep Calm and Carry On.