When you think of avending machine, things like snacks, sodas, or even pharmaceutical supplies may come to mind. But you might be surprised to know that the first ever vending machine actually dispensed holy water. Yep, people back then would insert a coin and receive just the right amount of holy water from temples in Egypt.While the vending machine might seem like a fairly modern invention, it’s actually believed to have been around since the first century. It’s one of manyhistoricalinventions that were way ahead of their time.Bored Pandawas intrigued to know what other creations have been around longer than we thought, so we took a deep dive through the passage of time to find out. From flying cars to ancient earthquake detectors to automated doors, it turns out the world has been filled with futuristic inventions far longer than we realized.This post may includeaffiliate links.
When you think of avending machine, things like snacks, sodas, or even pharmaceutical supplies may come to mind. But you might be surprised to know that the first ever vending machine actually dispensed holy water. Yep, people back then would insert a coin and receive just the right amount of holy water from temples in Egypt.
While the vending machine might seem like a fairly modern invention, it’s actually believed to have been around since the first century. It’s one of manyhistoricalinventions that were way ahead of their time.Bored Pandawas intrigued to know what other creations have been around longer than we thought, so we took a deep dive through the passage of time to find out. From flying cars to ancient earthquake detectors to automated doors, it turns out the world has been filled with futuristic inventions far longer than we realized.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Today, seismologists use sensitive equipment to record tectonic movements deep within the Earth and analyze this data to predict earthquakes. Although seismometers are becoming more advanced each year, accurately predicting earthquakes is still an inexact science. More than 2,000 years ago, however, an ancient Chinese inventor, Zhang Heng, made the world’s first seismoscope which proved to be incredibly accurate. Called the Houfeng Didong Yi, Zhang Heng’s seismoscope was made in the shape of a jar with eight tubes extended from a circle of dragon heads on the exterior of the jar. When the device detected an earthquake, a small ball fell out of one of the dragon’s mouths and into the mouth of a toad figure affixed to the base of the jar. The toad indicated the direction the seismic wave was traveling.
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The Autoped was an early vision of today’s scooters. This was a personal transport system originally developed in 1915. It boasted a 155cc air-cooled engine and a top speed of 20 mph. This scooter was well ahead of its time and included some neat design features that wouldn’t look out of place on a similar modern device. It came with both head and tail lamps, a horn, and even a toolbox. It was also possible to fold the steering column down to make it easier to store. The Autoped might well have come about as a necessity due to wartime fuel rationing but it wouldn’t catch on at the time - not something that can be said now. Another design well ahead of its time.
I had a random shower thought the other day… “Why do we say it’s the best thing since sliced bread,” if there have been so many more incredible and useful inventions since that bulky bread-cutting contraption was introduced to the world?Seeing as I’m one who loves a good rabbit hole, I then ended up doing a deep dive into the origins of sliced bread. As it turns out, bread itself has been around for about 15,000 years.Accordingto scientists, our ancient ancestors were baking before they learned to farm properly. But it took thousands more years before humans were blessed with a machine that could cut perfect, equal slices of bread.
I had a random shower thought the other day… “Why do we say it’s the best thing since sliced bread,” if there have been so many more incredible and useful inventions since that bulky bread-cutting contraption was introduced to the world?
Seeing as I’m one who loves a good rabbit hole, I then ended up doing a deep dive into the origins of sliced bread. As it turns out, bread itself has been around for about 15,000 years.
Accordingto scientists, our ancient ancestors were baking before they learned to farm properly. But it took thousands more years before humans were blessed with a machine that could cut perfect, equal slices of bread.
Today’s vending machines are typically stocked with unhealthy snack options, like candy bars, sodas, and chips. The first vending machines, however, dispensed a product that was good for your soul. These vending machines from the 1st century dispensed holy water. Hero of Alexandria, a Greek engineer, mathematician, and inventor built a box with a series of levers. When the user inserted a coin, it triggered the levers to open a valve and pour out a small amount of holy water.
When we say “the best thing since sliced bread,” we’re going back to July 6, 1928. It was on that day that the very first automatically sliced commercial loaves of bread hit the shelves in the United States. It wasn’t a baker or an engineer who invented the bread cutting machine, but rather a jeweler called Otto Rohwedder.
Roman concrete, or opus caementicium, incorporated volcanic ash, making it incredibly durable. Structures like the Pantheon and aqueducts stand as testaments to its strength.
Leonardo da Vinci sketched a parachute design in the margin of his sketch book with the following text:If a man is provided with a length of gummed linen cloth with a length of 12 yards on each side and 12 yards high, he can jump from any great height whatsoever without injury.In 1617, the first successful parachute jump was made from a tower in Venice.
You know how we get radio, cell service, wi-fi, and television from signals that are broadcast through the air? Back in the early 1900s, genius inventor Nikola Tesla envisioned a system that would transmit electricity wirelessly through the air … free for anyone to use. He did more than just envision it. He conducted experiments and built a prototype to demonstrate the feasibility of his plan. Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower, located in Shoreham, New York, was supposed to provide free, wireless electricity, however Tesla ran out of money. He was unable to secure funds to bring his idea to fruition.
We might have received sliced bread even earlier were it not for nature saying, “No!” In 1917, a fire destroyed his prototype and blueprints. On top of that, bakers called B.S. They believed factory-sliced loaves would get moldy fast—or break apart.But Rohwedder was determined. In1928 he rebuilt his “power-driven, multi-bladed” bread slicer. And fortunately, his friend Frank Bench had faith in him. And Chillicothe Baking Company tested his machine for all the world to see.
We might have received sliced bread even earlier were it not for nature saying, “No!” In 1917, a fire destroyed his prototype and blueprints. On top of that, bakers called B.S. They believed factory-sliced loaves would get moldy fast—or break apart.
But Rohwedder was determined. In1928 he rebuilt his “power-driven, multi-bladed” bread slicer. And fortunately, his friend Frank Bench had faith in him. And Chillicothe Baking Company tested his machine for all the world to see.
As they say, they rest is history… and today, not only do we have sliced bread, but a whole bunch of innovative inventions we might never have been able to live without. Some are featured on this list. Others aren’t. We use them and don’t even realize we are taking them for granted!
In our times, a car with a navigation system is nothing surprising. However, when 2,000 years ago, during the Three Kingdoms period, the Chinese inventor Ma Jun created a chariot with a built-in compass for Emperor Ming-di, it was a real wonder. There was no magnetic compass in the inventor’s creation, so he had to come up with an alternative. On the chariot’s roof, he attached an arrow, which, through a complex system of gears, could always point in one direction. At the beginning of the journey, when the cardinal directions were precisely known, it would be oriented to the south. Then the chariot would move, and every time it turned, the mechanism rotated the arrow to ensure it always pointed in the designated direction. It was purely mechanical with no magnetic compass - the Chinese only began using those in the 11th century. To create such a device, Ma Jun had to invent a differential gear and a reduction mechanism. According to historical records, these navigational chariots were used until the year 1300, and were essential for long journeys and reconnaissance expeditions.
This piece of furniture certainly looks interesting. However, an upright bookshelf could fit the same number of books, take up much less space, and not require muscles to operate. Presumably, the appeal of a revolving book case is its novelty and design, in which case this one fits the bill.
A few years ago, I had an ‘89 Buick Riviera with a touchscreen computer. You could monitor fluid levels, have it greet you on your birthday, adjust the radio station—all kinds of stuff. It wasn’t perfect, but the green text on the black screen was really cool. I’ve never had a car before or since that had a built-in computer.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, a practical joker, owned an Amphicar … an automobile that could float on water and be piloted like a boat. He loved to take guests for a ride around his Texas ranch, then drive headlong into a lake. While his guests screamed and white-knuckled the dashboard, Johnson would shout about faulty brakes. The joke was on the unwitting victims. Johnson was one of the few proponents of the Amphicar, which was manufactured from 1961 to 1968 in West Germany. Demand for amphibious cars was limited. The Amphicar was discontinued, and the concept was relegated to Hollywood spy flicks and superhero movies.
The fact that something invented over 150 years ago can still seem ingenious is impressive. This mannequin, which can adjust to be just about any size a human can be, is an example of such an invention. Although it does look a little funny, the real oddity of this device is that it hasn’t gained popularity yet.
No doubt, the spork – half fork, half spoon – has revolutionized the cafeteria and take-out experience for the last couple generations. The 16th century invention, the Runcible Spoon, outshined the spork even though it failed to become the newest, trendiest dining utensil. Textual references to the Runcible Spoon tell us that this utensil combined the fork, spoon, and knife into one handy tool for cutting, jabbing, and slurping one’s dinner. Some descriptions of the Runcible Spoon remind us of a grapefruit spoon because it had a sharp, serrated edge along one or both sides of the spoon. Why didn’t the Runcible Spoon take off? No one can say for sure, but it could be that the utensil caused injuries.
A self-flushing toilet and plumbing system in 1800 BC!? Yep, the Minoans had that in the bag 1000 years before Homer wrote his Odyssey. The Minoans were an advanced civilization which flourished around 4000 years ago on the island of Crete and preceded the civilization we know as ‘ancient Greece’. A culturally rich people who prized innovation, the Minoans were found to have advanced plumbing knowledge which allowed them to have self-flushing bathroom facilities thousands of years before ‘modern’ civilization. The Minoans had an advanced drainage and early aqueduct system which brought fresh water from streams in to the city and allowed storm water and sewage to be drained into gardens outside the city. Ground level latrines with overhead water reservoirs to be tipped in to perform the flush abounded in the savvy city.
Automated door technology appeared in 1931 and was considered one of the signs of the “modern” age. Yet, the world had already seen this technology back in 1 AD. So how did it work? If you wanted to open the door, a fire would need to be lit to generate heat, causing an atmospheric build-up in brass vessels. This vessel would then pump water in holding containers, and these functions would act as weights to open the door. Think of it as a hydraulic system. Unfortunately, the doors were not that practical and not as popular as the modern doors you have around your city. The ancient doors took hours to open, and the process was hard to stop once it started. So, this probably meant that you only opened your doors once a day.
Why drive on four wheels when you can drive on one? In the early 1930s, Scottish engineer J.A. Purves created a zany monowheel vehicle called the Dynasphere. Purves viewed the monowheel as an alternative to traditional automobiles like the Model-T Ford. Imagine sitting inside a giant tire that rotates around you. That’s how the Dynasphere worked. Only the Dynasphere didn’t really work as it was intended to. The vehicle has issues with stability and maneuverability. It looks like a clown car. No wonder it failed.
The Greeks created an incendiary weapon that was lit. Literally lit. Between the 7th and 12th century, the military of the Byzantine Empire had a secret weapon that made them virtually unbeatable in naval battles. That weapon was called Greek Fire. What was Greek Fire? We don’t know. The Greeks kept the formula a closely guarded secret … so secret that it has been lost to time. Greek Fire was described as “burning on water.” It was probably made of petroleum, quicklime, or other flammable chemicals that would float on the surface of the water as it burned.
Though one was never built in his lifetime, Charles Babbage proposed his idea for a difference engine, a kind of minimalist steampunk take on what a computer should do.His ideas helped lay the foundation for the personal computers we have today.
Remember that Jim Croce song about saving “time in a bottle?” The Ancient Greeks had something like this centuries before 1973. One of the earliest types of timekeeping device, the Ancient Greek clepsydra used the flow of water to measure the passage of time. Clepsydras used either intake or outtake methods … water filling a container or water emptying from a container … to measure time. Unfortunately, clepsydras were not portable. In fact, disturbing the clocks in any way messed up the timekeeping.
Thomas Edison invented the cylindrical phonograph in 1877 and was looking for ways to commercialize it. In 1888, Edison developed a china doll equipped with a cylindrical phonograph with pre-recorded messages. It was a commercial flop — consumers thought the dolls were creepy.Talking dolls did not enjoy commercial success until 1959 with Mattel’s Chatty Cathy. Chatty Cathy could say 11 phrases and was the second most popular doll of 1960 (after Barbie)
Major Little should have gotten a patent on this idea. Now everyone thinks it was Captain Hook’s, although he wasn’t even imagined until over 50 years later.
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Back in the days before the modern PC and fancy-standing workstations, designers were still managing to come up with weird and wonderful seating arrangements for workers.This vision of the future included an all-in-one design with a figure-hugging chair, a built-in typewriter and even some earphones with extendable aerials. A vision of tech luxury for the time, but perhaps a step too far?
Ok, so this one might not be as clever or forward-thinking as some of the other inventions on our list, but there’s no denying its greatness. Why isn’t this a thing? Probably due to the uproar against disposable plastics polluting the planet. Still, there’s always Avocado Stick to sustain us.
In 428 BC, in Greece, an outstanding inventor, mathematician, and physicist of antiquity was born - Archytas of Tarentum. His research on the propagation of sound in the environment led to the creation of the first theory of acoustics in history. Archytas also developed schematics - a method of transmitting images of a working mechanism using geometric figures. However, the most famous of his inventions was the wooden pigeon that could fly. This device was hollow, and had two large wings in the middle, and two smaller ones at the back, resembling tail stabilizers. The rear part of the pigeon had an opening connected to a leather bag placed in the body.The process of using the device involved placing the bird on a boiling cauldron, after which steam was pumped inside until the pigeon took off. Chroniclers claimed that the apparatus could fly a distance equivalent to several hundred meters.
In the 1st century AD, a Greek engineer and mathematician, Heron of Alexandria, invented the first steam turbine. Called the Aeolipile, or Heron’s ball, this device consisted of a simple hollow sphere mounted on a central axis. The sphere has two curved nozzles pointing in opposite directions, each positioned on opposite sides of the sphere’s equator. When the sphere is filled with water and heated, the water vapor escapes through the nozzles, resulting in a rotational motion of the sphere. Heron’s aeolipile is considered an early demonstration of the principles of steam power, although its practical applications were limited in ancient times.
Contact lenses might seem like a modern invention, but these types of corrective vision devices can trace their roots back hundreds of years. Leonardo da Vinci, the famed artist and inventor, was the first one to float the idea of contact lenses. His 1508 Codex of the Eye described ways to alter the cornea to improve eyesight. In 1632, Rene Descartes revisited the idea of contact lenses. His idea involved tubes of water that would be stuck into the eyes and held in place with an external support system. Of course, the wearer couldn’t blink, but at least they could see.
Facebook logged over 17 billion video calls in 2017 and Skype was reported to have 300 million active monthly users in the same year. Add this to Apple FaceTime, Google Hangouts and all the other video calling and conferencing software that is being used and you have some very large numbers. They would no doubt totally impress and perplex the makers of the AT&T Picturephone which had its first public unveiling in 1964 at their exhibit at Disneyland California. The company tried and failed to launch the product again and again throughout the rest of the century putting it down to the product being too intrusive, expensive and not good enough quality. As webcams started to become mainstream on computers we found that the ease of use and price were big factors in the original shortcomings of the video phone but actually that people were not afraid to be seen.
Mithridatium, named for King Mithridates VI, was an alleged “universal antidote” to all poisons. Though the exact formula has been lost to time, historians believe it included opium, chopped vipers, and small amounts of both poisons and their antidotes. The antidote was developed around 100 B.C. and used for many centuries, especially in Italy and France. It was even used not long ago in 19th century under the name “theriac”. Today, the recipe is unknown but there have been documented attempts to recreate the formula to this miracle antidote as recently as the 1990s.
This fancy contraption can produce 300 to 400 dozen bottles of soda water per day! Imagine the amazement of the British people when they discovered that for the right amount of money, they could have a soda water machine that could fit in their parlor. It is also amazingly easy to use; according to the description, someone would have to crank the handle on the side for ten minutes and “when this is done, the bottling goes on without interruption.”
A number of strange ceramic jars, dating back to around 250 BCE to 224 CE, near Baghdad, Iraq. The jars contained copper cylinders and an iron rod. Archaeologists were puzzled. What could these jars be? When filled with an acidic liquid, like wine or vinegar, the jars produced electricity. In the 1930s, a German archaeologist, Wilhelm Konig, dubbed these Baghdad Batteries. Did people in antiquity need batteries to charge their cell phones or power their boomboxes? Of course not! The most common theory is that Baghdad Batteries were used to electroplate objects.
Who knew that Microsoft actually invented the tablet a decade before Apple? At the turn of the century, Bill Gates predicted that his tablet would be “the most popular form of PC sold in America within five years” only for it to die soon after. The main issue was that Microsoft envisaged their tablet to replace the desktop as the customers’ main use computer. It was designed with the same operating system as a PC and had a price tag to match at around $2000. Apple came along later and designed their tablet with a different operating system, look and feel, realising that it couldn’t replace a laptop or computer, but would be an additional product. “He [Steve Jobs] did some things better than I did,” reflected Bill Gates. “His timing in terms of when it came out, the engineering work, just the package that was put together. The tablets we had done before, weren’t as thin, they weren’t as attractive.”
In 1999 everything looked so promising for the Sega Dreamcast – it was the first video console to offer online gameplay and interactive memory cards. It also had the biggest media launch to date. By 2001, sales had been discontinued and Sega was only to produce software from then on. The Dreamcast suffered terribly from piracy as PC users were at the same time learning how to burn their own CDs. The Dreamcast didn’t have any restrictions for ripping CD-R discs which were then sold on illegally much cheaper or put online. The final nail in the coffin for Sega was Sony announcing the release of the PlayStation 2. It was to have broadband online connectivity (the Dreamcast only offered dial-up), it was much faster with more memory and offered playback. While the Dreamcast sold 10 million units over two years, the PlayStation 2 sold 155 million units and it was 12 years before it was discontinued.
This clever coffee machine uses a double-rotation system to heat every part of the metal sphere, so your coffee is evenly roasted. However, it probably won’t fit on the counter in your office’s break room.
Astronomers figured out a long time ago that Halley’s Comet swings past Earth roughly every 75 years. Folks were eagerly awaiting the comet’s return in 1910 until astronomer Camille Flammarion announced that the comet would come so close to Earth that our planet would pass through the comet’s tail, exposing mankind to potentially toxic space chemicals. While most people panicked when they heard about this, get-rich-quick inventors saw it as an opportunity. They offered anti-comet pills, which they claimed contained antidotes to counteract the space chemicals. In addition, anti-comet umbrellas hit the market. These were basically regular umbrellas covered in tin foil. The gullible public bought both of these items, then breathed a sigh of relief when they “worked”.
At first glance, this picture appears humorous merely because it mentions dipping sheep. However, it turns out that sheep dipping was an important aspect of the lives of sheep farmers, and still is today. By dipping their sheep in vats of disinfectant, farmers could prevent parasites from spreading among their flocks and clean the sheep’s wool in preparation for shearing. Still, it does look a little goofy.
The can. The can opener was invented 48 years after the invention of the can. How did people even open them?
The Xerox Alto was the first ever computer launched in 1973 but it had no commercial success. It is still credited as paving the way for the information technology industry today but it is one school of thought that Xerox spent too much time and money on research and inventions and not enough on innovation and commercialisation (something that Apple are renowned to do well).“Alto is the direct ancestor of today’s personal computers,” says Thomas Haigh, a Computer Historian. “It provided the model: GUI, windows, high-resolution screen, Ethernet, mouse, etc. that the computer industry spent the next 15 years catching up to.”
In 1995, 20 years before its emergence as a must-have technology for gamers, virtual reality (VR) reared its head, as Nintendo brought out its very own VR headset for the consumer market.Or, at least, it was considered the first gaming device capable of playing games in ‘true’ 3D, which hadn’t even been attempted for home use before then.Nintendo hadn’t gone into this venture half-heartedly. They had worked on a 3D, stereoscopic, head-tracking prototype called the Private Eye – the designs for which would go into developing the Virtual Boy – but limitations of technology at the time turned it into a stationary viewing device with a stand that looked, frankly, silly.Given its limitations, its US and Japan only release, and the $179.95 price tag in the US, it might not come as a surprise that the device was a total flop, but you have to admire Nintendo’s attempt.
Bill Gates has always been a man ahead of his time. In 2004, Gates and Microsoft launched the world’s first smartwatch, the Microsoft SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology). The SPOT watch was an ambitious venture that aimed to bring real-time information, including news, weather reports, and stock updates, to users through FM radio signals. The wearable electronics received much hype, but ultimately it was a flop. It was costly, required a monthly subscription, and was glitchy. It was discontinued in 2008 and was a setback in the company’s goal of creating wearable technology. After the Apple Watch debuted in 2015, the public was ready for smartwatches.
In a world where everyone does everything on their smartphones, the limited functionality of the Twitter Peek seems ridiculous. And indeed in 2009 when the bright turquoise Blackberry shaped device launched, it still seemed fairly ridiculous. The idea was that it would bring the joy of tweeting on the go to those without a smartphone and to help newbies finally “get” Twitter. But Twitter was literally all it did – no emails, internet browser or phone calls. And it didn’t even do Twitter very well – the $100 gadget only supported a single Twitter account. However, the single-use purpose that we shunned is now starting to have a real impact on our lives with the Internet of Things (IoT) where our everyday devices are connected to the Internet to send and receive data.
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