World's Worst Inventions
The Craziest Gadgets and Machines Ever Made
Published on 14. October 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-78274-553-2 (ISBN)
Description
The world is full of bright ideas and creative geniuses, and of fabulous inventions that make life easier. But for every great invention, there is one that is even more wonderful - not for its effectiveness or indeed its usefulness, but for its mere existence. The World's Worst Inventions celebrates the hitherto unrecognised inventions that are remarkable only for their spectacular awfulness.
When, for example, would you ever need a pair of glow-in-the-dark sunglasses, a round chessboard or a device that stops your vacuum cleaner from getting dusty? Under what circumstances would you ever want to go swimming with an umbrella or ride a see-saw on your own? Did nobody ever think of the obvious dangers of the helicopter ejector seat or the pocket chainsaw?
Featuring 150 devices, each invention is illustrated with full-colour photographs and illustrations, annotated to show particular features worthy of note. Informed (and sometimes affectionate) text brings each invention and its history to life, alongside archive images from the invention's 'heyday'.
The World's Worst Inventions pays tribute to the spectacular hopelessness of some of the most creative, yet warped geniuses who have ever lived.
When, for example, would you ever need a pair of glow-in-the-dark sunglasses, a round chessboard or a device that stops your vacuum cleaner from getting dusty? Under what circumstances would you ever want to go swimming with an umbrella or ride a see-saw on your own? Did nobody ever think of the obvious dangers of the helicopter ejector seat or the pocket chainsaw?
Featuring 150 devices, each invention is illustrated with full-colour photographs and illustrations, annotated to show particular features worthy of note. Informed (and sometimes affectionate) text brings each invention and its history to life, alongside archive images from the invention's 'heyday'.
The World's Worst Inventions pays tribute to the spectacular hopelessness of some of the most creative, yet warped geniuses who have ever lived.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Amber Books Ltd
Target group
Young adult
Professional and scholarly
Interest Age: From 14 to 99 years
Product notice
Flexible plastic/vinyl cover
Illustrations
300 artworks and photos; 300 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 124 mm
Width: 163 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78274-553-2 (9781782745532)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jack Watkins is a regular contributor to publications such as BBC History, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Heritage Today, Military History Magazine and National Trust Magazine, writing on history, the arts and conservation. He lives in Southern England.
Content
Introduction
Crazy Clothing and Odd Outerwear
Bob hair cutter
Body attachable sunshade
Changing tent
Coconut helmet
Crinoline
Electric hairbrush
Expanding trainers
Extending pedicure set
Faucet umbrella
Head umbrella
Inflatable bra
Makeup eyeglasses
Moustache protector
Mullet haircut
Nose shaper
Pneumatic attachment for trousers
Rain goggles/glasses
Refrigerating suit
Sleeping jacket
Stealth umbrella
Two-way shoe
Venetian blind glasses
Wear-me umbrella
Zig-zag comb
Kitchen Creations
Automatic egg cooker
Buckle's dunksafe
Coffee-flavoured mints
Donut dunker
Egg-o-matic
Illuminated ice cube
Pop-top can
Spaghetti fork
Triangular teabag
TV dinner
Vegetable preserver
Health and Safety Gone Made
Acupuncture bed
All day tissue dispenser
Anti-ageing tuning fork
Buoyant swimsuit
Calm machine
Electric cigarette
Electric reading glasses
Energy cocoon
Eye-dropper eye glasses
Fireproof smoking device
Flotation suit
Marine life-saving apparatus
Railway snow plough
Slimming belt
Smart goggles
Every Home Should Have One
8-track cartridge
Aquatic pod suite
Betamax
Booster blades
Brightfeet lighted slippers
Camera gun
Chess for 3 & 4 players
Clackers
CueCat
Doggie sweater
Early hands-free phones
Easy bake oven
Floating bed
Glow in the dark glasses
Hula hoop
Lounge hover chair
Motorised roller skates
Pet loo
Pet umbrella
Phone monocle
Plastic house
Pogo stick
Printed toilet paper
Remote controlled lawn mower
Robot dog
Sea shoes
Self-making bed
Silent alarm clock
Square tennis ball
Toilet night light
Weird Weapons of War
Acoustic listening devices
Avrocar
Chauchat
Convair XFY-1
POGO
Great Panjandrum
Krummlauf
Northover
Percival P.74
Ross rifle
Short Seamew
Sims-Dudley Dynamite Gun
Snecma Coleoptere
Sticky bombs
V3
Transportation Innovation
Aero bicycle
Aerocar
Austin Maxi
Balloon car
Bazin's roller boat
Bendy bus
Bessemer boat
Blackburn Scout
Bond Bug
Caproni Ca.60
Car alarm system
Car roof tent
Conference bike
Double handle-barred bicycle
Excalibur SSK
Ford Mustang II
Horse-drawn car
Jet pack
Lamborghini Espada
Methane gas car
Nash Metropolitan
Otto cycle
Pedelux cycle car
Penny Farthing
Purves Dynasphere
Reliant Robin
Renault Avantime
Rocket powered bicycle
Scheuer's transparent rowboat
Shapson Aquaplane
Sinclair C5
Solar powered bicycle
Suitcase car
Tandem bicycle
Trabant
Trans-Ether steam flying machine
Unicycle motorbike
Volk's electric sea railway
Water bike
Wonderbike
Gizmos and Gadgets
Digital rosary
Electric trolley
Exercise chair at work
French kiss breath detector
Hunting skis
Midgeater
Parachute overcoat
Pay toilet
Perpetual motion machine
Plant speaker system
Pocket chain saw
Portable female urinal
Post Office air torpedo
Crazy Clothing and Odd Outerwear
Bob hair cutter
Body attachable sunshade
Changing tent
Coconut helmet
Crinoline
Electric hairbrush
Expanding trainers
Extending pedicure set
Faucet umbrella
Head umbrella
Inflatable bra
Makeup eyeglasses
Moustache protector
Mullet haircut
Nose shaper
Pneumatic attachment for trousers
Rain goggles/glasses
Refrigerating suit
Sleeping jacket
Stealth umbrella
Two-way shoe
Venetian blind glasses
Wear-me umbrella
Zig-zag comb
Kitchen Creations
Automatic egg cooker
Buckle's dunksafe
Coffee-flavoured mints
Donut dunker
Egg-o-matic
Illuminated ice cube
Pop-top can
Spaghetti fork
Triangular teabag
TV dinner
Vegetable preserver
Health and Safety Gone Made
Acupuncture bed
All day tissue dispenser
Anti-ageing tuning fork
Buoyant swimsuit
Calm machine
Electric cigarette
Electric reading glasses
Energy cocoon
Eye-dropper eye glasses
Fireproof smoking device
Flotation suit
Marine life-saving apparatus
Railway snow plough
Slimming belt
Smart goggles
Every Home Should Have One
8-track cartridge
Aquatic pod suite
Betamax
Booster blades
Brightfeet lighted slippers
Camera gun
Chess for 3 & 4 players
Clackers
CueCat
Doggie sweater
Early hands-free phones
Easy bake oven
Floating bed
Glow in the dark glasses
Hula hoop
Lounge hover chair
Motorised roller skates
Pet loo
Pet umbrella
Phone monocle
Plastic house
Pogo stick
Printed toilet paper
Remote controlled lawn mower
Robot dog
Sea shoes
Self-making bed
Silent alarm clock
Square tennis ball
Toilet night light
Weird Weapons of War
Acoustic listening devices
Avrocar
Chauchat
Convair XFY-1
POGO
Great Panjandrum
Krummlauf
Northover
Percival P.74
Ross rifle
Short Seamew
Sims-Dudley Dynamite Gun
Snecma Coleoptere
Sticky bombs
V3
Transportation Innovation
Aero bicycle
Aerocar
Austin Maxi
Balloon car
Bazin's roller boat
Bendy bus
Bessemer boat
Blackburn Scout
Bond Bug
Caproni Ca.60
Car alarm system
Car roof tent
Conference bike
Double handle-barred bicycle
Excalibur SSK
Ford Mustang II
Horse-drawn car
Jet pack
Lamborghini Espada
Methane gas car
Nash Metropolitan
Otto cycle
Pedelux cycle car
Penny Farthing
Purves Dynasphere
Reliant Robin
Renault Avantime
Rocket powered bicycle
Scheuer's transparent rowboat
Shapson Aquaplane
Sinclair C5
Solar powered bicycle
Suitcase car
Tandem bicycle
Trabant
Trans-Ether steam flying machine
Unicycle motorbike
Volk's electric sea railway
Water bike
Wonderbike
Gizmos and Gadgets
Digital rosary
Electric trolley
Exercise chair at work
French kiss breath detector
Hunting skis
Midgeater
Parachute overcoat
Pay toilet
Perpetual motion machine
Plant speaker system
Pocket chain saw
Portable female urinal
Post Office air torpedo