Category: Galleries
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12 ridiculous inventions that somehow got patented
An inventor designed an alarm bed that tipped sleepers onto the floor when it was time to get up. Gentlemen once used special guards to keep their mustaches dry while drinking. A 1920s invention let city parents hang their babies outside the window in a wire cage for fresh air. This 1890s device promised to press permanent dimples into your cheeks. Several inventors have patented hats with umbrellas attached for hands-free rain protection. A patented contraption let you kick yourself in the backside, just in case you needed it. These 1800s coffins came with bells or air tubes in case someone was buried alive by mistake. Tiny glasses were patented to protect chickens’ eyes from other pecking chickens. This device kept long-eared dogs from dipping their ears into their food bowls. This 1960s patent imagined using centrifugal force to help deliver babies. Someone patented the method of making a cat chase a dot of light. This 1890s hat politely tipped itself so gentlemen didn’t have to lift a finger. -
11 vintage items people throw away without realizing their value
Some rare vintage Pyrex patterns reportedly sell for hundreds of dollars or more. 
Rare old bottles, especially unusual colors, can sell for serious money. 
Old quilts with beautiful craftsmanship can be valuable to collectors. 
Unopened original iPhones have reportedly sold for six figures at auction. 
Well-kept vintage bags from luxury brands can hold or even grow their value. 
Old signs, trays and coolers are some of the most popular collectibles out there. 
Certain rare colors of this classic American dishware are highly collectible. 
A tiny mistake on a coin can make it worth many times its face value. 
Early issues of famous superhero comics have sold for staggering amounts. 
Original concert tees from classic tours are big sellers with collectors. 
Vintage pans from classic American makers are prized by cooks and collectors alike. -
10 famous products that were originally designed for something completely different
In the 1800s, prisoners were forced to walk on treadmills as a form of punishment. 
It came out of wartime efforts to create a substitute for rubber. 
An inventor adapted a pump to create a soothing hydrotherapy bath for a family member with arthritis. 
College students started the craze by tossing empty pie tins from a local bakery. 
Before it became a cosmetic treatment, it was used to treat eye muscle problems. 
An early version of it was developed by doctors for use in surgery, not for cutting trees. 
It was created to protect missile parts from rust and corrosion. 
These tissues were first sold as a way to remove cold cream and makeup. 
It started out as a surgical antiseptic and was even marketed as a floor cleaner before becoming a mouthwash. 
Its inventors originally tried to sell it as textured wallpaper. -
12 old lunch boxes collectors actually want
Lunch boxes from this family sitcom still bring back big memories and good prices. 
This spooky sitcom lunch box is a hit with fans of classic TV. 
This cartoon lunch box from the early 1960s is surprisingly hard to find in good shape. 
The original Star Wars lunch box is a must-have for fans of the franchise. 
Boxes tied to the classic TV series are popular with superhero collectors. 
A version with the word “marshal” misspelled is reportedly worth far more than the correct one. 
Shaped like a yellow school bus full of Disney characters, it’s one of the most beloved boxes ever made. 
This dome-topped box from the sci-fi TV series is high on many collectors’ wish lists. 
Its rounded dome shape and space-age design make it a prized find. 
Lunch boxes from the height of Beatlemania are a favorite with music and pop culture collectors. 
Early Superman boxes are among the rarest and most valuable on the market. 
This cowboy lunch box from around 1950 helped launch the whole character lunch box craze. -
14 things you forgot were once extremely popular
People posted photos lying stiff as a board in the strangest places they could find. 
These spinning gadgets went from every classroom to nowhere almost overnight. 
Friends, celebrities and even CEOs dumped ice water on their heads to raise money for charity. 
Rubber bands shaped like animals were traded on playgrounds like currency. 
Millions of people logged on every day to harvest crops on their virtual farms. 
Kids competed to stack and unstack plastic cups as fast as humanly possible. 
Foldable metal scooters were everywhere, and so were bruised ankles. 
Weddings, parties and school dances all had everyone doing the same arm moves. 
Walking the dog and rocking the baby were must-have playground skills. 
These squishy, rubbery balls were in every kid’s backpack and every office desk drawer. 
Standing in a circle kicking a little footbag around was the ultimate hangout activity. 
Roller rinks turned into dance clubs with disco balls and flashing lights. 
Everyone was convinced these color-changing rings could reveal how they really felt. 
In the late 1950s, millions of kids and adults were swiveling their hips to keep a plastic hoop spinning. -
12 weirdest products ever sold on TV
This gadget attached to your vacuum cleaner so you could cut your own hair. 
It let you stud rhinestones onto just about anything you owned. 
This wireless microphone let you broadcast your voice through any nearby radio. 
A tiny folding fishing rod you could carry anywhere, just in case. 
This plastic loop tool promised salon-style ponytails in seconds. 
Clapping your hands to turn off the lights felt like living in the future. 
The commercials showed them slicing through a tin can and then a tomato. 
Its seat swiveled in circles so you could supposedly work out while sitting at your desk. 
This vibrating dumbbell became famous for its infomercial more than its workout. 
Watching sprouts grow into “fur” on a clay animal somehow became a holiday tradition. 
This full-body adult onesie promised ultimate comfort, and the internet has never let it go. 
A blanket with sleeves became a massive hit, even though it was basically a backward robe. -
10 old cameras that are worth more than you think
Photography students have used this simple, tough camera for decades, and it still sells well. 
Photographers love its sharp lens, and prices have climbed along with the film comeback. 
This tiny, weatherproof point-and-shoot now sells for many times its original price. 
This compact point-and-shoot has become a celebrity favorite, and prices have soared as a result. 
This folding instant camera was a design marvel, and working models are still in demand. 
Millions were sold, but film fans still pay good money for one in working condition. 
This classic film camera from the late 1950s helped define professional photography for decades. 
These elegant cameras with two lenses stacked on top of each other are a favorite with collectors. 
These are the same brand of camera that went to the Moon, and used ones can still sell for thousands. 
Classic Leicas are highly prized, and one rare early prototype reportedly sold for millions of dollars. -
20 celebrities who started their careers as child stars
She was about 12 when Stranger Things turned her into a star. 
She performed on Broadway as a young teen before landing her big TV break. 
The two future pop stars first met as kids on Barney & Friends. 
She was around seven when her performance in I Am Sam wowed critics. 
She was about nine when she was cast as Hermione Granger. 
She landed her first movie role as a young teenager. 
She competed on a TV talent show and joined The Mickey Mouse Club as a child. 
She made her film debut at around 12 in a hit action thriller. 
She earned a Golden Globe nomination for a vampire movie when she was only about 12. 
Her deadpan Wednesday Addams made her a star while she was still a kid. 
He was a busy child actor for years before he ever set foot in Middle-earth. 
He played a teenage doctor on TV long before his later comedy roles. 
She joined the cast of a hit family sitcom when she was just three. 
Home Alone made him one of the most famous kids on the planet. 
The twins shared the role of baby Michelle on Full House before they were even a year old. 
She stole hearts in E.T. when she was only about seven. 
She reportedly started out in commercials at just three years old. 
He was the tiny lead singer of the Jackson 5 before becoming the King of Pop. 
She was performing on stage with her sisters as a toddler, years before The Wizard of Oz. 
As a little girl, she was one of the biggest box office stars in the world. -
12 Strange jobs that actually existed
These human alarm clocks woke people up by tapping on their windows with long poles. 
Their job was to taste the king’s food first, just in case someone had poisoned it. 
People once searched muddy riverbanks at low tide for anything valuable they could sell. 
This royal servant had the very personal job of helping the king in the bathroom. 
These workers collected dog droppings, which were then used to process leather. 
Before electronic computers, teams of people, many of them women, did complex calculations by hand. 
Cigar factories hired readers to read newspapers and novels aloud while workers rolled cigars. 
These workers waded into ponds and let leeches attach to their legs so they could be sold to doctors. 
Before home refrigerators, the iceman delivered big blocks of ice to keep food cold. 
In crowded old cities, catching rats was a steady and very necessary job. 
Every evening, lamplighters walked the streets lighting the gas lamps one by one. 
Before machines took over, bowling alleys hired young workers to reset the pins by hand. -
12 Old video games that collectors pay big money for
A factory-sealed, top-graded copy once sold at auction for over a million dollars. 
Released late in the Nintendo 64’s life, complete copies of this game now sell for well above their original price. 
This Nintendo 64 game was only available through a video rental chain, which makes it surprisingly rare. 
This mysterious Atari game is so rare that complete copies have sold for tens of thousands of dollars. 
Unopened original copies are worth far more than the price they sold for back in the day. 
This overlooked NES game became one of the system’s most expensive titles to collect. 
This Sega Saturn game had a tiny print run, so complete copies are highly prized. 
Complete copies of this cult-favorite role-playing game, with the box, can sell for hundreds of dollars. 
This rare NES sports game was pulled from shelves soon after release, making it a collector’s dream. 
A rare sealed early copy of the original Zelda sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. 
A pristine sealed copy of the NES classic reportedly sold for around two million dollars. 
Made for a competition and never sold in stores, this ultra-rare cartridge can fetch tens of thousands of dollars.