Month: November 2019

The 1917 Curtiss Autoplane sported a 100HP engine and the wings of a Curtiss Model L Trainer. It was abandoned when the US entered the First World War in April. (Popular Mechanics, April 1917).

Possibly the first lawn tractor: a California motorcycle conversion! (Popular Mechanics, May 1917). Now, why don’t they make conversion kits like this?

Travelling salesman invents new way of heating water (Popular Mechanics, May 1917). Don’t try this at home, folks!

“Simpson Ray” therapy seemed to enjoy a very short vogue (Popular Mechanics, May 1917).

The quest for substitutes for rubber tires began almost as soon as they were widely adopted. None caught on! (Popular Mechanics, June 1916).

This semi-tracked US armored vehicle was reportedly being tested near Los Angeles (Popular Mechanics, May 1917). It is an awkwardly high conversion of a Holt tractor, and had a tendency to either bog down or tip over!

Here is a large conversion of a Holt tractor into a quasi-tank, used for training US Navy recruits in land operations (Popular Mechanics, Sept. 1917). Unfortunately for a vehicle intended for use in rough front line terrain, it was quite tippy, all the weight being very high up.

Apparently, this is an 1882 unicycle (Popular Mechanics, Sept. 1917). Looks like a good way to get a foot lopped off!

Early robotic horse (Popular Mechanics, Oct. 1917) drawing hay wagon.

Ultimate bad-ass snowmobile (Popular Mechanics, Nov. 1917):