18 Past Inventions the World Wasn't Quite Ready For (19 photos)

"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it," Albert Einstein famously said. But let's be honest: sometimes nonsense is just nonsense, and searching for a deeper meaning in it is a fool's errand. Over the past century, however, a few ideas were so far ahead of their time that society simply couldn't digest them. As a result, many incredible inventions never made it past initial testing to reach the mainstream—which is a bit of a shame.







The Monowheel

Swiss engineer M. Gerder poses behind the wheel of his "Monowheel"—a motorcycle built inside a giant wheel fitted with a thick solid rubber tire.





The All-Comfort Lawn Mower

A demonstration of the "Power Mower of the Future" on October 14, 1957. The futuristic mower featured a five-foot plastic dome housing a comfortable driver's seat, an electric generator system, a radiotelephone, air conditioning, and even a mini-fridge for a cold drink on a sweltering summer day.



Glow-in-the-Dark Tires

In 1961, Goodyear introduced glowing tires. Made from translucent synthetic rubber, they lit up thanks to light bulbs mounted inside the wheel rims.



A Pipe Built for Two

Two men demonstrate the "Double Ender" smoking pipe in New York City on June 2, 1949.



Suntan Lotion Vending Machine

Model Betty Dutter demonstrates a suntan spray machine at the annual vending machine convention in Chicago on January 19, 1949. A quick spray cost just 10 cents.



Comb for Bald Men

Ted Spence, an engineer for a Los Angeles comb manufacturer, demonstrates a comb specially designed for bald heads on January 12, 1950.



Fallout Shelter

A demonstration of an underground fallout shelter capable of housing 8 to 12 people on September 12, 1958. The shelter was built to withstand a 20-megaton nuclear blast.



Desk-Hammock Combo

In this 1913 photograph, a schoolboy relaxes in a hammock that unfolds right out of his school desk.



Vibrating Bra

A model presents a spiral electric bra at the 20th International Inventors Exhibition in Brussels on March 13, 1971. Designed to tone and firm the bust, it vibrated while being worn—even on the job.



Soup-Cooling Spoon

In a 1948 photo, a man eats soup with a specially designed spoon equipped with a tiny fan to cool down hot broth.



Transparent Boats

A 1941 photograph shows a model posing in a see-through rowboat made of Lucite.



Automated Tip Collector

In this 1955 photo, inventor Russell E. Oakes demonstrates his automated tipping device: an artificial hand and coin box worn around the waist. If the tip wasn't generous enough, a "No Sale" sign popped up.



Single-Leg Portable Seat

Designed in 1953, this single-leg seat was built to be lightweight, portable, and easy to deploy anywhere.



Spaghetti Spinner

This automatic spaghetti twirler was invented in 1968 by Frenchman Alain Dam.



Rocket-Powered Bicycle

A German engineer prepares a bicycle fitted with 12 rockets mounted on the rear wheel. Moments after this photo was taken, the bicycle exploded. Luckily, the engineer escaped serious injury.



Face-Down Tanning Lounger

In a 1964 photo, 10-year-old Marny Smith demonstrates her clever idea for comfortable face-down sunbathing.



The Jetpack

Robert Courter hovers in mid-air during a test flight of his jetpack in Virginia on June 10, 1969.



Dashboard Coffee Maker

In this 1950 photograph, a driver demonstrates his dashboard-mounted coffee maker. According to the inventor, it held enough water for three cups of coffee and could also be used to heat soup, boil eggs, or warm up water.