They Monitored Swimwear
It's safe to say that the world has transformed over the last few years. There have been more changes to the way we live in the last three decades than in all of human history.
Some of them are simply outdated, while others are so dangerous or foolish in retrospect that it's a miracle they were allowed at all. Check them out, you won't believe your eyes.
For real, this guy is out measuring the length of the lady's swimsuit.
Outrageous Outdoor Pursuits
It was against the rules for the bottom of the swimsuit to be more than half a foot above the knee.
In today's safety-conscious world, everybody would go to jail for running or participating in a 1920's zipline experience.
Medication Wasn't Marvelous
Come to think of it, that's probably for the best.
This was supposed to help people concentrate. How?
The Elephant Swimmers
By cutting off the user's hearing, limiting their vision and pumping pure oxygen into the brain.
No, this lady is not Joseph Merrick's sister.
The Mobile Library
She's a swimmer and this was the way to avoid facial tanning back in the day.
This one is kind of sweet. It's the public library for people too sick to go to the library themselves.
The Birds Ran The Parks
However, it must have been an incredible effort for the librarian to push this around.
Yes, this guy's job is to give the birds a shower.
The Baddest Bike of Them All
Sure, they're penguins and needed to keep cool, but surely there was a better way than this.
It's a motorcycle. It's made of a single wheel. Surely, that means it won't go very fast.
Serious Safety Tests
Nope. This baby would do 93 mph top speed. Crashes don't bear thinking about, do they?
No, this isn't a new way of driving a bus.
Child Cages
This is the original manufacturers of London's Double-Decker buses showing that they wouldn't fall over on corners.
Keeping babies in cages? There's probably a law against it now.
Libraries and Chill
But it was once common to place the baby in a mesh balcony to keep it cool.
These reading glasses aren't as crazy as they look. They let the wearer lay down flat and still read a book.
Antique GPS System
Where can we get some?
They had the idea for GPS long before GPS was possible. They used the "scrolling map" instead to try and achieve the same thing.
Ingenious Car Parking
It took nearly as long to set up as it did to drive where you wanted to go.
This car park was actually very much ahead of its time.
No Flakes on Them
Getting the cars in place would have been very dangerous, but today it's the sort of job that can be done by a robot.
We love this even if we wouldn't wear it. This is a special form of hat designed to protect the wearer's delicate face from snowflakes.
Dinner Dates Were Complicated
Seriously.
Yes, this is a bicycle made for four. Two people pedal while the others kick back and enjoy themselves.
Babies From Outer Space?
We can't work out why it didn't catch on.
Actually, they're not alien babies but rather babies being rushed to a bomb shelter in London during World War II.
Hard As Nails
Those are baby gas masks.
This guy is showing off his weight lifting skills. Yes, with un-detonated ordnance for weights.
Cars Went Swimming
That beats pretty much any amount of modern day crazy.
Oh my. This is a car that's also a boat.
Skating on Thin Roads
It's made by Peugeot and strangely, despite its age, it worked well enough. There were no mass drownings of its owners.
The early designs for roller skates left a lot to be desired from both a practical and an aesthetic viewpoint.
Barking Mad?
Imagine trying to get home on these.
This is a Turkish soldier who has been captured by two Anzacs. Yes, he's disguised as a tree.
Before He Was Back
Let's hope his bark was better than his bite.
The Postman Only Knocks on the Roof Twice
Arnold Schwarzenegger was a big deal back in the day and he'd go to the park so that the grannies could check him out.
This French mailman was given a pair of stilts to make getting around delivering the mail easier.
Tin Can Target
We're not sure how that works at all.
This was how they went about inventing the first bulletproof armor.
Steaming Hot
We're not sure that running into battle wearing that heavy box would have made life very easy for the soldier inside.
This is a fire engine from 1910. Notice anything odd about it?
They Were Short On Horses
It's a steam-powered fire engine. There's no gas engine to be found.
Actually, there were plenty of horses back then.
The Bear Necessities
We have no idea what would have made riding a Billy Goat seem like a good idea, but we're not here to judge.
So, instead of fleeing in panic from major carnivores, our grandparents put them on a rope and took them to lunch.
This bear is feasting on a bowl of honey.