Kenner came out with the Easy-Bake Oven in 1963, and millions have been sold over the years.  Even if it was powered by a humble light bulb (not included), it was capable of baking (and, of course, melting crayons).  And I think most boys would agree with me that of all the girl toys produced, it was probably the most interesting.

But it wasn’t a new idea, as shown by this toy electric range from a hundred years ago, as shown in the November 1915 issue of Electrical Experimenter.  As with many things, it looks like the original was even better than the watered-down later version.  This one doesn’t appear to have used a light bulb.  Instead, it appears to contain an honest-to-goodness heating element, probably capable of inflicting actual burns.

This toy range, measuring 15 inches in height, contains not only an oven (at 4-1/2 by 5 inches, slightly larger than the Easy-Bake), but also a stove top.

“On top of the range a kettle can be placed, or food can be cooked in tiny utensils that come with the range.” The range included a long cord that could go into any handy socket, and the cord even contained a switch for regulating the amount of heat.

“Little girls fortunate enough to get a toy electric range for Christmas will find ‘playing house’ a more fascinating pastime than they have ever before enjoyed.” And as with the Easy-Bake half a century later, I bet their brothers were jealous.

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Wikipedia photo.

For four months in 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was the third longest suspension bridge in the world. That distinction came to an end 75 years ago today, November 7, 1940, when the bridge, between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula, Washington, came spectacularly crashing down into Puget Sound. As soon as the deck had been built in 1938, construction workers dubbed the bridge “Galloping Gertie,” due to its propensity to move vertically during windy conditions.

On the morning of November 7, the 40 MPH winds proved too much for the structure. No human life was lost in the collapse of the bridge. The last person to drive on the bridge was Leonard Coatsworth, who was forced to flee the bridge on foot. Unfortunately, his terrified cocker spaniel, was afraid to leave the vehicle, and was left behind. An engineering professor and news photographer attempted to rescue the dog during a lull, but the dog refused to leave the vehicle and bit one of the rescuers. When the bridge finally collapsed at 11:00 AM, Tubby disappeared into Puget Sound, and his body has never been recovered.

Since the bridge took some time to collapse, there was plenty of time for newsreel photographers to arrive on the scene to document the disaster.  The film is often shown to engineering students.

I first saw this film when my seventh grade drafting teacher showed it in class, apparently in an attempt to impress upon us that if you build something, you ought to build it right.  Of course, the main thing we wondered is why the guy was walking on the bridge.  Of course, he was returning from his vain attempt to rescue Tubby.

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A hundred years ago this month, Popular Mechanics, September 1915,
covered the experiment shown here, testing a system for purifying air aboard submarines. The inventor is shown in the upper left, but his name is not given. Under supervision of American and Russian naval experts, the inventor was sealed into a small box, which was then submerged into a larger tank. The tank reportedly contained only a 30 minute supply of air, but the test lasted seven hours, after which the tank was drained and the box opened, the inventor suffering no ill effects.

In addition to food, reading material, and a bench and table, the inventor entered the experiment with an unnamed chemical. He periodically tested the air, and if he discovered the carbon dioxide level was too high or the oxygen level too low, he released a supply of the chemical. The unnamed chemical reportedly absorbed the excess carbon dioxide instantly and released oxygen.

It’s likely that the chemical was Oxylithe, which had been invented in 1907 by Swiss Professor Georges Jaubert. Like the unnamed chemical in the Popular Mechanics experiment, Oxylithe absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen. It was first used by the Royal Navy in 1909 as part of an escape apparatus, but was never used in submarines. Oxylithe was a form of sodium peroxide (Na2O2) or sodium superoxide (NaO2). Similar designs were used through World War 2 in rebreathers.

As shown in the illustrations, the chamber used in the 1915 test contained an electric light and fan, as well as a telephone for communicating. In addition, it was equipped with a glass roof through which the subject could be observed throughout the experiment.

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The prototype car barge shown here was reportedly built for less than $100 and in use by a motorist in Aberdeen, Washington, to cross a bay 20 miles wide. It is shown on the cover of Popular Mechanics a hundred years ago this month, August 1915.

Each paddle wheel is connected to a hardwood wheel, which is strapped with leather straps to the spokes of the car’s wheels. The rear of the car is jacked up off the floor, and the craft is ready to cross the bay. It reportedly took about eight minutes to load the car aboard and make it seaworthy.

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Seventy years ago today, August 9, 1940, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, as shown here in that day’s issue of the Chicago Tribune.  If the Japanese needed further convincing to surrender, that day also brought news that the Soviets had declared war on Japan and were attacking Japanese forces in Manchuria.

The video below is a broadcast that day by President Truman promising that the bombings would continue until the Japanese surrendered.  The war would be over in a few days.

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Image, New York Public Library.

On this day 150 years ago, July 13, 1865, Barnum’s American Museum burned to the ground.  Located at Broadway and Ann Street in Lower Manhattan,

The museum had been owned by showman P.T. Barnum since 1841 and featured wholesome family entertainment, including a zoo, museum, lecture hall, theater, and freak show. Most of the animals, including the beluga whales in a second-floor tank, perished in the fire, but a few survived. The popular Ned the learned seal, was among the survivors, as was a bear that was lowered to safety by a fireman and rope.

The museum was open as much as fifteen hours a day, six days a week, and drew up to 15,000 visitors a day to pay the 25 cent admission fee.

The fire was among the most spectacular in New York history. A virtual museum supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, recreates many of the spectacles of Barnum’s original version.

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The illustration shown here appeared in the Columbus Commercial a hundred years ago today.

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Ninety years ago, Hortense Unger took the radio up to the roof to escape the heat. She’s shown here consulting the latest issue of Radio World for the most refreshing program. This picture appeared in that magazine’s June 27, 1925 issue.

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