Ten Ideas That Didn't Pan Out Trivia Quiz

Answer: Window baby cage

Long before Michael Jackson dangled his child over a balcony, Emma Read invented a metal baby cage that could be attached to a window, allowing the child to be suspended outside the building. As "The World through My Eyes" weblog noted, "little junior will get plenty of fresh air and a six story drop to the ground".

Answer: A remaining life expectancy timepiece

Yes, if you were desperate to know how much time you had left on the planet, this device was for you! The life expectancy was calculated with an actuarial table and then loaded into the timepiece (which you could wear as a watch). The time could be adjusted if you changed your lifestyle for better or worse.

Answer: Anti-eating face mask

So that picture of a skinny model on the refrigerator wasn't working? Well, this device consisted of a cup over the mouth and chin with straps that attached on top and behind the head. The cup was made of a breathable material, so breathing and speech weren't affected. Maybe it was the ease with which the device could be removed that prevented the invention from catching on.

Answer: Snakes

Well, this was a logical invention as a regular leash wouldn't hold the snake. The collar was designed to move with the snake but not allow the snake to escape from it. The boys maintained that it was a valuable invention because snakes benefit from getting natural sunlight. Of course, you could just leave a snake in its natural environment, and it would get sufficient sunlight there, but who am I to judge?

Answer: Attachable dorsal fin

Well, swim fins were invented to help humans move better in the water so why not a dorsal fin? The fin was attached to the body by a waist belt and was intended to help a person better mimic the movements of dolphins when swimming with them in the wild. Perhaps the dolphins were insulted; for whatever reason, the device just didn't take off.

Answer: Tricycle lawn mower

It had safety features to prevent injury or amputation. The lawn mower was manually-operated - no fuel other than muscle power was required. It wasn't specifically designed for a child; it could be used by anyone wanted to ride around the yard... on a tricycle.

Answer: Eye-protectors for chickens

Mr. Jackson (not the former U.S. president) had apparently noticed eye injuries incurred when chickens and other birds pecked at each other and decided to devise a means of protection. His invention looked like round eye-glasses that were attached with a band that went behind and over the bird's head. Of course, this gave the birds something else to peck at.

Answer: Mouse trap

What made this mouse trap better? Well, the mouse (or other animal) would stick its head into a box of food to retrieve bait, which would trigger the release of a collar with a bell that would snap around the animal's neck. The critter would then take off for its home, and the sound of the bell would scare off the other inhabitants, thus ridding the area of the offending animals. Of course, there was no guarantee that the animals would leave; the end result could be that you would now just hear them moving around. Jingle, jingle, jingle.

Answer: Wear their orthodontic headgear

Methinks the inventor must have been a disgruntled dentist or a frustrated parent. The bizarre device consisted of an alarm and a magnet that were attached to the braces. The magnet activated a switch when the headgear was worn. If the switch wasn't activated, the alarm would make an irritating beeping sound until the headgear was put on. So now teens had the choice of being embarrassed either because they were wearing the headgear or because their mouth was beeping.

Answer: Curved barrel for shooting around corners

The attachment was based on a similar device made for the German army. The intent was to allow soldiers to shoot around corners without exposing them to return fire. Besides the obvious issues with the "shoot first, ask questions later" concept, the bullets did not respond well to the curved barrel; they could become damaged, which affected their trajectory or even worse, they could destruct within the barrel.