Old Magazines

Cover of February 1920

     Old magazines are always interesting. Back in my military days while stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, I visited the library one Sunday and discovered a pile of Life magazines from the 1940s. They made fascinating reading because I could read about World War II in “real time”, before the outcome was known. 
     Another time at the flea market I bought a stack of Popular Mechanics magazines from the 1920s for $20. If you didn't mind the musty smell, they were captivating reading. I remember seeing a new invention… 

Yes, it's a coat hook. 

     Radio was coming into its own and there were a lot of articles on them, and cars, too. In the letters to the editor section there was one letter from a college physics professor that particularly stood out. He explained why space travel would never be possible. 
     Google "Life Magazine Google" and you will discover many old issues that you can click on and read.  If you Google “Popular Science Google” you will get a lot of pages of early issues. Here is a partial list of the contents of the February, 1920 issue: 
Aeronautics 
Two All-Metal Airplanes 
Feather Weight Air Mail 
Cranking the Airplanes 

Industrial Progress 
Cutting Steel Bars With Giant Scissors 
The Machine With a Dipper That Digs and Dumps 
Taking Shorthand on a Machine 
An Electric Divining Rod 

Motor Vehicles and Accessories 
An Automobile Ambulance for Injured Cars 
A Special Hitch for Pulling Wagons and Trailers 

Natural Science 
Is Yellow Light Best 
How Fast Does a Bird Fly? 
Wood That Competes With Steel 
Meet the Cattalo, a New American Half Breed 

Here's an idea that didn't fly...an airplane with folding wings. It flew later, but not with so many folds!