Sometimes, leafing through history books, one has to wonder how smart our ancestors were. Although often their ingenuity was aimed at inflicting pain on others, some objects from the past can not only surprise, but also shock. Today the editorial office of Obaldenno.org offers you a small selection of items that now look at least strange. But some time ago our ancestors used them regularly. In modern society, such objects make you want to shrug your shoulders, but then they saw a huge benefit in them. Let's see together what people from the past were able to think of …
Infamous flute
This object was used in medieval Germany to punish bad musicians and people who committed minor offenses. The ring was put on the neck, and the fingers were inserted into the slats, which were squeezed with a force proportional to the guilt of the punished. Naturally, everything took place on the square, where everyone could admire such an action.
Bear hunting suit
The turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Siberian men wore such a suit when hunting a bear. It was inconvenient to move around in it, but it did a good job of protecting from blows and animal bites.
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Ophthalmotrop
This is a human eye model. Special balls were set in motion with threads that symbolized the muscles of the human face. Thus, the rotation of the human eyeball was clearly demonstrated.
Mailbox
Captains of various ships used similar boxes. Leaving in them information about the ship, crew and the purpose of the trip. Thus, in the event of the loss of the ship, it was possible to determine where it was moving and where to look for it. The mailbox was masked in a certain place. One captain would simply take an old note left by someone else and put his own in there.
Credit cards or receipts from the past
Notches were made on two sticks to represent the amount of debt. They were kept by both parties to the contract, excluding fraud. When the debt was paid off in full, the sticks were destroyed.
Vampire Hunter Pack
Quite a real thing from the past. The next time you watch a movie about vampires and see something like this, you can be sure that this is not fiction!
Security ring
In the Victorian era, robbery in the middle of the street was quite normal. By pressing a button on such a ring, a pair of blades could be removed, gaining a significant advantage in a street fight.
Clockwork Canary
A special mechanical box that reproduces sounds similar to birdsong. Produced until the middle of the 20th century.
Figurine for diagnosis
The doctor, who was exclusively a man, had no right to touch high-ranking patients. To make a diagnosis, they used similar figures, which showed where it hurts. It is not yet known whether the doctor brought such a figurine or the patients had their own.
Stormbinder
Dr. George Maryweather noticed that leeches react violently when a storm approaches, and he designed a similar device. Leeches were placed in 12 bottles of water; with the help of a whalebone, the bottle caps were connected with hammers and bells. When the leeches sensed the approach of a storm, they climbed up the bottle and touched the whalebone, which in turn triggered the hammers that struck the bells.
Bullet extractor
The thing is controversial. On the one hand, she helped to get bullets from the wound, on the other hand, due to the lack of anesthesia and antiseptics, many people died from painful shock or infection. And the structure of the device is very simple: in the hollow tube there was something similar to a screwdriver, the device was lowered into the wound, felt for a bullet there and pulled it out.
Chatelain
A special bundle for various little things. It was worn by ladies, this bundle could contain various items necessary for a woman: keys, watches, thimbles, a seal, scissors …
Artificial leech
Used instead of real ones. They say that it brought a lot of benefits and was more useful than a living being, but for some reason it did not take root …
Vinegar bowl
Medieval ladies regularly fainted, mostly from being pulled together by corsets. For such cases, they wore special boxes of snuff or cotton wool soaked in vinegar.
Wild West Brothel Tokens
Such a token was issued to the client. This guaranteed the owner that the woman would not breed him more than he should pay.
Tear Catcher
A special vessel that was applied to the cheek to store tears. The warriors of Persia, returning from the campaign, first of all checked the catcher of words to understand how much the wives missed them.
Mortsafe
A special lattice that was put on the coffin to protect it from the plunderers of corpses
Flea trap
A piece of cloth soaked in honey or blood was placed inside such a device. The insect that crawled there stuck and could not get free. They wore such things under wigs and clothes, as well as around the neck as a pendant
Strigil
A special scraper that was used in ancient Rome to cleanse the body of dust, sweat and dirt.
Toaster
In general, what can you say here, just one of the first toaster models.
Smoke enema
Special furs that resembled a regular enema, but fed tobacco smoke into the anus. It was considered a good remedy for stomach pain. Moreover, for some time they even believed that in this way it was possible to revive the drowned by drying out all the moisture in their body.
Signaling
A special device that helped fight thieves. The door was propped up with a pin that stuck out from above. If the door was opened from the outside, the pin fell on the bell, warning the owners of uninvited guests.
These are the objects our ancestors used. If you liked this collection, be sure to share it with your friends. Let as many people as possible learn about the strange adaptations of the past!