Archive Gallery: 138 Years of Inventions that Time Forgot

A dog-powered car, a plastic bike sail, and a merry-go-round rowing machine are just a few of the quirkier inventions documented in PopSci's archives
Inventor J.H. Purves imagined that droves of his electrically-driven unicycle would roll like tumbleweeds alongside more conventional vehicles. To steer the "dynasphere," drivers would sit in an enclosed cabin that would remain still while the wheel spun around it. Read the full story in "Amazing Motor-Driven Hoop May Be Car of the Future

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Every June, we announce PopSci’s chosen Inventions of the Year, our favorites among the brainchildren of garage tinkerers. Who knew that you could make a fish-friendly tidal turbine or a hearing aid that uses bones to conduct sound?

At PopSci, we’re eager to recognize the potential in these inventions, but only time will tell which ones will become ubiquitous and which ones will be forgotten. For every television, radio, and Post-It Note, there’ve been half a dozen whosits and whatsits that faded into obscurity.

Of course, thanks to our 138-year online archive, no invention that ever graced our magazine’s pages has ever really been forgotten. For every sports car and newfangled smartphone we’ve covered, there’s been a dog-powered car, a self-administering gas dispenser, and a 10-foot submarine. Hell, many of them could use a comeback, if only for novelty’s sake.

Click through our latest archive gallery to see our favorite quirky inventions from the past 138 years.