1 00:00:02,044 --> 00:00:04,129 [upbeat music] [alarm buzzing] 2 00:00:04,129 --> 00:00:06,882 - Did you know that there was once a time 3 00:00:06,882 --> 00:00:10,719 when we put out house fires with hand grenades? 4 00:00:10,719 --> 00:00:12,262 - All these things really did 5 00:00:12,262 --> 00:00:16,642 was introduce yet another deadly gas into the situation. 6 00:00:17,976 --> 00:00:19,520 - Oh, and hitting the road 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,606 meant climbing inside your tire. 8 00:00:22,606 --> 00:00:24,608 - It feels like something out of science fiction. 9 00:00:24,608 --> 00:00:26,610 Why use a whole car when you can just use 10 00:00:26,610 --> 00:00:28,987 the one part that moves, the wheel? 11 00:00:28,987 --> 00:00:30,530 It's really kind of genius. 12 00:00:31,865 --> 00:00:34,618 - Or when the first noise canceling headphones 13 00:00:34,618 --> 00:00:37,120 could end up canceling you. 14 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:38,830 - It's vaguely terrifying. 15 00:00:38,830 --> 00:00:42,376 It looks somewhere between a sock puppet 16 00:00:42,376 --> 00:00:45,712 and maybe a thumb with eyes. 17 00:00:45,712 --> 00:00:47,214 - It will put you to sleep, 18 00:00:47,214 --> 00:00:50,050 mostly because you're starving your brain of oxygen. 19 00:00:50,050 --> 00:00:53,929 - These are the things we used to do for fun, 20 00:00:53,929 --> 00:00:57,140 for money, or maybe out of boredom 21 00:00:57,140 --> 00:00:59,685 that we'll never see again. 22 00:00:59,685 --> 00:01:01,061 Were they dangerous? 23 00:01:01,061 --> 00:01:02,312 Certainly! 24 00:01:02,312 --> 00:01:03,730 Deadly? 25 00:01:03,730 --> 00:01:06,817 Occasionally, but boy, wasn't it exciting? 26 00:01:06,817 --> 00:01:11,947 [logo whooshing] [dramatic music] 27 00:01:13,448 --> 00:01:17,452 [logo whooshing] [dramatic music] 28 00:01:17,452 --> 00:01:20,581 Ask people what invention they'd love to see most 29 00:01:20,581 --> 00:01:23,458 and many will say a jet pack. 30 00:01:23,458 --> 00:01:25,544 Well, it turns out in the late 1950s 31 00:01:25,544 --> 00:01:27,087 we actually had one, 32 00:01:27,087 --> 00:01:30,632 and it could send you flying like Iron Man 33 00:01:30,632 --> 00:01:32,551 with a few minor drawbacks. 34 00:01:32,551 --> 00:01:34,136 [tense dramatic music] 35 00:01:34,136 --> 00:01:35,971 - [Dan] In 1947, Chuck Yeager does something 36 00:01:35,971 --> 00:01:38,140 that people thought was impossible. 37 00:01:38,140 --> 00:01:41,768 He flies a plane faster than the speed of sound. 38 00:01:43,020 --> 00:01:44,938 - Chuck Yeager becomes a household name, 39 00:01:44,938 --> 00:01:46,398 but they don't know the man 40 00:01:46,398 --> 00:01:49,276 that's behind the development of the technology. 41 00:01:49,276 --> 00:01:50,736 - [Austin] His name is Wendell F. Moore, 42 00:01:50,736 --> 00:01:53,155 an engineer at Bell Aerosystems, 43 00:01:53,155 --> 00:01:55,907 the maker of Yeager's plane. 44 00:01:55,907 --> 00:01:57,826 He's part of the design team 45 00:01:57,826 --> 00:01:59,911 on these special thrusters 46 00:01:59,911 --> 00:02:02,039 that allow Yeager to control the aircraft 47 00:02:02,039 --> 00:02:04,416 at high speed and altitude. 48 00:02:04,416 --> 00:02:06,084 - [Jason] So he wonders about those thrusters 49 00:02:06,084 --> 00:02:07,377 from Yeager's plane. 50 00:02:07,377 --> 00:02:08,711 He wonders if they could actually power 51 00:02:08,711 --> 00:02:10,672 a one man flight system. 52 00:02:10,672 --> 00:02:13,634 In other words, a jet pack. 53 00:02:13,634 --> 00:02:15,802 - [Henry] For three years, Moore wrestles 54 00:02:15,802 --> 00:02:17,554 with different ways to build one, 55 00:02:17,554 --> 00:02:21,391 but in 1961, he really thinks he's cracked the code 56 00:02:21,391 --> 00:02:24,770 and he calls it the rocket belt. 57 00:02:24,770 --> 00:02:26,355 - [Dan] The rocket belt consists 58 00:02:26,355 --> 00:02:28,148 of an aluminum and fiberglass frame 59 00:02:28,148 --> 00:02:29,358 that has tanks on the back. 60 00:02:29,358 --> 00:02:30,651 One of 'em is full of nitrogen 61 00:02:30,651 --> 00:02:33,570 and two are full of hydrogen peroxide. 62 00:02:33,570 --> 00:02:36,740 - [Austin] Hydrogen peroxide is insanely volatile. 63 00:02:36,740 --> 00:02:39,326 It heats to over 1,400 degrees 64 00:02:39,326 --> 00:02:42,621 in less than 2/10 of a millisecond. 65 00:02:42,621 --> 00:02:46,750 It sends supercharged vapor out of the rocket belt 66 00:02:46,750 --> 00:02:48,710 allowing the operator to take flight. 67 00:02:48,710 --> 00:02:51,004 - What it did was you strapped it to you 68 00:02:51,004 --> 00:02:52,714 with the fuel in the jets 69 00:02:52,714 --> 00:02:57,135 and then it shot out super heated air and exhaust 70 00:02:57,135 --> 00:03:00,764 about two inches from all your private parts, 71 00:03:00,764 --> 00:03:04,309 and shot you through the air for about 30 seconds, 72 00:03:04,309 --> 00:03:06,436 and then you landed the hard way. 73 00:03:06,436 --> 00:03:07,938 [air whooshing] 74 00:03:07,938 --> 00:03:11,108 - [Austin] Moore spends months testing the rocket belt 75 00:03:11,108 --> 00:03:12,651 in a Bell hangar. 76 00:03:12,651 --> 00:03:14,027 [air whooshing] 77 00:03:14,027 --> 00:03:18,198 Pretty soon they moved to free flight outdoors. 78 00:03:18,198 --> 00:03:19,950 [air whooshing] 79 00:03:19,950 --> 00:03:21,827 - It's not long before these amateur testers 80 00:03:21,827 --> 00:03:23,870 are getting the rocket belt up over 100 feet 81 00:03:23,870 --> 00:03:26,206 and going 80 miles per hour. 82 00:03:27,165 --> 00:03:29,167 - This all seems cool and fun, 83 00:03:29,167 --> 00:03:32,254 but it's still really, really dangerous. 84 00:03:32,254 --> 00:03:34,798 They're moving at immense speeds 85 00:03:34,798 --> 00:03:37,884 with a very finite time of fuel. 86 00:03:37,884 --> 00:03:39,803 If you misjudge your capacity, 87 00:03:39,803 --> 00:03:44,057 you could fall dozens of feet at a very high speed. 88 00:03:44,057 --> 00:03:45,642 - So if that doesn't kill him or hurt him, 89 00:03:45,642 --> 00:03:48,228 he's got a 125 pound rocket apparatus 90 00:03:48,228 --> 00:03:49,563 strapped to his back 91 00:03:49,563 --> 00:03:50,605 that's gonna come crashing down upon him. 92 00:03:50,605 --> 00:03:52,232 [air whooshing] 93 00:03:52,232 --> 00:03:54,568 - [Henry] But the dangers don't stop the outdoor tests, 94 00:03:54,568 --> 00:03:58,405 and for people who pass by them, they are awestruck. 95 00:03:58,405 --> 00:04:00,323 - So people driving by these airfields 96 00:04:00,323 --> 00:04:03,201 that see these tests, it's a man flying. 97 00:04:03,201 --> 00:04:05,328 They're thinking like, "What is going on here? 98 00:04:05,328 --> 00:04:06,538 What am I seeing?" 99 00:04:06,538 --> 00:04:09,082 - The reaction is complete astonishment. 100 00:04:09,082 --> 00:04:11,251 It looks otherworldly. 101 00:04:11,251 --> 00:04:12,419 - It's the late '50s, 102 00:04:12,419 --> 00:04:14,337 most people don't even have a color TV, 103 00:04:14,337 --> 00:04:16,923 and there is jet pack technology? 104 00:04:16,923 --> 00:04:19,426 - The press catches wind of the rocket belt tests, 105 00:04:19,426 --> 00:04:20,760 and quite surprisingly, 106 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,765 the forces that be allow public demonstrations. 107 00:04:24,765 --> 00:04:28,977 One famously comes in 1961 at Fort Bragg 108 00:04:28,977 --> 00:04:31,813 in front of no other than President Kennedy. 109 00:04:32,856 --> 00:04:34,566 - [Martin] The operator takes off from a boat 110 00:04:34,566 --> 00:04:36,401 and approaches the area of the grandstand 111 00:04:36,401 --> 00:04:38,195 where the dignitaries are, 112 00:04:38,195 --> 00:04:40,280 lands directly in front of President Kennedy, 113 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:41,615 throws him a salute. 114 00:04:41,615 --> 00:04:43,283 President Kennedy salutes back 115 00:04:43,283 --> 00:04:45,285 and it's a huge crowd pleaser. 116 00:04:46,161 --> 00:04:47,829 - [Henry] These crowds convince Moore 117 00:04:47,829 --> 00:04:50,081 that this is no flash in the pan. 118 00:04:50,081 --> 00:04:53,460 The public is hungry for their own rocket belts. 119 00:04:53,460 --> 00:04:54,878 - [Dan] Pretty soon the press is reporting 120 00:04:54,878 --> 00:04:56,671 that rocket belts are gonna be available 121 00:04:56,671 --> 00:04:59,299 for civilian use in about two or three years, 122 00:04:59,299 --> 00:05:01,176 and Moore is telling the newspapers 123 00:05:01,176 --> 00:05:04,346 these things will be cheaper than cars pretty soon. 124 00:05:04,346 --> 00:05:06,431 - The hype even reaches Hollywood. 125 00:05:06,431 --> 00:05:08,058 Bell loans one of the rocket belts 126 00:05:08,058 --> 00:05:11,353 to the latest James Bond production, "Thunderball." 127 00:05:11,353 --> 00:05:14,523 - [Henry] But despite big crowds and Hollywood cameos, 128 00:05:14,523 --> 00:05:16,191 Moore and his engineers 129 00:05:16,191 --> 00:05:19,903 can't seem to fix a few small problems. 130 00:05:21,238 --> 00:05:23,490 - The jet pack is producing about 130 decibels, 131 00:05:23,490 --> 00:05:24,950 which is deafening. 132 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:26,576 That's the sound of a B-52 airplane taking off. 133 00:05:26,576 --> 00:05:28,161 Even with hearing protection, 134 00:05:28,161 --> 00:05:30,205 long-term exposure is going to have a negative effect 135 00:05:30,205 --> 00:05:32,207 on the individual's hearing. 136 00:05:32,207 --> 00:05:34,668 - Also, there's a lot of exhaust that comes around. 137 00:05:34,668 --> 00:05:37,379 So you take off in a cloud of rocket exhaust. 138 00:05:37,379 --> 00:05:39,339 Then you have these nozzles 139 00:05:39,339 --> 00:05:40,882 that are just inches away from your body 140 00:05:40,882 --> 00:05:42,801 and they're incredibly hot. 141 00:05:42,801 --> 00:05:43,802 - There are close calls 142 00:05:43,802 --> 00:05:45,428 in these public demonstrations, 143 00:05:45,428 --> 00:05:48,890 and the testers just keep taking it higher and faster. 144 00:05:48,890 --> 00:05:50,642 - In one case, Moore's neighbor 145 00:05:50,642 --> 00:05:52,644 who he convinced to be a test pilot 146 00:05:52,644 --> 00:05:55,605 went careening into a stage during an exhibition, 147 00:05:55,605 --> 00:05:57,190 and there were musicians on the stage 148 00:05:57,190 --> 00:05:58,775 that he almost took out. 149 00:05:58,775 --> 00:05:59,985 - [Dan] But no one puts a stop to this 150 00:05:59,985 --> 00:06:01,444 because of the danger. 151 00:06:01,444 --> 00:06:03,363 No, it's the fact that Moore can never find a way 152 00:06:03,363 --> 00:06:05,532 to make those flights last any longer 153 00:06:05,532 --> 00:06:06,950 than about 30 seconds. 154 00:06:06,950 --> 00:06:08,618 And in the end, that's what kills it. 155 00:06:08,618 --> 00:06:10,287 It turns out people don't just wanna fly, 156 00:06:10,287 --> 00:06:11,997 they wanna be able to fly long enough 157 00:06:11,997 --> 00:06:13,373 to get somewhere. 158 00:06:13,373 --> 00:06:15,792 - [Brian] How, in 70 years since this thing 159 00:06:15,792 --> 00:06:17,127 has been boxed up, 160 00:06:17,127 --> 00:06:20,297 nobody has improved on the jet pack design. 161 00:06:20,297 --> 00:06:22,883 There should be a team of scientists out there 162 00:06:22,883 --> 00:06:24,509 right now working on this. 163 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:28,179 - If flying around 164 00:06:28,179 --> 00:06:30,932 with a rocket strapped to your back sounds like fun, 165 00:06:30,932 --> 00:06:33,059 how about straddling a cruise missile 166 00:06:33,059 --> 00:06:34,936 just inches from your crotch? 167 00:06:36,479 --> 00:06:38,523 - [Lance] In the 1970s, a military contractor 168 00:06:38,523 --> 00:06:39,941 called Williams Research 169 00:06:39,941 --> 00:06:42,611 designs a new machine that's called the X-Jet. 170 00:06:42,611 --> 00:06:44,404 [air whooshing] [dramatic music] 171 00:06:44,404 --> 00:06:47,282 - [Hakeem] It's about three feet wide, four feet tall, 172 00:06:47,282 --> 00:06:51,786 and weighs about 235 pounds without fuel or a pilot. 173 00:06:51,786 --> 00:06:54,748 - [Lance] Developers give it the nickname the Flying Pulpit. 174 00:06:54,748 --> 00:06:56,708 It's a waist high cylinder 175 00:06:56,708 --> 00:06:59,210 kind of like you're flying around in half a barrel. 176 00:06:59,210 --> 00:07:01,630 There's a rocket pointing straight down 177 00:07:01,630 --> 00:07:03,632 and you control it by leaning 178 00:07:03,632 --> 00:07:05,342 or using a hand throttle. 179 00:07:05,342 --> 00:07:08,011 - It has an engine usually used for cruise missiles. 180 00:07:08,011 --> 00:07:09,429 So in terms of power, 181 00:07:09,429 --> 00:07:11,681 it absolutely blows the rocket belt out of the water. 182 00:07:11,681 --> 00:07:15,226 It can fly roughly 45 minutes at like 60 miles an hour. 183 00:07:16,645 --> 00:07:19,022 - The Army does some test flights in the early '80s 184 00:07:19,022 --> 00:07:20,148 and they find that these things 185 00:07:20,148 --> 00:07:21,483 are pretty impressive. 186 00:07:21,483 --> 00:07:24,152 They can drift, they can move around, they can fly. 187 00:07:24,152 --> 00:07:25,445 - [Lance] The dream of the military 188 00:07:25,445 --> 00:07:27,113 is they have a whole bunch of these X-Jets 189 00:07:27,113 --> 00:07:28,740 zipping around the battlefield, 190 00:07:28,740 --> 00:07:30,241 engaging in reconnaissance, 191 00:07:30,241 --> 00:07:32,619 and maybe even hit and run attacks on the enemy. 192 00:07:32,619 --> 00:07:35,789 - [Henry] The X-Jet could reinvent the battlefield 193 00:07:35,789 --> 00:07:37,457 except that army accountants 194 00:07:37,457 --> 00:07:39,959 would also have to reinvent the budget. 195 00:07:39,959 --> 00:07:41,670 - The military abandons this project 196 00:07:41,670 --> 00:07:42,504 because of costs. 197 00:07:42,504 --> 00:07:43,963 Williams Research thinks, 198 00:07:43,963 --> 00:07:45,840 "Well, listen, if it's not gonna work for the military, 199 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:47,384 let's pivot to civilians." 200 00:07:47,384 --> 00:07:49,761 And in order to win people over, 201 00:07:49,761 --> 00:07:51,888 they give it a cool facelift. 202 00:07:51,888 --> 00:07:53,556 They paint a nice logo on it, 203 00:07:53,556 --> 00:07:55,725 they give it these awesome looking colors 204 00:07:55,725 --> 00:07:57,477 and they just try to make it attractive 205 00:07:57,477 --> 00:07:59,896 for people to purchase. 206 00:07:59,896 --> 00:08:02,315 - You look a little bit like Oscar the Grouch, 207 00:08:02,315 --> 00:08:03,608 but you're still flying. 208 00:08:03,608 --> 00:08:05,318 - [Henry] But you're flying 209 00:08:05,318 --> 00:08:07,654 if you can keep the X-Jet upright. 210 00:08:08,947 --> 00:08:11,032 - So there's a couple issues with this thing. 211 00:08:11,032 --> 00:08:12,867 It is pretty unstable. 212 00:08:12,867 --> 00:08:14,911 If you lean a little too much 213 00:08:14,911 --> 00:08:16,454 as you're trying to maneuver it, 214 00:08:16,454 --> 00:08:18,206 you can just topple the thing over. 215 00:08:18,206 --> 00:08:20,041 So that's a big problem. 216 00:08:20,041 --> 00:08:23,086 - One test pilot refuses to go above 15 feet 217 00:08:23,086 --> 00:08:25,338 because it's just too scary. 218 00:08:25,338 --> 00:08:27,298 - [Rutledge] It's also incredibly loud 219 00:08:27,298 --> 00:08:28,925 and the exhaust is so hot, 220 00:08:28,925 --> 00:08:30,510 you know, you could scorch concrete 221 00:08:30,510 --> 00:08:31,845 with that thing. 222 00:08:31,845 --> 00:08:33,179 - [Hakeem] But maybe the biggest issue 223 00:08:33,179 --> 00:08:36,683 is that the pilot stands astride the engine. 224 00:08:36,683 --> 00:08:39,561 In most aircraft, the engine is typically placed 225 00:08:39,561 --> 00:08:41,145 somewhere at the extremes, 226 00:08:41,145 --> 00:08:42,605 in the back, on the wings, 227 00:08:42,605 --> 00:08:44,649 right above you in the helicopter. 228 00:08:44,649 --> 00:08:48,194 But in this case, you have a turbofan engine 229 00:08:48,194 --> 00:08:49,988 right between your legs. 230 00:08:51,197 --> 00:08:53,992 - And you are straddling a cruise missile engine. 231 00:08:53,992 --> 00:08:56,494 The thing they use to destroy enemies 232 00:08:56,494 --> 00:08:58,371 thousands of miles away. 233 00:08:58,371 --> 00:09:01,374 - This thing is spinning at tens of thousands of RPMs. 234 00:09:01,374 --> 00:09:02,959 You don't want to think about what would happen 235 00:09:02,959 --> 00:09:04,836 if a fan blade broke off. 236 00:09:05,962 --> 00:09:07,380 -[Rutledge] If there's one tiny problem, 237 00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:09,966 if it kicks off one of those turbofans, 238 00:09:09,966 --> 00:09:14,054 just one little blade, kill, see ya. 239 00:09:14,054 --> 00:09:16,139 - [Henry] And yet it's not the dangers 240 00:09:16,139 --> 00:09:17,557 that ground the X-Jet. 241 00:09:17,557 --> 00:09:19,768 - [Rutledge] Williams was unable to go on 242 00:09:19,768 --> 00:09:21,519 and create the X-Jet 243 00:09:21,519 --> 00:09:24,105 because ultimately no one wanted to pay 244 00:09:24,105 --> 00:09:26,191 to actually produce them. 245 00:09:26,191 --> 00:09:28,485 So really it's more of like a financial issue 246 00:09:28,485 --> 00:09:30,987 than, oh, there's a cruise missile between my legs. 247 00:09:30,987 --> 00:09:33,990 [dramatic music] 248 00:09:33,990 --> 00:09:37,118 - The Flying Pulpit was a real leap of faith 249 00:09:37,118 --> 00:09:39,913 and not a lot of people were willing to take that leap. 250 00:09:43,166 --> 00:09:44,167 - Today we are surrounded by distractions, 251 00:09:44,167 --> 00:09:45,794 but that's nothing new. 252 00:09:45,794 --> 00:09:49,047 In the 1920s, one inventor built a device 253 00:09:49,047 --> 00:09:50,840 to shut out the world 254 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:53,259 and ended up in over his head. 255 00:09:53,259 --> 00:09:54,844 [dramatic music] 256 00:09:54,844 --> 00:09:56,513 - [Don] During the roaring '20s, 257 00:09:56,513 --> 00:09:59,933 the U.S. is obsessed with innovation. 258 00:09:59,933 --> 00:10:01,810 One of the era's great thinkers 259 00:10:01,810 --> 00:10:03,520 is a guy named Hugo Gernsback, 260 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:05,814 a writer, publisher, and futurist. 261 00:10:05,814 --> 00:10:08,358 - In 1925, Gernsback has a problem 262 00:10:08,358 --> 00:10:11,402 that people in 2025 will identify with, 263 00:10:11,402 --> 00:10:13,988 and that is that he feels overwhelmed. 264 00:10:13,988 --> 00:10:15,865 He's editing multiple magazines, 265 00:10:15,865 --> 00:10:19,035 he's constantly reviewing new scientific gadgets. 266 00:10:19,035 --> 00:10:21,121 He is beginning to feel more and more 267 00:10:21,121 --> 00:10:22,956 like there's so much going on 268 00:10:22,956 --> 00:10:25,083 that I don't have a great deal of time 269 00:10:25,083 --> 00:10:28,002 during which I allow my mind to disengage 270 00:10:28,002 --> 00:10:30,755 and do what it does best, and that is think. 271 00:10:30,755 --> 00:10:32,215 - Between ringing telephones 272 00:10:32,215 --> 00:10:35,176 and the constant hum of civilization around him, 273 00:10:35,176 --> 00:10:38,138 zeroing in at the task at hand is impossible, 274 00:10:38,138 --> 00:10:40,515 and this is before cell phones. 275 00:10:40,515 --> 00:10:42,225 - [Henry] Gernsback's solution: 276 00:10:43,351 --> 00:10:45,854 He dives headfirst into his new invention, 277 00:10:45,854 --> 00:10:47,063 the Isolator. 278 00:10:47,939 --> 00:10:50,567 - [Adam] So the Isolator basically looks 279 00:10:50,567 --> 00:10:53,361 like an old school diving helmet. 280 00:10:53,361 --> 00:10:55,905 It's made of cork and felt 281 00:10:55,905 --> 00:10:59,242 and it completely encases the wearer's head, 282 00:10:59,242 --> 00:11:02,495 leaving only two small slits filled with glass 283 00:11:02,495 --> 00:11:04,497 so you could see out of it. 284 00:11:04,497 --> 00:11:06,749 - [Austin] Gernsback says his invention 285 00:11:06,749 --> 00:11:10,837 eliminates 90 to 95% of all noise. 286 00:11:10,837 --> 00:11:15,383 Think of it like a jazz age noise canceling headphone. 287 00:11:15,383 --> 00:11:17,427 - It's vaguely terrifying. 288 00:11:17,427 --> 00:11:21,431 It looks somewhere between a sock puppet 289 00:11:21,431 --> 00:11:24,601 and maybe a thumb with eyes. 290 00:11:24,601 --> 00:11:26,895 - At first, the Isolator works. 291 00:11:26,895 --> 00:11:28,271 Slip on the helmet, 292 00:11:28,271 --> 00:11:31,232 and the outside world magically disappears. 293 00:11:31,232 --> 00:11:32,775 - [Austin] Gernsback seems intent 294 00:11:32,775 --> 00:11:35,028 on making this a commercial enterprise. 295 00:11:35,028 --> 00:11:37,363 He refines his drawings and his patents 296 00:11:37,363 --> 00:11:41,034 to produce what will look like a consumer product. 297 00:11:41,034 --> 00:11:42,952 - [Henry] But Gernsback soon discovers 298 00:11:42,952 --> 00:11:44,829 that blocking out the natural world 299 00:11:44,829 --> 00:11:48,499 comes with some unpleasant side effects. 300 00:11:48,499 --> 00:11:51,085 - So Gernsback and his other associates 301 00:11:51,085 --> 00:11:54,297 that try the Isolator, after about 15 minutes, 302 00:11:54,297 --> 00:11:56,216 they all have one common thing happening. 303 00:11:56,216 --> 00:11:58,051 It's that they're kind of getting tired, 304 00:11:58,051 --> 00:12:00,762 like almost a little lightheaded even. 305 00:12:00,762 --> 00:12:02,764 - [Martin] The Isolator is poorly ventilated. 306 00:12:02,764 --> 00:12:04,933 There is nothing there that's protecting you 307 00:12:04,933 --> 00:12:08,019 from the carbon dioxide that you exhale. 308 00:12:08,019 --> 00:12:10,313 And so the drowsiness that he's feeling 309 00:12:10,313 --> 00:12:13,191 is the beginnings of a slow moving process 310 00:12:13,191 --> 00:12:14,984 of asphyxiation. 311 00:12:14,984 --> 00:12:17,654 - Oopsie, [laughs] one little design flaw. 312 00:12:17,654 --> 00:12:19,322 It will put you to sleep 313 00:12:19,322 --> 00:12:22,492 mostly because you're starving your brain of oxygen. 314 00:12:22,492 --> 00:12:24,994 - Sure, he may be suffocating some people trying it, 315 00:12:24,994 --> 00:12:27,163 but Gernsback does not give up 316 00:12:27,163 --> 00:12:29,123 and he creates a solution. 317 00:12:29,123 --> 00:12:31,626 He adds a hose that runs directly 318 00:12:31,626 --> 00:12:33,836 to a tank of oxygen. 319 00:12:33,836 --> 00:12:37,632 - There's a legendary photo of this updated model 320 00:12:37,632 --> 00:12:39,259 and Gernsback unveils it 321 00:12:39,259 --> 00:12:42,178 in a 1925 issue of his magazine, 322 00:12:42,178 --> 00:12:44,722 "Science and Invention." 323 00:12:44,722 --> 00:12:46,349 - [Rutledge] Gernsback's just sitting at his desk 324 00:12:46,349 --> 00:12:48,601 and he's wearing the Isolator 325 00:12:48,601 --> 00:12:50,561 with a hose to an oxygen tank. 326 00:12:50,561 --> 00:12:52,230 You could just unplug the phone, 327 00:12:52,230 --> 00:12:53,773 tell your secretary, "Hey, I need 10 minutes. 328 00:12:53,773 --> 00:12:55,066 I have to focus on this one thing." 329 00:12:55,066 --> 00:12:56,317 But oh no, he was like, 330 00:12:56,317 --> 00:12:59,487 "I need to scuba, but out of water." 331 00:12:59,487 --> 00:13:02,824 - [Austin] While the carbon dioxide buildup is solved, 332 00:13:02,824 --> 00:13:05,243 oxygen itself is very expensive 333 00:13:05,243 --> 00:13:08,162 and these tanks only last about half an hour. 334 00:13:08,162 --> 00:13:11,708 And pure oxygen is very flammable. 335 00:13:11,708 --> 00:13:13,167 - In the modern workplace, 336 00:13:13,167 --> 00:13:17,046 you can't mop a floor without putting adequate signage 337 00:13:17,046 --> 00:13:19,507 saying "Wet floor, piso mojado." 338 00:13:19,507 --> 00:13:21,801 An isolation airtight helmet 339 00:13:21,801 --> 00:13:24,512 with a direct line of flammable oxygen 340 00:13:24,512 --> 00:13:27,390 where the alternative is suffocating people? 341 00:13:27,390 --> 00:13:30,018 The Isolator is an OSHA nightmare. 342 00:13:30,018 --> 00:13:32,020 - Also, you wonder about productivity 343 00:13:32,020 --> 00:13:34,314 'cause you could just think a person's really focused, 344 00:13:34,314 --> 00:13:37,400 they're asleep under the gigantic helmet. 345 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:38,651 - [Adam] Despite all the hype, 346 00:13:38,651 --> 00:13:42,030 Gernsback ultimately scraps the invention 347 00:13:42,030 --> 00:13:43,489 without any explanation. 348 00:13:43,489 --> 00:13:44,699 And let's be honest, 349 00:13:44,699 --> 00:13:46,617 we don't need any explanation. 350 00:13:46,617 --> 00:13:48,536 It's ugly, stupid, unsafe 351 00:13:48,536 --> 00:13:50,538 and will kill everyone in the office. 352 00:13:50,538 --> 00:13:52,498 - Maybe he can really see into the future, 353 00:13:52,498 --> 00:13:55,209 and what he saw was lots of lawsuits. 354 00:13:56,919 --> 00:13:58,838 - A new self-improvement device 355 00:13:58,838 --> 00:14:00,381 always gets attention. 356 00:14:00,381 --> 00:14:03,718 And in the 1950s, one new exercise invention 357 00:14:03,718 --> 00:14:06,596 was more electrifying than most. 358 00:14:07,638 --> 00:14:09,182 - [Don] In the years after World War II, 359 00:14:09,182 --> 00:14:11,768 the idea of achieving beauty or fitness 360 00:14:11,768 --> 00:14:14,896 without much effort really becomes popular. 361 00:14:14,896 --> 00:14:16,981 Heat lamps to give you a tan, 362 00:14:16,981 --> 00:14:20,026 vitamins to keep you healthy and thin. 363 00:14:20,026 --> 00:14:22,695 - [Henry] An engineer named William J. Browner 364 00:14:22,695 --> 00:14:25,323 takes this idea to the next level. 365 00:14:25,323 --> 00:14:28,242 What if the hard work of getting in shape 366 00:14:28,242 --> 00:14:32,330 could be completely replaced by electricity? 367 00:14:32,330 --> 00:14:36,417 - Browner invented a device called the Relax-A-Cizor, 368 00:14:36,417 --> 00:14:38,419 which should kind of tell you what it is 369 00:14:38,419 --> 00:14:39,962 right in the name. 370 00:14:39,962 --> 00:14:43,925 You relax while electrical currents do the exercise. 371 00:14:43,925 --> 00:14:45,259 - When you open it up, 372 00:14:45,259 --> 00:14:47,929 it's all these knobs and wires and dials, 373 00:14:47,929 --> 00:14:49,722 and it kinda looks like you're about 374 00:14:49,722 --> 00:14:51,808 to administer a polygraph. 375 00:14:51,808 --> 00:14:54,185 But instead, what you're gonna do 376 00:14:54,185 --> 00:14:55,978 is a no effort workout. 377 00:14:55,978 --> 00:14:59,232 - If you look at this thing, it screams 1950s, 1960s, 378 00:14:59,232 --> 00:15:02,068 the pink color, the knobs and things for intensity, 379 00:15:02,068 --> 00:15:03,945 and various features. 380 00:15:03,945 --> 00:15:05,279 - Each of these implements 381 00:15:05,279 --> 00:15:07,115 is designed for a different body part, right? 382 00:15:07,115 --> 00:15:09,617 So you have the back beauty belt, 383 00:15:09,617 --> 00:15:11,619 there's an abdominal beauty belt, 384 00:15:11,619 --> 00:15:13,788 and then there's the facial beauty belt. 385 00:15:13,788 --> 00:15:18,084 I think for your double and/or triple chins. 386 00:15:18,084 --> 00:15:19,252 - [Adam] The belief is this: 387 00:15:19,252 --> 00:15:21,337 Once the juice is turned on, 388 00:15:21,337 --> 00:15:23,256 the electrical currents go to work 389 00:15:23,256 --> 00:15:27,135 and they will make the muscles continue to tense, 390 00:15:27,135 --> 00:15:29,428 essentially doing the reps for you. 391 00:15:29,428 --> 00:15:31,931 But the belief is that the electrical current 392 00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:34,851 can shake loose fat cells 393 00:15:34,851 --> 00:15:37,979 and tone these specific body parts. 394 00:15:37,979 --> 00:15:40,273 - [Henry] Browner has early success 395 00:15:40,273 --> 00:15:42,066 marketing the Relax-A-Cizor 396 00:15:42,066 --> 00:15:45,486 on the West Coast, and in the early 1950s, 397 00:15:45,486 --> 00:15:48,322 he goes national with Relax-A-Cizors 398 00:15:48,322 --> 00:15:51,159 regular folks can use right in their homes. 399 00:15:52,410 --> 00:15:55,121 - [Adam] The ads have aesthetically beautiful people, 400 00:15:55,121 --> 00:15:58,207 buff guys with beautiful women draped over them, 401 00:15:58,207 --> 00:16:01,377 "Get a body like this, you'll get a woman like this." 402 00:16:01,377 --> 00:16:03,588 But also the ads are saying 403 00:16:03,588 --> 00:16:05,506 that there's another enhancement 404 00:16:05,506 --> 00:16:08,259 that women can get from the Relax-A-Cizor 405 00:16:08,259 --> 00:16:10,469 other than a good workout. 406 00:16:10,469 --> 00:16:12,263 - [Lance] The Relax-A-Cizor even makes an appearance 407 00:16:12,263 --> 00:16:13,848 on the TV show, "Mad Men." 408 00:16:13,848 --> 00:16:16,559 - And you have everything when you use the Relax-A-Cizor. 409 00:16:16,559 --> 00:16:18,769 - Where it's marketing around beauty, weight, 410 00:16:18,769 --> 00:16:20,938 and women's attractiveness. 411 00:16:20,938 --> 00:16:22,315 - [Henry] People can't wait to strap 412 00:16:22,315 --> 00:16:24,442 into these new miracle devices 413 00:16:24,442 --> 00:16:27,528 and relax their way to a killer body. 414 00:16:27,528 --> 00:16:29,322 - Over the course of about 15 years, 415 00:16:29,322 --> 00:16:32,366 people buy thousands of Relax-A-Cizors. 416 00:16:32,366 --> 00:16:34,410 - You have people across the country 417 00:16:34,410 --> 00:16:36,913 attaching these electrodes to their body 418 00:16:36,913 --> 00:16:38,164 and without any limits 419 00:16:38,164 --> 00:16:40,666 on how much current they can apply. 420 00:16:40,666 --> 00:16:42,585 This gets dangerous pretty quickly. 421 00:16:42,585 --> 00:16:45,463 - You can actually dial up the electricity. 422 00:16:45,463 --> 00:16:49,884 So yes, you can go full Spinal Tap, Nigel Tufnel, 423 00:16:49,884 --> 00:16:52,762 and take your exercise to 11. 424 00:16:52,762 --> 00:16:54,388 - [Don] Doctors begin seeing people 425 00:16:54,388 --> 00:16:56,724 with deep electrical burns 426 00:16:56,724 --> 00:17:00,019 that match the shape of a Relax-A-Cizor pad, 427 00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:02,688 likely from turning the current up too high 428 00:17:02,688 --> 00:17:04,898 and/or applying it for too long. 429 00:17:04,898 --> 00:17:06,733 - And it really doesn't work. 430 00:17:06,733 --> 00:17:09,028 People have been subjecting themselves 431 00:17:09,028 --> 00:17:12,406 to repeated electric shocks for nothing. 432 00:17:12,406 --> 00:17:15,409 - [JMack] The lengths that people will go to to lose weight 433 00:17:15,409 --> 00:17:18,954 without actually putting in any effort is insane. 434 00:17:18,954 --> 00:17:21,624 If they spent a fraction of the effort 435 00:17:21,624 --> 00:17:23,960 that they put into not working out 436 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:25,252 into working out, 437 00:17:25,252 --> 00:17:27,630 they'd be so much better. 438 00:17:27,630 --> 00:17:29,423 - [Edward] Eventually the FDA takes a look at this. 439 00:17:29,423 --> 00:17:30,633 They get a lot of complaints 440 00:17:30,633 --> 00:17:32,093 and they decide to sue the company 441 00:17:32,093 --> 00:17:33,469 for this fraudulent product 442 00:17:33,469 --> 00:17:34,762 that actually hurts people. 443 00:17:36,138 --> 00:17:39,141 - 40 different witnesses testified during the trial 444 00:17:39,141 --> 00:17:41,686 about how the device has harmed them. 445 00:17:41,686 --> 00:17:44,814 - [Edward] In the end, the judge rules in favor of the FDA 446 00:17:44,814 --> 00:17:47,483 and they order no more manufacturing, no more sale. 447 00:17:47,483 --> 00:17:49,026 And furthermore, 448 00:17:49,026 --> 00:17:51,279 all existing Relax-A-Cizors need to be destroyed. 449 00:17:51,279 --> 00:17:52,780 They're that dangerous. 450 00:17:52,780 --> 00:17:54,448 - [Henry] Amazingly, the thing even gets 451 00:17:54,448 --> 00:17:56,158 its own wanted poster. 452 00:17:56,158 --> 00:17:59,161 - The FDA goes the added step 453 00:17:59,161 --> 00:18:00,496 and puts it up in government buildings 454 00:18:00,496 --> 00:18:03,958 all across the country, "Beware this machine. 455 00:18:03,958 --> 00:18:06,043 It will shock you and hurt you." 456 00:18:06,043 --> 00:18:09,755 That is how bad and how popular this machine was. 457 00:18:11,716 --> 00:18:15,136 - Today, electric stimulation devices are safer 458 00:18:15,136 --> 00:18:17,138 and heavily regulated, 459 00:18:17,138 --> 00:18:19,807 but we're all still looking for the same thing, 460 00:18:19,807 --> 00:18:22,602 a way to work out without the work. 461 00:18:25,688 --> 00:18:26,772 - Sometimes trying a risky new invention 462 00:18:26,772 --> 00:18:28,649 is like playing with fire. 463 00:18:28,649 --> 00:18:31,110 Well, back in the day, there was one 464 00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:32,903 that actually did play with fire 465 00:18:32,903 --> 00:18:35,531 and it was music to our ears. 466 00:18:36,907 --> 00:18:39,327 - In the 1700s, scientists discover 467 00:18:39,327 --> 00:18:42,747 that if you put flame into a glass receptacle, 468 00:18:42,747 --> 00:18:44,206 it actually creates a sound. 469 00:18:45,082 --> 00:18:47,168 But it's not until 1873 470 00:18:47,168 --> 00:18:50,171 that a French chemist named Georges Kastner asks, 471 00:18:50,171 --> 00:18:53,716 "What if we actually use this dynamic to make music?" 472 00:18:53,716 --> 00:18:55,593 - So Kastner creates a bunch of glass tubes 473 00:18:55,593 --> 00:18:56,594 of different sizes 474 00:18:56,594 --> 00:18:57,887 and attaches it to something 475 00:18:57,887 --> 00:18:59,847 that functions essentially like an organ. 476 00:18:59,847 --> 00:19:01,766 Each key leads to a tiny burner 477 00:19:01,766 --> 00:19:04,602 that's got a gas valve inside the tube. 478 00:19:04,602 --> 00:19:06,604 - The way the instrument is played, 479 00:19:06,604 --> 00:19:10,066 Kastner opens valves that cause different levels 480 00:19:10,066 --> 00:19:12,818 of combustion within different sized tubes. 481 00:19:12,818 --> 00:19:16,155 The hotter the flame, the higher the note. 482 00:19:16,155 --> 00:19:18,407 - [Henry] He calls his invention the pyrophone, 483 00:19:18,407 --> 00:19:21,410 which in Greek translates to "fire sound," 484 00:19:21,410 --> 00:19:25,039 and it's dazzling to both hear and watch. 485 00:19:25,039 --> 00:19:28,084 -[Jason] Kastner, he hires organists to play the pyrophone 486 00:19:28,084 --> 00:19:31,087 and it's demoed in places like London and Paris. 487 00:19:31,087 --> 00:19:33,339 Now audiences, they are wowed 488 00:19:33,339 --> 00:19:35,841 with these hypnotic dancing flames 489 00:19:35,841 --> 00:19:39,136 that jump in time to the tones of the music. 490 00:19:39,136 --> 00:19:41,639 Newspapers are calling this the singing flames. 491 00:19:41,639 --> 00:19:45,267 Reports describe this haunting, otherworldly music. 492 00:19:45,267 --> 00:19:47,478 It's like nothing they've ever seen. 493 00:19:47,478 --> 00:19:48,979 - [Lance] The idea of a musical instrument 494 00:19:48,979 --> 00:19:52,149 that harnesses fire is really kind of mind blowing, 495 00:19:52,149 --> 00:19:53,317 but there's a reason 496 00:19:53,317 --> 00:19:55,152 that we're not really familiar with it. 497 00:19:55,152 --> 00:19:57,154 It's really dangerous. 498 00:19:57,154 --> 00:19:59,490 - [Jason] The pyrophone is volatile. 499 00:19:59,490 --> 00:20:01,325 Uneven pressure in the tubes 500 00:20:01,325 --> 00:20:03,035 can cause this delicate instrument 501 00:20:03,035 --> 00:20:05,830 to turn effectively into a bomb. 502 00:20:05,830 --> 00:20:08,999 - Reportedly, one of the first models explodes 503 00:20:08,999 --> 00:20:10,126 in the middle of the performance, 504 00:20:10,126 --> 00:20:11,877 injuring an organist. 505 00:20:11,877 --> 00:20:13,921 - [Henry] Kastner tries to refine the design 506 00:20:13,921 --> 00:20:15,840 to control the gas better, 507 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:18,300 but unfortunately, he's playing with fire. 508 00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:19,760 - This would be like today, 509 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,680 cracking open the gas line that powers your stove 510 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,599 and trying to make a musical instrument out of it. 511 00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:27,226 It's crazy. 512 00:20:27,226 --> 00:20:28,978 - [Jason] Gas, at the time, is hydrogen, 513 00:20:28,978 --> 00:20:30,521 which is not so easily controlled 514 00:20:30,521 --> 00:20:31,856 and there are often leaks. 515 00:20:31,856 --> 00:20:33,858 Hydrogen is also easy to ignite 516 00:20:33,858 --> 00:20:36,110 and can cause large explosions. 517 00:20:36,110 --> 00:20:39,864 - By the late 1880s, the pyrophone is just relegated 518 00:20:39,864 --> 00:20:41,949 to scientific demonstrations. 519 00:20:41,949 --> 00:20:44,160 They're not using it for music anymore. 520 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:45,619 - [Adam] Believe it or not, 521 00:20:45,619 --> 00:20:46,912 there are still some versions of the pyrophone 522 00:20:46,912 --> 00:20:48,372 that exist today, 523 00:20:48,372 --> 00:20:50,833 but the modern versions use propane or gasoline, 524 00:20:50,833 --> 00:20:54,003 and the original glass tubes have been replaced 525 00:20:54,003 --> 00:20:56,338 with heat safe or safety glass 526 00:20:56,338 --> 00:20:58,382 so that they could actually contain the heat 527 00:20:58,382 --> 00:21:01,093 more safely and not explode and kill people. 528 00:21:02,845 --> 00:21:04,972 - Starting fires was one thing, 529 00:21:04,972 --> 00:21:07,767 putting them out was something else entirely. 530 00:21:09,393 --> 00:21:11,812 - Predecessors of modern day fire extinguishers 531 00:21:11,812 --> 00:21:14,398 do exist and the principle is the same. 532 00:21:14,398 --> 00:21:16,692 They spray chemicals in the form of liquid 533 00:21:16,692 --> 00:21:19,904 that rob the flames of heat and oxygen, 534 00:21:19,904 --> 00:21:21,030 but they're not common 535 00:21:21,030 --> 00:21:22,656 and they have a lot of problems. 536 00:21:22,656 --> 00:21:23,657 - [Dan] They're cumbersome. 537 00:21:23,657 --> 00:21:25,201 They can only spray a few feet, 538 00:21:25,201 --> 00:21:26,786 which means you have to get right up to the fire 539 00:21:26,786 --> 00:21:27,995 to use one, 540 00:21:27,995 --> 00:21:29,538 and the pressure's really inconsistent 541 00:21:29,538 --> 00:21:31,791 so you can't really rely on them. 542 00:21:31,791 --> 00:21:33,834 - [Henry] So how are you supposed to attack 543 00:21:33,834 --> 00:21:37,546 an out-of-control blaze in the late 1800s? 544 00:21:37,546 --> 00:21:38,881 A Chicago company 545 00:21:38,881 --> 00:21:42,051 decides the best answer is a hand grenade. 546 00:21:43,552 --> 00:21:45,095 - The hand grenade fire extinguisher 547 00:21:45,095 --> 00:21:47,765 is a glass orb filled with chemicals. 548 00:21:47,765 --> 00:21:49,266 So if a fire breaks out, 549 00:21:49,266 --> 00:21:51,685 all someone has to do is throw the orb 550 00:21:51,685 --> 00:21:54,355 from a safe distance to the flames. 551 00:21:54,355 --> 00:21:56,482 The glass shatters and releases the chemicals 552 00:21:56,482 --> 00:21:57,817 and puts the fire out. 553 00:21:58,651 --> 00:22:00,194 People snap these things up. 554 00:22:00,194 --> 00:22:02,154 They not only work, but they're pretty, 555 00:22:02,154 --> 00:22:03,739 they look like Christmas ornaments. 556 00:22:03,739 --> 00:22:05,658 - [Dan] Fire companies also stock up on them, 557 00:22:05,658 --> 00:22:07,952 and so do average homeowners. 558 00:22:07,952 --> 00:22:10,579 Finally, a grenade that's perfect for the home. 559 00:22:12,456 --> 00:22:14,208 - [Kavitha] The first hand grenade fire extinguishers 560 00:22:14,208 --> 00:22:16,585 are filled with water and chemical salts, 561 00:22:16,585 --> 00:22:17,711 which work pretty well. 562 00:22:17,711 --> 00:22:19,296 But then in the 1890s, 563 00:22:19,296 --> 00:22:22,007 manufacturers switch to an even better substance, 564 00:22:22,007 --> 00:22:23,300 carbon tetrachloride. 565 00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:24,552 [air whooshing] [dramatic music] 566 00:22:24,552 --> 00:22:25,970 - [Dan] The vapor that comes off of it 567 00:22:25,970 --> 00:22:28,639 works faster than the water and salt mixtures 568 00:22:28,639 --> 00:22:30,975 they've been using in fire grenades up till then. 569 00:22:30,975 --> 00:22:33,227 - [Henry] Firefighters and average citizens 570 00:22:33,227 --> 00:22:35,729 rush to buy these flashy inventions 571 00:22:35,729 --> 00:22:38,357 only to discover they're more dangerous 572 00:22:38,357 --> 00:22:40,568 than the fires they're supposed to put out. 573 00:22:40,568 --> 00:22:43,571 [dramatic music] 574 00:22:43,571 --> 00:22:45,072 - [Dan] It turns out that when you heat it up, 575 00:22:45,072 --> 00:22:48,909 carbon tetrachloride breaks down into phosgene gas 576 00:22:48,909 --> 00:22:52,204 that is literally a chemical weapon 577 00:22:52,204 --> 00:22:53,873 that would be used later in World War I 578 00:22:53,873 --> 00:22:56,166 killing tens of thousands of people. 579 00:22:57,334 --> 00:22:58,460 - [Brian] All these things really did 580 00:22:58,460 --> 00:23:02,798 was introduce yet another deadly gas 581 00:23:02,798 --> 00:23:04,925 into the situation that is filled with heat, 582 00:23:04,925 --> 00:23:07,094 fire, and deadly gases. 583 00:23:07,094 --> 00:23:08,470 - There aren't a lot of things you could add 584 00:23:08,470 --> 00:23:10,931 to an out-of-control fire to make it more deadly, 585 00:23:10,931 --> 00:23:13,267 but it turns out carbon tetrachloride 586 00:23:13,267 --> 00:23:14,643 does exactly that. 587 00:23:14,643 --> 00:23:16,812 - [Henry] At the turn of the century, 588 00:23:16,812 --> 00:23:19,398 these grenades are mounted in homes 589 00:23:19,398 --> 00:23:20,649 and public buildings 590 00:23:20,649 --> 00:23:23,152 quietly waiting to turn a fire 591 00:23:23,152 --> 00:23:24,820 into a chemical attack. 592 00:23:24,820 --> 00:23:27,281 - Sometimes when firefighters use these grenades 593 00:23:27,281 --> 00:23:30,784 in confined spaces, they collapse on the spot. 594 00:23:30,784 --> 00:23:32,953 Finally, a safety bulletin warns, 595 00:23:32,953 --> 00:23:35,414 "Carbon tetrachloride, when exposed to flame, 596 00:23:35,414 --> 00:23:39,001 may produce dangerous decomposition gases 597 00:23:39,001 --> 00:23:41,879 injurious to the lungs." 598 00:23:41,879 --> 00:23:43,172 That's putting it mildly. 599 00:23:44,048 --> 00:23:44,965 - [Brian] I had the honor of being 600 00:23:44,965 --> 00:23:46,467 a New York City firefighter. 601 00:23:46,467 --> 00:23:49,345 We had months and months and months 602 00:23:49,345 --> 00:23:51,597 of intense training on how to fight fires 603 00:23:51,597 --> 00:23:53,641 and not one of those lessons 604 00:23:53,641 --> 00:23:55,893 contained taking a glass bulb about this size 605 00:23:55,893 --> 00:23:58,437 and trying to hit the base of a fire. 606 00:23:58,437 --> 00:24:00,522 It just doesn't work, it's not sound science. 607 00:24:00,522 --> 00:24:02,358 I mean, it looks cool hanging on the wall, 608 00:24:02,358 --> 00:24:03,609 but it's not gonna work. 609 00:24:05,486 --> 00:24:08,238 - Back then, the best way to stop a fire 610 00:24:08,238 --> 00:24:10,908 was to break glass and hope for the best. 611 00:24:14,536 --> 00:24:16,455 - Ever since the first car hit the road, 612 00:24:16,664 --> 00:24:18,415 inventors have chased new state-of-the-art features, 613 00:24:18,415 --> 00:24:22,002 and in 1930, one man delivered an idea 614 00:24:22,002 --> 00:24:24,129 that seemed out of control. 615 00:24:24,129 --> 00:24:28,342 What if the driver rode inside the wheel? 616 00:24:28,342 --> 00:24:30,636 [air whooshing] [dramatic music] 617 00:24:30,636 --> 00:24:32,763 - J.A. Purves, he's an engineer 618 00:24:32,763 --> 00:24:34,515 but he's also a dreamer. 619 00:24:34,515 --> 00:24:37,309 And one day he has this eureka moment. 620 00:24:37,309 --> 00:24:40,062 He sees a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci 621 00:24:40,062 --> 00:24:41,981 of his perpetual motion machine, 622 00:24:41,981 --> 00:24:43,983 and he says, "My God, this is it, 623 00:24:43,983 --> 00:24:45,985 this is the car of the future," 624 00:24:45,985 --> 00:24:48,779 and he decides to build it with his son. 625 00:24:48,779 --> 00:24:50,489 [air whooshing] [dramatic music] 626 00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:52,282 - The car is christened the Dynasphere, 627 00:24:52,282 --> 00:24:54,868 but reportedly Purves also calls it Jumbo. 628 00:24:54,868 --> 00:24:56,203 The thing is 10-feet-tall 629 00:24:56,203 --> 00:24:57,788 and it weighs 1,000 pounds. 630 00:24:57,788 --> 00:25:01,291 Its top speed is reportedly 30 miles per hour. 631 00:25:01,291 --> 00:25:03,377 - [Jason] The design is kind of nuts. 632 00:25:03,377 --> 00:25:05,587 There's a cabin that sits inside the big wheel 633 00:25:05,587 --> 00:25:07,423 and that's where the driver is. 634 00:25:07,423 --> 00:25:10,676 A 2.5 horsepower engine rotates the big wheel 635 00:25:10,676 --> 00:25:12,720 around the cabin. 636 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:14,763 This design is basically made 637 00:25:14,763 --> 00:25:16,640 so that the cabin stays stationary 638 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:18,517 while the big wheel spins. 639 00:25:19,601 --> 00:25:20,602 - [Lance] Purves thinks that driving around 640 00:25:20,602 --> 00:25:21,979 with one simple wheel 641 00:25:21,979 --> 00:25:24,440 is going to be cheaper and easier. 642 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,400 Why use a whole car when you can just use 643 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,403 the one part that moves, the wheel? 644 00:25:29,403 --> 00:25:31,280 It's really kind of genius. 645 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:32,740 - Purves, he builds different models 646 00:25:32,740 --> 00:25:35,325 that run on gas and electricity. 647 00:25:35,325 --> 00:25:37,536 He even builds multi passenger Dynaspheres, 648 00:25:37,536 --> 00:25:40,372 some that can carry up to eight people. 649 00:25:40,372 --> 00:25:41,623 - [Lance] It feels like something 650 00:25:41,623 --> 00:25:43,000 out of science fiction. 651 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:44,668 In 1932, there's a "Popular Science" article 652 00:25:44,668 --> 00:25:47,129 that bills it as the car of the future. 653 00:25:47,129 --> 00:25:48,505 Newspaper articles predict 654 00:25:48,505 --> 00:25:49,715 that roads will soon be filled 655 00:25:49,715 --> 00:25:52,509 with these giant wheel vehicles. 656 00:25:52,509 --> 00:25:55,929 - [Henry] But Jumbo has some very large flaws. 657 00:25:55,929 --> 00:25:59,516 - In order to steer, you actually have to shift 658 00:25:59,516 --> 00:26:01,518 from one side to the other. 659 00:26:01,518 --> 00:26:03,979 Not a good way to go about steering. 660 00:26:03,979 --> 00:26:06,523 Later models actually come with the steering wheel, 661 00:26:06,523 --> 00:26:09,109 but the handling of the steering wheel is not easy. 662 00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:11,904 -[Rutledge] There's no windshield, 663 00:26:11,904 --> 00:26:13,030 there's no suspension. 664 00:26:13,030 --> 00:26:14,448 So the line of sight on this thing 665 00:26:14,448 --> 00:26:15,908 is straight through 666 00:26:15,908 --> 00:26:18,285 and you basically can only really see clearly 667 00:26:18,285 --> 00:26:20,162 when you're going fast. 668 00:26:20,162 --> 00:26:21,872 So if you start to slow down, 669 00:26:21,872 --> 00:26:24,374 it means that's opening slower and slower 670 00:26:24,374 --> 00:26:26,168 so you really can't see as well. 671 00:26:27,586 --> 00:26:28,796 - So the problem with breaking 672 00:26:28,796 --> 00:26:30,881 is sometimes the outer ring stops 673 00:26:30,881 --> 00:26:32,925 but the inner cabin does not. 674 00:26:32,925 --> 00:26:34,927 And this is called gerbiling. 675 00:26:34,927 --> 00:26:36,386 You're literally going around 676 00:26:36,386 --> 00:26:38,847 in the inner cabin like a gerbil. 677 00:26:38,847 --> 00:26:41,391 - That's a real tough selling point 678 00:26:41,391 --> 00:26:44,353 'cause now everyone needs to be like harnessed in. 679 00:26:44,353 --> 00:26:46,188 You can't just casually like hit the brakes, 680 00:26:46,188 --> 00:26:47,898 now you're just tumbling around 681 00:26:47,898 --> 00:26:49,817 like you got stuck in the dryer. 682 00:26:49,817 --> 00:26:51,401 - [Nicole] And then what happens 683 00:26:51,401 --> 00:26:52,945 when you're in the multi passenger with eight people? 684 00:26:52,945 --> 00:26:55,948 I mean, [laughs] you guys are gonna get injured for sure. 685 00:26:55,948 --> 00:26:57,991 [air whooshing] [dramatic music] 686 00:26:57,991 --> 00:27:00,202 - [Negin] Turns out like the tumbling and the gerbiling 687 00:27:00,202 --> 00:27:02,037 was just too much for people. 688 00:27:02,037 --> 00:27:05,124 So team Purves is unable to solve the problems 689 00:27:05,124 --> 00:27:08,001 and the Dynasphere actually never goes into production. 690 00:27:09,044 --> 00:27:10,295 - It's pretty interesting to imagine 691 00:27:10,295 --> 00:27:13,257 if this had worked, you go to the grocery 692 00:27:13,257 --> 00:27:15,509 and there's just lines of these 693 00:27:15,509 --> 00:27:17,344 one-wheeled gigantic things 694 00:27:17,344 --> 00:27:19,179 that people hop inside of. 695 00:27:19,179 --> 00:27:22,140 And to be honest, we would brake check those people 696 00:27:22,140 --> 00:27:26,895 all the time just to see them... [blows raspberry] 697 00:27:28,564 --> 00:27:31,567 - J.A. Purves wasn't the only inventor 698 00:27:31,567 --> 00:27:34,486 whose futuristic vehicle made heads spin. 699 00:27:36,446 --> 00:27:39,741 - Buckminster Fuller is this really innovative architect 700 00:27:39,741 --> 00:27:41,869 who has all of these kind of grand ideas 701 00:27:41,869 --> 00:27:44,246 about how to solve societal problems. 702 00:27:44,246 --> 00:27:46,665 For example, he wants to mass produce homes 703 00:27:46,665 --> 00:27:48,083 and have them airlifted, 704 00:27:48,083 --> 00:27:50,252 kind of prefabricated into neighborhoods 705 00:27:50,252 --> 00:27:52,045 and just placed down. 706 00:27:52,045 --> 00:27:53,213 - And he really believes 707 00:27:53,213 --> 00:27:54,464 in kind of what we call minimalism. 708 00:27:54,464 --> 00:27:56,508 He fully believed in doing more with less, 709 00:27:56,508 --> 00:27:58,927 and that really becomes kind of his catchphrase. 710 00:27:58,927 --> 00:28:02,764 - In the 1930s, he sets his sights on a vehicle 711 00:28:02,764 --> 00:28:06,018 that could be both a car and an airplane. 712 00:28:06,018 --> 00:28:09,980 The car's fuselage has to be airworthy 713 00:28:09,980 --> 00:28:12,232 even if it's not quite ready to take off. 714 00:28:12,232 --> 00:28:14,401 Building the car is the first step 715 00:28:14,401 --> 00:28:17,529 before attaching the wings and taking to flight. 716 00:28:17,529 --> 00:28:21,241 - [Henry] Fuller names his new vehicle the Dymaxion, 717 00:28:21,241 --> 00:28:23,744 combining three of his favorite words, 718 00:28:23,744 --> 00:28:26,246 dynamic, maximum, and tension. 719 00:28:26,246 --> 00:28:27,873 [dramatic music] 720 00:28:27,873 --> 00:28:31,126 - [Hakeem] The Dymaxion body is incredibly aerodynamic. 721 00:28:31,126 --> 00:28:33,128 It's like 20-feet long 722 00:28:33,128 --> 00:28:35,631 and shaped like a silver teardrop. 723 00:28:35,631 --> 00:28:37,883 It's powered by a Ford V8 engine 724 00:28:37,883 --> 00:28:40,552 and able to carry up to 11 passengers. 725 00:28:40,552 --> 00:28:41,720 It has three wheels. 726 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:42,721 Two are in the front 727 00:28:42,721 --> 00:28:44,598 that provide the drive mechanism 728 00:28:44,598 --> 00:28:45,849 as well as stability. 729 00:28:45,849 --> 00:28:47,976 And there's one in the back for steering. 730 00:28:49,269 --> 00:28:51,730 - To test it out, Fuller takes it to a Bronx racetrack 731 00:28:51,730 --> 00:28:53,565 and it ends up shattering the course record, 732 00:28:53,565 --> 00:28:55,943 reaching a speed of over 90 miles an hour. 733 00:28:55,943 --> 00:29:00,280 - Wherever he goes, the Dymaxion causes a scene, 734 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:03,158 and it's not safe, it steers terribly, 735 00:29:03,158 --> 00:29:04,493 but that doesn't matter. 736 00:29:04,493 --> 00:29:07,287 Look how cool it looks, and the public love it. 737 00:29:07,287 --> 00:29:09,831 - [Henry] The Dymaxion is on the fast track 738 00:29:09,831 --> 00:29:11,208 to becoming a super-fast, 739 00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:12,793 super-efficient vehicle 740 00:29:12,793 --> 00:29:16,004 that can eventually grow wings and fly. 741 00:29:16,004 --> 00:29:18,799 But Fuller's dream car has a fatal flaw 742 00:29:18,799 --> 00:29:22,636 that is about to be exposed on the world stage. 743 00:29:23,762 --> 00:29:25,681 - [Nicole] Fuller is invited to showcase the Dymaxion 744 00:29:25,681 --> 00:29:27,557 at the Chicago World's Fair 745 00:29:27,557 --> 00:29:30,769 and he has enlisted a Gulf employee 746 00:29:30,769 --> 00:29:32,854 by the name of Francis Turner 747 00:29:32,854 --> 00:29:34,898 to drive the vehicle there. 748 00:29:34,898 --> 00:29:36,358 - For the demonstration, 749 00:29:36,358 --> 00:29:38,527 Fuller has Turner drive the vehicle at high speed 750 00:29:38,527 --> 00:29:40,278 around the perimeter of the fair. 751 00:29:40,278 --> 00:29:42,698 [dramatic music] 752 00:29:42,698 --> 00:29:44,825 Before long, the design flaw of this car 753 00:29:44,825 --> 00:29:46,243 starts to rear its ugly head. 754 00:29:46,243 --> 00:29:48,161 - Things go horribly wrong. 755 00:29:48,161 --> 00:29:50,914 Eyewitnesses say it starts to tip and roll 756 00:29:50,914 --> 00:29:53,375 and at that point it's hit by another vehicle. 757 00:29:53,375 --> 00:29:56,628 So now, with that single wheel in the back, 758 00:29:56,628 --> 00:29:58,213 there's really nothing to stop that thing 759 00:29:58,213 --> 00:30:00,257 from just rolling and rolling and rolling. 760 00:30:02,217 --> 00:30:04,761 - The two passengers onboard, they survive. 761 00:30:04,761 --> 00:30:07,472 But Turner, the driver, is killed. 762 00:30:07,472 --> 00:30:09,516 - This accident highlights the issues 763 00:30:09,516 --> 00:30:11,351 with the Dymaxion's handling, 764 00:30:11,351 --> 00:30:14,563 and this pretty much ends it for Fuller, 765 00:30:14,563 --> 00:30:16,314 so no one's interested in it. 766 00:30:16,314 --> 00:30:18,483 He ends up only making three of them, 767 00:30:18,483 --> 00:30:20,819 and that's the end of the Dymaxion. 768 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,657 - Today, the Dymaxion lives in a museum. 769 00:30:25,657 --> 00:30:27,492 Good, 'cause it can't hurt anyone. 770 00:30:31,121 --> 00:30:32,539 - Most inventions solve problems, 771 00:30:32,539 --> 00:30:33,874 but sometimes they create new ones. 772 00:30:33,874 --> 00:30:35,625 In the early 1900s, 773 00:30:35,625 --> 00:30:38,086 one household device did both. 774 00:30:39,463 --> 00:30:41,590 - Obviously, no one likes wrinkled clothing today, 775 00:30:41,590 --> 00:30:43,008 but back then, pressed clothing 776 00:30:43,008 --> 00:30:44,593 isn't just a sign of neatness, 777 00:30:44,593 --> 00:30:46,470 it's a reflection of character. 778 00:30:46,470 --> 00:30:48,096 So a wrinkled collar 779 00:30:48,096 --> 00:30:50,057 could actually cost someone their job. 780 00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:53,435 Irons at the time are super primitive. 781 00:30:53,435 --> 00:30:55,520 They're basically just big hunks of metal 782 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:56,688 with a flat side.. 783 00:30:56,688 --> 00:30:57,814 They're really heavy, 784 00:30:57,814 --> 00:30:59,232 they can weigh up to eight pounds, 785 00:30:59,232 --> 00:31:00,358 and you heat them up 786 00:31:00,358 --> 00:31:01,651 by just kind of putting them in the oven 787 00:31:01,651 --> 00:31:03,737 and waiting until they get hot. 788 00:31:03,737 --> 00:31:05,947 - [Henry] Inventors try various improvements 789 00:31:05,947 --> 00:31:08,075 including electric irons, 790 00:31:08,075 --> 00:31:09,367 which would be great, 791 00:31:09,367 --> 00:31:11,745 except few houses have electricity. 792 00:31:11,745 --> 00:31:14,372 - [Dan] Then in 1902, an inventor comes along 793 00:31:14,372 --> 00:31:15,665 and says, "I got this. 794 00:31:15,665 --> 00:31:17,292 A design that's gonna keep an iron heated 795 00:31:17,292 --> 00:31:18,752 to a consistent temperature. 796 00:31:18,752 --> 00:31:20,962 No more grabbing hot irons off the oven. 797 00:31:20,962 --> 00:31:22,464 This thing only heats the flat part 798 00:31:22,464 --> 00:31:23,715 that touches the clothes. 799 00:31:23,715 --> 00:31:25,092 The handle stays at room temperature." 800 00:31:25,092 --> 00:31:26,551 It's a miracle. 801 00:31:26,551 --> 00:31:28,011 - [Edward] The heat comes from an internal burner 802 00:31:28,011 --> 00:31:29,346 inside the iron 803 00:31:29,346 --> 00:31:31,389 that is filled with a new wonder product 804 00:31:31,389 --> 00:31:33,058 called gasoline. 805 00:31:33,058 --> 00:31:35,977 - The self heating iron is patented the next year 806 00:31:35,977 --> 00:31:39,272 and pretty soon manufacturers across the country 807 00:31:39,272 --> 00:31:41,108 are picking up on the concept. 808 00:31:41,108 --> 00:31:42,484 - One thing you notice about this is that, 809 00:31:42,484 --> 00:31:43,527 you know, to us it might look like 810 00:31:43,527 --> 00:31:45,529 a really quaint old timey thing. 811 00:31:45,529 --> 00:31:46,947 At the time, this is absolutely 812 00:31:46,947 --> 00:31:48,865 the most cutting-edge piece of technology. 813 00:31:48,865 --> 00:31:51,201 And like an automobile, the gas tank is in the rear. 814 00:31:51,201 --> 00:31:53,912 "Use only approved fuel," gasoline. 815 00:31:53,912 --> 00:31:56,164 I dunno if they have unleaded in those days. 816 00:31:56,164 --> 00:32:00,836 - [Austin] One company reports selling 850,000 units 817 00:32:00,836 --> 00:32:02,546 over the next 17 years. 818 00:32:02,546 --> 00:32:06,800 That's 50,000 gasoline irons per year. 819 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:08,844 This is getting into the hands 820 00:32:08,844 --> 00:32:10,512 of a lot of American women 821 00:32:10,512 --> 00:32:13,223 and making their jobs so much easier. 822 00:32:13,223 --> 00:32:15,725 - [Henry] But it turns out this miracle appliance 823 00:32:15,725 --> 00:32:18,812 is also a ticking time bomb. 824 00:32:18,812 --> 00:32:22,232 - A gas leak can cause carbon monoxide to build up. 825 00:32:22,232 --> 00:32:24,609 So it's sort of like running a car engine 826 00:32:24,609 --> 00:32:26,236 inside your home. 827 00:32:26,236 --> 00:32:29,948 - [Dan] Inside the iron, pressurized fuel, the gasoline, 828 00:32:29,948 --> 00:32:32,993 sits just a few inches away from an open flame. 829 00:32:32,993 --> 00:32:35,829 It's kind of like a small camping stove. 830 00:32:35,829 --> 00:32:37,789 - [Negin] The system has no regulators 831 00:32:37,789 --> 00:32:40,834 or only these like kind of crude small vents, 832 00:32:40,834 --> 00:32:43,837 and it could kind of explode at any time. 833 00:32:43,837 --> 00:32:45,130 And women are standing 834 00:32:45,130 --> 00:32:48,842 within very, very close blast distance. 835 00:32:48,842 --> 00:32:50,135 - [Dan] Even if they don't explode, 836 00:32:50,135 --> 00:32:52,512 if you get a clogged jet or a cracked seal 837 00:32:52,512 --> 00:32:53,513 or an overfilled tank, 838 00:32:53,513 --> 00:32:54,764 that can turn your little iron 839 00:32:54,764 --> 00:32:57,309 into a miniature flame thrower. 840 00:32:57,309 --> 00:32:58,602 - [Henry] And all too often, 841 00:32:58,602 --> 00:33:00,687 that's exactly what happens. 842 00:33:00,687 --> 00:33:04,191 For years, headlines show women dying in fires 843 00:33:04,191 --> 00:33:05,817 after ironing. 844 00:33:05,817 --> 00:33:07,986 - Fire officials blame all of these incidents 845 00:33:07,986 --> 00:33:10,989 on self-heating, gas-powered irons. 846 00:33:10,989 --> 00:33:13,158 - [Austin] A handheld gasoline powered object like this 847 00:33:13,158 --> 00:33:16,203 obviously could not be manufactured today, 848 00:33:16,203 --> 00:33:19,331 but in this time before electrification, 849 00:33:19,331 --> 00:33:21,374 gasoline was the way of the future. 850 00:33:21,374 --> 00:33:24,002 So who cares if there's a couple deaths? 851 00:33:24,002 --> 00:33:26,922 Everyone's gonna look really sharp at the office. 852 00:33:26,922 --> 00:33:29,299 - [Kavitha] By the late 1930s, gas-powered irons 853 00:33:29,299 --> 00:33:30,759 are pretty much phased out 854 00:33:30,759 --> 00:33:33,887 by the advent of electric irons and steam irons. 855 00:33:33,887 --> 00:33:36,473 They work faster and they're much easier to use. 856 00:33:36,473 --> 00:33:38,892 So it's not actually safety standards or hazards 857 00:33:38,892 --> 00:33:40,352 that kill the gas iron, 858 00:33:40,352 --> 00:33:42,479 it's just better design coming along. 859 00:33:44,272 --> 00:33:47,984 - By the 1940s, inventors had a handle on machines 860 00:33:47,984 --> 00:33:50,654 that generate heat like irons, 861 00:33:50,654 --> 00:33:52,405 but cooling things down, 862 00:33:52,405 --> 00:33:54,908 well, that was a whole new field 863 00:33:54,908 --> 00:33:56,576 with its own set of perils. 864 00:33:56,576 --> 00:33:59,537 [air whooshing] [dramatic music] 865 00:33:59,537 --> 00:34:01,373 - The great American road trip is born 866 00:34:01,373 --> 00:34:02,707 in the '40s and '50s. 867 00:34:02,707 --> 00:34:04,542 I mean, you think about it, gas is cheap, 868 00:34:04,542 --> 00:34:07,587 people got cars, roads are coming up everywhere. 869 00:34:07,587 --> 00:34:09,214 They really want to go out and explore. 870 00:34:09,214 --> 00:34:12,217 So summertime especially, people just hit the road. 871 00:34:12,217 --> 00:34:14,386 - Problem with cars in the '40s and '50s 872 00:34:14,386 --> 00:34:16,804 is that they didn't have air conditioning. 873 00:34:16,804 --> 00:34:20,141 We all take air conditioning today for granted, 874 00:34:20,141 --> 00:34:22,978 like we believe that we are owed air conditioning. 875 00:34:22,978 --> 00:34:24,521 But not too long ago, 876 00:34:24,521 --> 00:34:27,190 you had to drive through 100-degree day 877 00:34:27,190 --> 00:34:30,277 in a hot metal car with your entire family 878 00:34:30,277 --> 00:34:32,070 with nothing to cool you down 879 00:34:32,070 --> 00:34:33,405 other than the windows. 880 00:34:34,447 --> 00:34:36,199 - [Rutledge] My dad and I would go 881 00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:40,495 from Birmingham, Alabama, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, 882 00:34:40,495 --> 00:34:42,914 and it was so hot 883 00:34:42,914 --> 00:34:45,958 I thought we were driving on the surface of the sun. 884 00:34:45,958 --> 00:34:47,627 - [Henry] Manufacturers answer the call 885 00:34:47,627 --> 00:34:49,004 with ingenious devices 886 00:34:49,004 --> 00:34:51,255 you can pop right on your vehicle 887 00:34:51,255 --> 00:34:56,052 that actually cool off the air inside, car coolers. 888 00:34:56,052 --> 00:34:58,597 - [Dan] They're these shiny futuristic canisters 889 00:34:58,597 --> 00:35:00,682 that are bolted or hooked 890 00:35:00,682 --> 00:35:02,601 right onto the side window of your car. 891 00:35:02,601 --> 00:35:04,269 - Inside the device is a sponge 892 00:35:04,269 --> 00:35:05,687 that's immersed in water. 893 00:35:05,687 --> 00:35:07,397 As you drive down the road at high speed, 894 00:35:07,397 --> 00:35:09,608 air circulates through the device 895 00:35:09,608 --> 00:35:10,859 and into that sponge. 896 00:35:10,859 --> 00:35:13,194 And beyond that, in the interior of the car, 897 00:35:13,194 --> 00:35:14,613 you feel cooler. 898 00:35:14,613 --> 00:35:17,699 - For lots of families, car coolers are a miracle. 899 00:35:17,699 --> 00:35:19,826 I mean, they're relatively affordable. 900 00:35:19,826 --> 00:35:23,747 They're about $15 a pop, which is $180 today. 901 00:35:23,747 --> 00:35:25,749 They'll give you up to three hours of cool air 902 00:35:25,749 --> 00:35:27,751 before needing to be refilled. 903 00:35:27,751 --> 00:35:30,128 - [Henry] It seems like one problem with road trips 904 00:35:30,128 --> 00:35:33,131 has been solved, but users soon discover 905 00:35:33,131 --> 00:35:37,093 that beating the heat means enduring something else. 906 00:35:37,093 --> 00:35:39,971 - These devices smell real bad. 907 00:35:39,971 --> 00:35:41,514 In the Southwest, 908 00:35:41,514 --> 00:35:45,518 they've earned an unfortunate nickname, swamp coolers. 909 00:35:45,518 --> 00:35:47,395 - [Brian] All of the wet rags and stuff 910 00:35:47,395 --> 00:35:48,730 that you're putting into it, 911 00:35:48,897 --> 00:35:52,484 eventually mold, must, and all that's blowing, 912 00:35:52,484 --> 00:35:54,152 and it makes your car smell like a swamp. 913 00:35:54,152 --> 00:35:55,820 Now, some people might have been good 914 00:35:55,820 --> 00:35:58,031 about cleaning it after every car ride. 915 00:35:58,031 --> 00:36:00,533 I still have a chocolate candy bar wrapper 916 00:36:00,533 --> 00:36:03,244 on the floor of my car from 2008. 917 00:36:03,244 --> 00:36:04,663 There was no way a guy like me 918 00:36:04,663 --> 00:36:07,332 was cleaning out that swamp cooler. 919 00:36:07,332 --> 00:36:09,459 - [Henry] But this isn't the end of the story. 920 00:36:09,459 --> 00:36:11,544 [dramatic music] 921 00:36:11,544 --> 00:36:13,004 - A stinky swamp odor 922 00:36:13,004 --> 00:36:15,173 isn't the most dangerous thing about this. 923 00:36:15,173 --> 00:36:16,508 The way that it worked 924 00:36:16,508 --> 00:36:18,051 was you hooked it onto the side of your car 925 00:36:18,051 --> 00:36:19,636 using these little metal hooks. 926 00:36:19,636 --> 00:36:21,596 Hit 50, 60 miles per hour on the highway, 927 00:36:21,596 --> 00:36:23,348 the wind would lift it up 928 00:36:23,348 --> 00:36:24,849 and shoot it out behind you. 929 00:36:26,059 --> 00:36:27,852 - Because you gotta fill these things up with water, 930 00:36:27,852 --> 00:36:29,938 all in, they can be like 10 to 15 pounds. 931 00:36:29,938 --> 00:36:32,190 So if that's suddenly flying off your car 932 00:36:32,190 --> 00:36:34,109 into the windshield of the car behind you, 933 00:36:34,109 --> 00:36:36,695 it's like chucking a bowling ball out at 55. 934 00:36:37,487 --> 00:36:38,905 - It was a disaster, 935 00:36:38,905 --> 00:36:41,116 it was a safety nightmare, they had to go. 936 00:36:41,116 --> 00:36:43,284 - [Don] There's also a serious problem with these coolers 937 00:36:43,284 --> 00:36:45,286 blocking the driver's vision. 938 00:36:45,286 --> 00:36:48,039 I mean, at one point, Arizona State Police 939 00:36:48,039 --> 00:36:49,749 begin ordering them removed 940 00:36:49,749 --> 00:36:52,711 after the vision issue causes seven accidents 941 00:36:52,711 --> 00:36:54,879 in a short span, two of them major. 942 00:36:54,879 --> 00:36:56,715 [playful music] 943 00:36:56,715 --> 00:36:58,299 - In the '60s and '70s, 944 00:36:58,299 --> 00:37:00,051 air conditioning became a lot more 945 00:37:00,051 --> 00:37:01,886 of a standard feature in cars. 946 00:37:01,886 --> 00:37:03,596 - I don't know who invented air conditioning, 947 00:37:03,596 --> 00:37:06,641 but I assume you're dead, and prayers, 948 00:37:06,641 --> 00:37:08,893 because there's nothing better than air conditioning. 949 00:37:08,893 --> 00:37:10,186 I would rather live without bread 950 00:37:10,186 --> 00:37:11,479 than air conditioning. 951 00:37:11,479 --> 00:37:13,273 [playful music] [vehicle engine purring] 952 00:37:13,273 --> 00:37:16,067 - The next time your car's air conditioning breaks down 953 00:37:16,067 --> 00:37:17,777 and it's expensive to fix, 954 00:37:17,777 --> 00:37:20,447 just remember what the alternative could cost you. 955 00:37:23,575 --> 00:37:24,617 - Once we invented the combustion engine 956 00:37:24,617 --> 00:37:25,994 and automobiles, 957 00:37:25,994 --> 00:37:29,289 we loved putting motors on anything with wheels. 958 00:37:29,289 --> 00:37:33,668 Some ideas like turning bikes into motorcycles were great. 959 00:37:33,668 --> 00:37:36,045 Others, not quite as amazing. 960 00:37:37,380 --> 00:37:40,842 - In the 1950s, Detroit is a happening place. 961 00:37:40,842 --> 00:37:43,094 I mean, you got the fifth largest city in the U.S., 962 00:37:43,094 --> 00:37:44,763 plus you got the big three there 963 00:37:44,763 --> 00:37:45,805 making it all happen, 964 00:37:45,805 --> 00:37:48,308 Ford, GM and Chrysler. 965 00:37:48,308 --> 00:37:49,851 - [Natalia] Because of all this, 966 00:37:49,851 --> 00:37:52,645 Detroit is this hotbed of creativity and innovation. 967 00:37:52,645 --> 00:37:54,856 There are all these engineers there and inventors 968 00:37:54,856 --> 00:37:56,483 and there's prosperity. 969 00:37:56,483 --> 00:38:00,361 So people feel like the technological edge is there 970 00:38:00,361 --> 00:38:01,488 and they wanna be part of it. 971 00:38:01,488 --> 00:38:03,072 - [Henry] But one Detroit inventor 972 00:38:03,072 --> 00:38:04,616 has a very different vision 973 00:38:04,616 --> 00:38:06,951 for keeping America moving. 974 00:38:06,951 --> 00:38:09,704 - There's a GM mechanic named Antonio Pirrello 975 00:38:09,704 --> 00:38:12,123 and he wants to really revolutionize 976 00:38:12,123 --> 00:38:13,500 the way people get around. 977 00:38:13,500 --> 00:38:15,960 He wants to make something fast that'll stand out, 978 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:17,170 but also something that people 979 00:38:17,170 --> 00:38:18,046 know and love already. 980 00:38:18,046 --> 00:38:19,380 How can I make it better? 981 00:38:19,380 --> 00:38:21,174 So he decides he's gonna try to figure out 982 00:38:21,174 --> 00:38:25,178 how to supercharge some roller skates. 983 00:38:25,178 --> 00:38:27,472 - Believe it or not, inventors have been trying to do this 984 00:38:27,472 --> 00:38:29,224 since the early 20th century, 985 00:38:29,224 --> 00:38:31,851 but no one really nails the design. 986 00:38:31,851 --> 00:38:34,521 - Instead of having individual motors on skates, 987 00:38:34,521 --> 00:38:38,358 Pirrello decides to put the motor and the gas tank 988 00:38:38,358 --> 00:38:40,819 on a unit that is worn like a backpack. 989 00:38:40,819 --> 00:38:42,862 - So the idea is that there's a cable 990 00:38:42,862 --> 00:38:44,072 that's run on the engine. 991 00:38:44,072 --> 00:38:46,366 It goes down to the right rear wheel 992 00:38:46,366 --> 00:38:48,451 of the roller skates and it spins that. 993 00:38:48,451 --> 00:38:50,954 So essentially, that's your traction going forward 994 00:38:50,954 --> 00:38:52,997 and you would use your left roller skate 995 00:38:52,997 --> 00:38:54,999 to steer where you want to go. 996 00:38:54,999 --> 00:38:57,669 - There's a handheld throttle as well as a clutch, 997 00:38:57,669 --> 00:39:00,588 and these things can get going really fast. 998 00:39:00,588 --> 00:39:02,966 Pirrello hires a professional roller skater 999 00:39:02,966 --> 00:39:05,760 and they clock in at 40 miles per hour. 1000 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:07,262 On regular roller skates, 1001 00:39:07,262 --> 00:39:09,848 a professional can go maybe 20, 25 miles per hour, 1002 00:39:09,848 --> 00:39:12,517 so 40, that's really fast. 1003 00:39:12,517 --> 00:39:15,728 - [Henry] Pirrello deems his design a success. 1004 00:39:15,728 --> 00:39:18,606 Now, determined to sell his skates to the masses, 1005 00:39:18,606 --> 00:39:19,774 he has to prove 1006 00:39:19,774 --> 00:39:22,360 that powered wheels on your feet 1007 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,405 are not only fun, they're safe. 1008 00:39:25,405 --> 00:39:26,739 - Pirrello starts going around 1009 00:39:26,739 --> 00:39:28,157 Detroit neighborhoods himself 1010 00:39:28,157 --> 00:39:30,201 and going faster than cars on the streets 1011 00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:33,079 using these crazy roller skates. 1012 00:39:33,079 --> 00:39:35,248 - Imagine being a normal pedestrian in Detroit 1013 00:39:35,248 --> 00:39:36,499 and you just walk outside of your house 1014 00:39:36,499 --> 00:39:38,042 and you suddenly see this guy whiz by 1015 00:39:38,042 --> 00:39:39,544 at 40 miles an hour. 1016 00:39:39,544 --> 00:39:40,628 You'd probably think, 1017 00:39:40,628 --> 00:39:42,005 "Did I wake up in the future?" 1018 00:39:42,005 --> 00:39:44,424 - Pirrello gives interviews to "Life magazine" 1019 00:39:44,424 --> 00:39:45,925 and "Popular Mechanics" 1020 00:39:45,925 --> 00:39:48,761 and he even makes appearances on "The Today Show" 1021 00:39:48,761 --> 00:39:50,013 and "You Asked for It." 1022 00:39:50,013 --> 00:39:51,639 - These skates are a real gasser, 1023 00:39:51,639 --> 00:39:53,474 and I mean that literally. 1024 00:39:53,474 --> 00:39:54,893 - [Henry] Customers start grabbing up 1025 00:39:54,893 --> 00:39:56,853 these high-powered skates. 1026 00:39:56,853 --> 00:39:59,147 But once someone brings a pair home, 1027 00:39:59,147 --> 00:40:00,940 the hard part begins. 1028 00:40:00,940 --> 00:40:02,567 - [Nicole] It's hard to even keep your balance 1029 00:40:02,567 --> 00:40:04,152 on regular roller skates, 1030 00:40:04,152 --> 00:40:05,528 but with these skates, 1031 00:40:05,528 --> 00:40:07,989 you're gonna keep going faster and faster and faster, 1032 00:40:07,989 --> 00:40:09,699 and you know what happens on skates, 1033 00:40:09,699 --> 00:40:11,826 you are going to fall. 1034 00:40:11,826 --> 00:40:14,245 - Safety wasn't a thing really for roller skating. 1035 00:40:14,245 --> 00:40:16,247 So it's not like people are wearing helmets. 1036 00:40:16,247 --> 00:40:18,291 I mean, he is cooking, 40 miles an hour 1037 00:40:18,291 --> 00:40:20,793 is real fast on roller skates. 1038 00:40:20,793 --> 00:40:22,962 - [Hakeem] Essentially you're going as fast as a car 1039 00:40:22,962 --> 00:40:25,089 but without the car wrapped around you. 1040 00:40:25,089 --> 00:40:26,674 So you know, out in the street, 1041 00:40:26,674 --> 00:40:29,010 that is a disaster waiting to happen. 1042 00:40:29,010 --> 00:40:30,803 - If the fall doesn't kill you, 1043 00:40:30,803 --> 00:40:32,680 there's also an exposed fuel line. 1044 00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:34,724 So at any point, you risk getting burned 1045 00:40:34,724 --> 00:40:37,310 by the exhaust or catching on fire. 1046 00:40:37,310 --> 00:40:38,603 "How are the new roller skates?" 1047 00:40:38,603 --> 00:40:39,896 "They're pretty good. 1048 00:40:40,021 --> 00:40:42,565 I got 'em from that guy that had 'em that died." 1049 00:40:42,565 --> 00:40:44,651 - So the invention sounds fun 1050 00:40:44,651 --> 00:40:47,111 and exciting and convenient, 1051 00:40:47,111 --> 00:40:49,948 but in reality, speeding through your neighborhood 1052 00:40:49,948 --> 00:40:53,326 with a flammable backpack and no safety gear, 1053 00:40:53,326 --> 00:40:54,911 it's not a good idea. 1054 00:40:54,911 --> 00:40:56,788 - [Henry] After strong initial sales, 1055 00:40:56,788 --> 00:40:59,791 accidents rise and sales drop. 1056 00:40:59,791 --> 00:41:01,125 - [Rutledge] There's people that said 1057 00:41:01,125 --> 00:41:02,377 that they were using these 1058 00:41:02,377 --> 00:41:03,878 and their clothes caught on fire, 1059 00:41:03,878 --> 00:41:05,838 their skin got burned from the exhaust. 1060 00:41:05,838 --> 00:41:08,341 I mean, that's again, if you survive. 1061 00:41:08,341 --> 00:41:11,719 Like if you wreck at 40, you may be dead. 1062 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:13,096 - I love fast cars, 1063 00:41:13,096 --> 00:41:15,473 but even I don't want any parts of this invention. 1064 00:41:17,225 --> 00:41:18,601 - Looking back on the inventions 1065 00:41:18,601 --> 00:41:20,812 we thought would be groundbreaking, 1066 00:41:20,812 --> 00:41:24,774 like working jet packs to high voltage workouts, 1067 00:41:24,774 --> 00:41:28,152 to putting out fires with hand grenades, 1068 00:41:28,152 --> 00:41:30,947 sometimes we got in over our head, 1069 00:41:30,947 --> 00:41:33,408 but it's that outside-the-box thinking 1070 00:41:33,408 --> 00:41:37,412 that made our hazardous history always a good idea. 1071 00:41:37,412 --> 00:41:40,373 [air whooshing] [dramatic music]