KEYWORDS: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, INVENTIONS

The twentieth century will probably be best remembered for the impact of its technological developments. Pathe were at great pains to showcase both the essential, the trivial and the quite bizarre scientific discoveries and technological advances…

Of all these the biggest category is "inventions", and in particular the incredible array of different attempts to get airborne!

Some of the more bizarre include; amphibious caravans, propeller driven cars, high tech' beds, 50s Answer Machines, robotic gardeners, motorised baths, dancing robots, egg vending machines, hover scooters, hover wheelbarrows, scooter tents, inflatable garages, miniature bikes, hover stretchers, manpowered planes, "carabuses" and "caraboats", motorised roller skates, "snogometers", water scooters, fold-out boats, seacycles, "boat shoes", umbrella torches, railplanes, walking stick cigarette holders, water tandems, fold-away cars, "radio pills" pen lighters, steam cars, hydrocycles, flying bikes, air taxis, radio hats, sidecar boats, water cooled suits, hover beds, "sailorskis", Scooter skis, "bincrafts", beds for cows, hoverbuses, "elastic" water, "sudsmobiles", "ornicopters", rollerskis, "watercopters", metal clothes, a telephone recipe service and oxygen driven cars…

The more serious news items kept the audience up to date with the dramatic 20th Century developments in areas such as aviation, railways, television, military equipment, cars and motor cycles, communications, medicine, farmimg, fire fighting, postal services, radio, energy, agriculture, traffic management, crime prevention, photography, shipbuilding, hovercrafts, sports equipment, domestic appliances, furniture, fire prevention, accoustics, musical instruments, manufacturing, entertainment, computers, keep fit, cosmetics, astrology, construction and many more…

There are also some very early black and white demonstrations of crystal growth, air properties, flammability, electricity, liquid air and liquid oxygen, air currents, geology and even the difference between straight and curly hair!

SOME HIGHLIGHTS

"THE ATOMIC AGE" (1946)
"CONQUEST OF THE AIR" (1931)
EP 055: "THE BUFFER BELT" (designed to make sure you partner keeps his distance!)
CP 442: "TV TELEPHONE" (1963)
CP 617: "EMMETTS COMPUTER" (bizarre "Mouse Trap" type device from 1966)
CP 517: "DUO-PEDS" (transport device not unlike the "segway")
EP 119: "TABLE TALK" (a walking stick and card table combo)
EP 277: "PICTURES BY AIR" (faxes 1929 style)
EP 284: "SEEING BY WIRELESS" (1929 television technology)
EP 291: "EVE'S WIRELESS" (1929 Mobile Phone device)
PT 330: "THE TALKING LINK" (1936 history of the telephone)
PT 340: "IMMORTAL VOICES" (1936 history of the gramaphone)
PT 806: "MEN OF SCIENCE" (1933 documentary about scientists).
"DOWN WITH AERIALS" (1960s film about cable television)
CP 279: "THE RAILWAY TODAY" (The "modern" railway in 1960)
PT 356: "THE WORLD WE LIVE IN" (dimensions of the earth calculated throughout the ages)
68/31: "GLASS CAR"
67/1: "TELLY TELEPHONE"
68/75: "COMPUTER ORCHESTRA"
54/75: "HUMMING TOP BEATS WASHDAY BLUES" (a sonic washing machine is demonstrated)
58/67: "GOODBYE TO STEAM" (a 1958 item about the future of the railways)
58/99: "QUEEN DIALS EDINBURGH"
58/102: "BE YOUR OWN SUBMARINE" (hand held propeller)
59/69: "THIS BOX IS MAGIC" (a battery is demonstrated)
59/87: "PHONE IN YOUR CAR" (mobile phone, 1959 style…)
64/32: "GET ROCKET, GO PLACES" (Australian Jet Pack)

KEYWORDS: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, INVENTIONS