Homebrewed ingenuity
The weirdest things Americans once thought were great ideas
Image: Johnny Briggs
From genuine problem-solving to baffling overengineering, American inventors have produced some truly strange creations. From electric spoons to fragile glass instruments, many of these bold designs were patented, tested, or even briefly sold. Below are 10 inventions that prove innovation isn’t always a hit—even when it comes from brilliant minds.
1
The horse diaper
Image: Lucia Macedo
Designed to catch manure in crowded cities—a problem once so severe that it shaped public infrastructure as well as the entrances to houses—the horse diaper was an invention meant to be strapped beneath working horses pulling carts and carriages.
The idea was to reduce disease and street filth during the horse-powered urban era. While the device saw limited use before automobiles rapidly replaced horses, similar designs are still occasionally used in modern veterinary practice.
2
The baby cage
Image: Taylor Flowe
Built as wire cages attached to apartment windows, so-called "baby cages" allowed infants to get fresh air when outdoor space was unavailable. Some models were guaranteed to safely hold over 30 pounds.
While alarming today and ultimately abandoned due to obvious safety concerns, the designs likely inspired some of the baby-proofing nets used today.
3
The pneumatic subway
Image: Eddi Aguirre
In the late 1860s, American entrepreneur and inventor Alfred Ely Beach set out to prove the feasibility of a human-sized pneumatic subway system beneath New York City, capable of moving both people and cargo using nothing more than air pressure.
The prototype was set up as a public attraction and carried passengers along a tunnel just over 300 feet long, from a station to a dead end. Despite its initial success, bureaucratic obstacles and high costs halted expansion, leaving it as a functional but largely forgotten underground experiment.
4
The mechanical horse
Image: Gabriel Tovar
Created for exercise and riding practice, the mechanical horse used a system of gears, cranks, and pedals to simulate walking and trotting motions while the rider sat in a saddle-like seat. It was marketed to urban riders and cavalry trainees who lacked access to stables or live horses.
Though bulky and impractical for widespread use, the device anticipated modern fitness machines by replicating real-world movements for conditioning and skill retention, rather than simple repetitive exercise.
5
The first metal detector
Image: Fer Troulik
After a failed assassination attempt on President James Garfield, Alexander Graham Bell hastily built an early metal detector in an effort to locate the bullet lodged in his body. The device functioned as intended, but it was unable to find the bullet because metal bed springs interfered with the signal.
Despite this setback, Bell’s early design proved the concept and directly influenced the development of modern metal detectors.
6
The pet-powered butter churn
Image: Matt Bero
In an inventive twist on animal-powered machinery, some 19th-century American farmers rigged small treadwheels for dogs, cats, or even goats to generate kinetic energy for churning butter. The animal ran inside the wheel, turning a rope or pulley connected to the churn.
While technically functional, the system was limited by the animal's willingness to cooperate and the small amount of power it generated.
7
The umbrella hat
Image: Claudio Schwarz
Robert W. Patten, often called the "Umbrella Man," patented one of the first commercially successful hands-free umbrella hats. It strapped a small umbrella directly to the wearer’s head, providing both sun and rain protection while keeping the hands free for work or walking.
His original design even included a mosquito net attached to the canopy. Patten didn’t enjoy much commercial success but became somewhat of an eccentric and comical popular figure, partly due to a series of comics that were inspired by his unusual invention.
8
The one-wheel motorcycle
Image: CJ Toscano
In 1971, American inventor Kerry McLean built and refined a monowheel—a one‑wheeled motorized vehicle in which the rider and engine sit inside the wheel’s circumference.
Since then, various attempts have been made to build on his original design, but it remains a niche vehicle used primarily for entertainment rather than practicality, as riders must be highly skilled simply to turn or even stay upright.
9
The first talking doll
Image: Holly Ward
In 1890, Thomas Edison embedded miniature versions of one of his most popular inventions —the phonograph—inside dolls so they could recite nursery rhymes.
While the idea was innovative, the technology was not yet there. The recordings were fragile, distorted, and often failed to work properly. The dolls were pulled from the market within weeks due to customer complaints, making it one of Edison’s rare commercial failures.
10
The glass harmonica
Image: Francesco Bovolin
Faithful to his eccentricity and inventive spirit, Benjamin Franklin redesigned the existing glass harp into a rotating spindle of glass bowls, played by touching the spinning rims with wet fingers, which he called the "glass harmonica."
The instrument produced eerie, sustained tones unlike anything else of its era. However, its fragile nature made it somewhat impractical, and the rotating mechanism posed a potential danger to the player if anything went wrong.
