blank out baseball game . America ’s preferred interest in the 1920s was electrocuting people . I ’m not even jest .
One matter you find out from read honest-to-goodness science and tech clip of the 1920s is that tech nerd were sadistic weirdoes . There are multitudinous tale from the pages of magazines like Science and Invention and Practical Electrics where average masses would brag about electrocuting others for kick . It seems you could get by with quite a bit before the innovation of advanced police force that celebrate the great unwashed from maim each otherjust because .
One letter from a reader of Practical Electrics cartridge holder seem in the September 1923 proceeds . It separate a quite sordid tale of electrical mischief :
Not long ago an older gentleman walked into the store with a shameful car under his arm and after expect for the other customers to exit , make for his trouble to me something like this : “ I would like to know if you could put more force in this thing . There is a crew of tough fellows who cogitate they are so much tougher than others because they can take all there is in it , and it would do my heart good to see them get electrocuted . ’’
“ indisputable , ” I order , “ we can fry ‘ em . leave out around in a few days and it will be cease , ” and so he went out with a merrier melodic line .
Next day we made a switch so when the indicant was at the high point the former lowly was cut out and a half - in spark curlicue was switch in . Thus only the ruffianly birds would get their penny deserving and the tender fundament would , never know the dispute . Fearing we had made the punishment too severe , we go down the machine on the bench and waited with great anxiety for a Pisces the Fishes to bite . Before tenacious one of our most prominent citizen fare in hatful . We pop off and talk to him in the doorway . Everybody about start doing anything to get into an argument . Finally he asked , “ What ’s this piece of junk here ? ”
“ Why , if you had as valuable a while of junk as that you ’d have no habit for Aladdin ’s lantern . ”
“ Do you think I never saw one of the things before ? beat a cent in and allow ’s try it . ”
“ Well , I theorize every time you use a penny expansion slot simple machine you get your chewing gum and kvetch because you did n’t get a lucre communion coupon . ”
By this time he bring out a penny and start up the index . Up — up — up it went all the way to the top , but I ca n’t tell my thought process at this moment , as I see the whole front of the political machine being buck out by the grip . It came out and all the workplace came out with it . He next struggled backward for ten base and with his dandy unvoluntary efforts convey the works down upon a grievous motor . Then being liberal , he leaned back on a box and shook all over , but not so ill as I did . Nobody had breather to laugh until now , and they were surely using it now . I did not see how I could face things , so I sneaked out for a long walkway . When I revert I learned that the patient had lento reckon the laugh was on me and after he asked to see some thing he need . Said he would just take them and thing would be even . There was no argumentation . It was not long before the owner knew of the hullabaloo and came to see me . Much to my surprisal he said it was just what he want , for me to fix it again and he would call later .
The owner used the simple machine only a short clock time when he brought it back with a story a mile long of how he worked it just once and on the good fellow . When we gave him a peak he said it was a little more than expected , but he force a smile over his face and managed to say , “ It ’s inexpensive than monkey glands , whatever they may cost . ”
I have no estimate what that mention to monkey glands is all about at the terminal , but I ’m going to guess it was about some gin up patent of invention medical specialty that prognosticate super - human strength in the 1920s .
I hazard the best that can be said of this story is that it did n’t have that antiblack zing which accompanies so many other tales in my 1920s tech magazine . It ’s the small victories , really .
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