Ship-Based Anti Submarine Defense Cutaway, 1950

Ship-Based Anti Submarine Defense Cutaway, 1950

Illustration by Ray Quigley shows an anti-sub device from 1950 termed “the hedgehog.” It lobbed multiple depth charges all at once at the presumed submarine location.  Charges were slightly angled so that they would land in a spreadout, scattershot pattern, covering a wider range.  Click to Enlarge to 695 x 768 px: Source:  Popular Science… Continue reading Ship-Based Anti Submarine Defense Cutaway, 1950

Railroad Boxcar Sweeper Arm Cutaway, 1950

Railroad Boxcar Sweeper Arm Cutaway 1950

This unusual device, made by Stephens-Adamson Co. of Los Angeles, CA, reached deep into boxcars that had loose contents and swept the contents out of the open door. As it turns out, Stephens-Adamson Co. is still around today. Click to Enlarge to 1350 x 517 px: Source:  Popular Science March 1950

Photo-Realistic Transparent Movie Set Backdrop, 1950

Transparent Manhattan Movie Backdrop 1950

For most of movie history, set backdrops had been opaque (non-transparent) sheets of fabric stitched together to form larger, set-sized sheets. In 1950, photographer M.B. Paul was profiled creating transparent set backdrops from actual photographs.  Because they were transparent, they could be lit from the back as well as the front. Click to Enlarge to… Continue reading Photo-Realistic Transparent Movie Set Backdrop, 1950

Arctic Wanigan Cutaway, 1950

Arctic Wanigan Cutaway 1950

The “wanigan” was an 8 x 24 foot mobile caboose that was attached to the back of Arctic explorers’ tracked wagon trains. The wanigan had four bunks, refrigerator, coal stove, table, sink, and latrine. Click to Enlarge to 594 x 478 px: Source:  Popular Mechanics May 1950

Dry-Land Submarine Trainer, 1950

Dry Land Submarine Trainer 1950

Its proper name was the Mark VII Attack Teacher and it was housed in a 3 story building in New London, CT. In an age before computers could process graphics, vehicle and nautical simulations had to be done with models. Trainees sat in a submarine mockup on the second floor, with a periscope jutting up… Continue reading Dry-Land Submarine Trainer, 1950

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