A light picnic trailer on two wheels. You could jockey it around by hand at the picnic site and the cover would open out to make it a table.
By R.A.Reynolds, Westbrook, Maine.
June 1960
These days a trailer hitch such as this one from Amazon would probably be better…
Replacement signaling wicks for cigarette lighters. Why not dye the last inch a bright color, or simply interweave several colored threads?
By J.J.Vernimmen, Grand Rapids, Mich.
June 1960
Back in the 1960s when smoking was cool and supposedly safe. The best bet is to not smoke at all these days!
Soft-plastic milk cartons so you’d never get clumps of wax in a glass of milk. And you’d never get leaks in the nonbreakable containers, either.
By R.H.Morgan, Towaco, N.J.
June 1960
Sounds a bit like Tetra Pak to me, I wonder which came first? This idea or the Tetra Pak milk carton?
Easy-roll boat trailers and outboard carriers on Rolygon air-bag tires. They’d handle more easily on rough terrain than wheeled ones.
By R.W.Schiller, Menominee, Mich.
June 1960
Head markings on bolts that require cotter pins. With a notch in the same plane as the hole, even working blind you could slip the pin in with ease.
By G.Wilson, N.Guilford, Conn.
June 1959
You can purchase various bolts on Amazon…
A safety lock for power windows on cars. An electrical switch, controlled by the driver, would cut off power when children were in the car.
By A.J.Dallaire, Opa Locka, Fla.
June 1959
Another great idea that is commonplace in most cars today.
Ice stick freezer trays. Depressions the size of a carpenter’s pencil would turn out ice shaped to slide through the neck of a small pop bottle.
By Phil Liston, Wooster, Ohio.
June 1959
You can purchase these from Amazon…
Car top garment bags fitted with long straps that could be passed through the windows and buckled. Clothes hung inside a car cut visibility.
By F.M.Matthews, Millington, Tenn.
June 1959
Obviously, this was a great idea as your car rooftop storage bags are commonplace nowadays and are used for storing all kinds of things, not just clothes.
Here’s one you can purchase from Amazon…
Hinged aluminum tents you could fold up for easy transporting. They’d be waterproof and rustproof and would reflect the sun to make a cool shelter.
By R.Eschleman, Reading, Pa.
June 1959
Alternatively, you can purchase a modern-day ten from Amazon…
Two-ended nails for invisible joinings without drilling. Set a tube on the head to drive in one end, then drive the work onto the other end.
By J.L.Barrett, Beckley, W.Va.
June 1958
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