#17: A Faster Commute
We all want to cut down on time spent commuting to and from work. This weird photo takes it a little too far, though. This odd historical photo shows a salesman fueling up for a day at work. The thing is, he’s not driving a car. He’s wearing motorized rollerskates that run on regular old gasoline!
Antonio Pirrello invented these nifty, if strange, skates in Michigan in 1955. The invention featured a 19-pound gas motor that the user wore like a backpack. The skates were pretty wild, going up to 40 miles per hour. Believe it or not, these things didn’t really catch on. Maybe it was the 19-pound portable motor. Maybe it was the extremely dangerous speeds. Or maybe it was the fact that these skates looked ridiculously uncool. There is really no way to know.