Turtle Personal Tank, 1952

Turtle Personal Tank 1952

As far as I know, this one-man tank never left the mind of Les G. Scherer. Scherer designed this personal-sized tank to weigh 7,000 pounds, pack two .30 caliber machine guns, and have 650 ports arrayed around the driver with each port containing a shotgun shell that could be electrically fired.  Main selling point of… Continue reading Turtle Personal Tank, 1952

Atomic-Powered Heating System for Building, 1952

Atomic-Powered Heating System for Building 1952

This was real, not Fifties fantasy:  a building heated by atomic energy. Appropriately enough, the building, located in Harwell, England, was the center for that nation’s atomic research.  Waste heat from the nicknamed “Bepo,” one of the atomic piles, was diverted to heat the 330,000 cubic foot/80 office building.  The system cost $42,000, but it… Continue reading Atomic-Powered Heating System for Building, 1952