Fantastic Department Store Cutaway, 1950s

Yet another mind-blowing cutaway from master illustrator Frank Soltesz. Few people realize that half of a department store is devoted to areas they never see.  Behind the familiar counter and displays are large areas used for stockrooms and other services that supply the selling floors out front.  there is a fur vault, complete bake shop,… Continue reading Fantastic Department Store Cutaway, 1950s

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

Hand Grenade Cutaway Drawing, 1951

Hand Grenade Cutaway Drawing 1951

Despite its fearsome reputation in TV and movies, a hand grenade is a fairly simple and imprecise killing device: a metal container that contains “filler” (as the cutaway says) segmented so that it will split open in predictable chucks. This cutaway shows what a generic 1950s hand grenade looks like, cut in half. The only difference… Continue reading Hand Grenade Cutaway Drawing, 1951