Let’s face it: sometimes it is hard to get out of bed in the morning. Some of us simply aren’t morning people. There are days when it’s going to take a little extra something to free you from the arms of Morpheus.
When those difficult mornings plague you, be thankful for such visionaries as Samuel S. Applegate. In 1882, he received a patent for a “Device For Waking Persons From Sleep.” We hear you asking, “Isn’t that just an alarm clock?” Oh no. Applegate’s technological breakthrough went well beyond dependence upon sound for wakefulness. He recognized that some of us need a slap in the face before we’ll get out of bed.
U.S. Patent No. 256,265 describes the workings of Applegate’s device. It consists of a set of small blocks made “of light wood, preferably cork” that automatically release and “fall into the sleeper’s face” when the alarm goes off.
The inventor went on to describe what he expected would happen when the blocks hit the sleeper’s face. The patent application notes that the blocks, upon impacting the sleeper’s face, would “cause pain.”
Although Applegate’s preferred material for the blocks was cork, the device allowed for progressively heavier material to be substituted if cork didn’t do the trick. There’s no such thing as hitting the snooze button for a few more minutes of respite after being pelted with a dozen crow bars or, for that matter, spring-loaded bear traps.
We have not, alas, been able to find any of Applegate’s devices for sale. If you are interested in blessing the heavy sleeper in your life as this year’s Christmas gift, you can use the schematics in the patent application to build your own. It is, truly, the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year.
The Surprising Legacy of the Man Who Betrayed Al Capone
In the world of organized crime, there were few more respected and feared than Easy Eddie. His intellect, business savvy, and ruthlessness made him a natural for Chicago’s underworld crime syndicate. Anyone who knew him in those days would have suspected that Easy Eddie’s name would cast a long shadow over the Windy City that…
Keep reading
Learn the Benjamin Franklin Method For Success
Few people have been more successful or better remembered than Benjamin Franklin. During his long life, he made an impact on almost every area of human endeavor. Political science, literature, technology, diplomacy, economics, and philosophy are just a few of the disciplines to which he contributed. It should not be surprising that this remarkable man…
Keep reading
The Man Who Invented the Pringles Can Left This Life In One
An article from The Hob-bee Hive from 2010 lists ten clever uses for Pringles cans. Among the suggestions are using them to store yarn, turning them into coin banks, making them into Christmas ornament containers, and using them to store paint rollers. There is at least one additional use for a Pringles can: a container…
Keep readingCategories: Inventions, Stupidity, Technology
Commonplace Fun Facts 