Unless you’re planning on ordering a $200,000 custom-made Rolls Royce, chances are that you have a limited selection of colors to choose from for your new vehicle. While most of today’s cars are limited to a single color pattern, most automobiles contained a combination of two colors during the ‘50s. They usually had a primary body color and a secondary one for the roof.
In the picture, two Ford executives from Michigan are examining more than 70 of their vehicle’s scale models to see which color palettes look best on them. The chosen models would eventually turn into mass-production cars. Like many automakers, Ford has since ditched the two colors design in favor of a single metallic color for most of their vehicles.
The Arm and Torch of the Statue of Liberty
As we mentioned earlier on, the Statue of Liberty was originally imported from France. Many people don’t know this, but it took several pieces to make it work. This massive statue was designed in parts to be assembled later, as its French designer and metalworker knew that this kind of project couldn’t be done in one go.
The statue's hand lived on top of this building in New York City’s Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1882 before moving on to its current iconic location. This was quite an expensive project to complete, as the actual cost to build the Statue of Liberty was the equivalent of $250,000, or about $6 million when adjusted for inflation.
This 1967 Corvette Stingray Turned Into a Boat Hybrid
The Corvette Stingray has been one of the most admired supercars on the road for a very long time. It represents the best when it comes to speed, aggressive design, and raw engine power. In recent decades, a man chose to turn his ‘67 Stingray into a functional boat hybrid.
He did this by lifting the top off his stingray and putting it on a fiberglass boat bottom. This turned the car into both a supercar and a boat at the same time. Unfortunately, these things don’t always work as well as they look, and it’s usually preferable to have both a car and a boat instead of one that does both.
This Surgeon Kit from the American Civil War
There weren’t many places as terrible to be in between 1861 and 1865 as the United States of America. Roughly 620,000 citizens lost their lives during the Civil War, which primarily centered around the rights of African-Americans and their release from slavery. This figure represents about half of the American casualties of war from the day the nation was founded.
The main firearms used during the Civil War were rifled muskets, while various cutting weapons were also used. Considering that medical technology was much less advanced back then, you can only imagine how terrible things could get on the battlefield. This picture of a fully-stocked medical kit shows just how scarce medical tools were back then, and many lives were lost as a consequence.
This 16th Century Gold Ring Features a Sundial and Compass
If you wanted to know your location during the 20th century, Google Maps wasn’t an option. You had to either use a physical map or politely ask someone for directions. If, however, you wanted to do that before the 20th century, you pretty much had to rely on a sundial and compass.
Getting from place to place before modern times was quite complicated and dangerous. This 16th-century gold ring was created for both style and navigation. It is made of gold and features a sundial and a compass. The ring has a latch that reveals both and was quite the genius invention back when it was first made.