World's Worst Inventions : The Craziest Gadgets and Machines Ever Made

The world is full of bright ideas and creative geniuses, and of fabulous inventions that make life easier. But for every great invention, there is one that is even more wonderful - not for its effectiveness or indeed its usefulness, but for its mere existence. The World's Worst Inventions celebrates the hitherto unrecognised inventions that are remarkable only for their spectacular awfulness. When, for example, would you ever need a pair of glow-in-the-dark sunglasses, a round chessboard or a device that stops your vacuum cleaner from getting dusty? Under what circumstances would you ever want to go swimming with an umbrella or ride a see-saw on your own? Did nobody ever think of the obvious dangers of the helicopter ejector seat or the pocket chainsaw? Featuring 150 devices, each invention is illustrated with full-colour photographs and illustrations, annotated to show particular features worthy of note. Informed (and sometimes affectionate) text brings each invention and its history to life, alongside archive images from the invention's 'heyday'. The World's Worst Inventions pays tribute to the spectacular hopelessness of some of the most creative, yet warped geniuses who have ever lived.