9. The Alarm Clock That Slapped You
In the 1880s, one “brilliant” mind decided bells were too gentle. So they built a clock with a rubber arm that literally slapped your face until you woke up. The mechanism wound up like a toy and repeatedly struck the sleeper’s cheek every five seconds until manually disarmed.
Some users woke up so violently they fell out of bed. Others broke the machine mid-slap. Despite its assaulty nature, it gained cult popularity. Victorian ads claimed it was “guaranteed to awaken even the laziest man.” That’s probably because he feared for his safety.
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