Image of the Day: the 25-cent 'gliding bike' you could buy in 1931

Looking at this hilariously anachronistic
ad for a Glide-O-Bike from 1931, one imagines a whole hell of a lot of
disappointed Depression-era kids. And possibly a few injured ones.














Even the little boys who took the trouble to build one most likely
didn't go on to create their own "airports," as the ad suggests. Instead
of some ET-like fantasy of flying bikes,
probably the best a young "Fellow" could hope for is raising the front
wheel off the ground, thus eliminating that pesky ability to steer.


Reading the full text, it's reassuring to see the fake-testimonial
tactic was as common then as it is in spam mailboxes today. It's the
"dandiest" thing you've ever owned, T. Wendell of Springfield, Mass.?
Really? Not those pants or that driving cap?


Anyone ever ever build one of these or hear of it working?

Looks safe enough.

The Japanese would not have had the chance to bomb Pearl Harbour if the US was equipped with this technology.

"Our 'gliding bikes' will block out the [Japanese rising] sun!"

Lol.