Our Own DevicesBlackleg, also known as Quarter Evil, is a severe necrotizing bacterial infection that commonly afflicts cattle, sheep, and other livestock. This kit, sold by Parke-Davis of Detroit in the 1910s and 20s, was designed to deliver proprietary "blacklegoids" solid vaccine pellets to protect against this disease.
Blacklegoids Veterinary Injectors - Fighting the Quarter EvilOur Own Devices2025-11-20 | Blackleg, also known as Quarter Evil, is a severe necrotizing bacterial infection that commonly afflicts cattle, sheep, and other livestock. This kit, sold by Parke-Davis of Detroit in the 1910s and 20s, was designed to deliver proprietary "blacklegoids" solid vaccine pellets to protect against this disease.
https://www.biddingleiloes.pt/pt/auction/lot/id/33073Reflex Gunsights Part I: Principles & OriginsOur Own Devices2026-03-26 | Originally invented in 1900 for use on small arms, reflector or reflex sights use the principle of light collimation to produce an illuminated reticle that does not move relative to the shooter's sightline, making aiming easier. They were extensively used aboard military aircraft from the 1930s until the 1960s when they were supplanted by Heads Up Displays (HUDs).
GD-16 Gun Camera video: G.S.A.P. Gun Camera video:
TIFO WWI Optics-for-Rubber Trade video:
0:00 Introduction 0:51 The Parallax Problem 2:50 The Grubb Sight 4:18 Early Aircraft Reflex Sights 5:28 Free Gun Sight Mk.III 9:30 Mk.III Variants 10:14 Fixed Gun Sight Mk.II 13:54 Projector Gunsights 14:55 Mk.II Variants 15:30 Other WWII Reflex Sights 16:19 Outro
NOTES: 1. I forgot to mention that the "minutes" disk actually displays hundredths of an hour in order to make calculations easier for the payroll clerk. 2. A viewer pointed out that the large brass disk in the mechanism allows the clock to ring an electric bell to signal start/end of shift, lunch etc. Metal pins were placed in the appropriate hole(s) on the disk in order to strike and close an electric switch.
First introduced in the 1850s, Time Recorders - also known as Time Clocks, Punch Clocks, Clock Card Machines, or "Bundys" - were designed to help employers keep track of their employees hours when working flexible shifts. While dozens of different designs were developed and used over the years, the most common type used individual paper cards given to each employee and stamped with a clock-in and clock-in time at the start and end of each shift. These were later collected by the payroll clerk to calculate hours worked during each pay period.
0:00 Intro 1:41 Hungry Minds Sponsorship 3:37 Time Recorder Evolution 7:06 Watch Clocks 7:45 Market Consolidation 8:33 Simplex History 9:18 Simplex TCF Overview 10:51 Telechron Motors 12:39 Stamping Wheel System 13:40 Stamping System 14:17 Outro
SOURCES
workclocks.co.uk/types web.archive.org/web/20041228010554/http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/cc/cc_room.html antiquetimeclocks.com/manufacturers/simplex.html https://www.bobshop.co.za/a-superb-rare-vintage-c1950s-usa-made-electric-simplex-time-recorder-model-tcf10r4-clock-working/p/237333036?srsltid=AfmBOooYcCPfgKNNX_h3Sl4itU7cNnnGic2dF3-Yc11UqydIRR_16EJtSHORT: Doctors WatchesOur Own Devices2026-03-12 | First introduced in the late 1920s, Doctor's Watches were a once-popular subcategory of timepiece designed to help doctors and nurses more accurately measure a patient's pulse. In the 1930s and 40s, they were as recognizable a badge of the medical profession as a stethoscope. While the traditional rectangular form is rarely seen today, more sophisticated forms of doctors' watches known as a Pulsometers are still in widespread use.
thejewelleryeditor.com/watches/article/doctors-watches-revival-pulsometer-pulsographMansfields Patent Water Finder: a Well-Crafted HoaxOur Own Devices2026-03-09 | Patented in 1909 by Walter Mansfield and sold by W. Mansfield & Co. of Liverpool, the Patent Water Finder was, as the name implies, designed to locate subterranean sources of water and oil. However, like every other device in the history of dowsing or "water witching", it was based on unsound pseudoscientific principles and did not work as intended.
0:00 Introduction 1:09 Dr. Bransford Lewis 1:30 Cystoscopy: Early History 3:11 French Gauge / Male and Female Models 4:06 Pain Management 4:43 Compound / Fixed Lens 4:57 Air and Water Inflation 5:37 Illumination Systems 7:21 Accessories 8:18 Ureteral Catheterization 9:57 Misc. Accessories 10:32 Outro
Making its first flight in 1949, the Avro Canada Ltd. C102 Jetliner was only the second purpose-built commercial jet transport to fly (after the de Havilland Comet) and the first designed for the short-to-medium range regional market. A decade ahead of its closest competitors and loved by all who flew in it, the Jetliner seemed poised to dominate the North American aviation market. Tragically, however, due to industry conservatism, government interference, and other factors, the project was soon cancelled and the sole prototype cut up for scrap.Mystery Object #10 ANSWEROur Own Devices2026-02-26 | Yesterday I showed you an object I discovered at an outdoor shooting range, which I initially assumed to be a shotgun shell or flare cartridge.
In reality, this is a Federal Firestick, a blank cartridge designed for use with the Traditions Nitrofire in-line muzzleloading rifle. This system addresses most of the inherent shortcomings of muzzleloading firearms while still meeting the technical definition of "muzzleloader" for use during so-called "primitive" hunting seasons.
And if you ever find your YouTube account hacked, unfortunately the only way of contacting Team YouTube is through X / Twitter. They will link you to a recovery page that will ask you a bunch of questions (e.g. what was the last video you uploaded etc.) and hopefully confirm your identity.Fisher Count-O-Scope: Mid-Century RadnessOur Own Devices2026-02-08 | Introduced in 1955 by Fisher Research Laboratories of Palo Alto, California, the Count-O-Scope was a beta/gamma Geiger counter designed for performing radiometric grid surveys. It used a Victoreen 1B85 detector tube and incorporated a linear rate meter and mechanical scaler (counter) to automatically count the number of particles detected within a 30 or 60 second period.
0:00 Introduction 0:53 History of Fisher Labs 3:08 Early Fisher M-Scopes 6:56 Case and Accessories 8:40 Victoreen 1B85 Detector Tube 10:05 Controls and Readouts 11:45 Batteries 12:34 Circuit Analysis 16:18 Later Fisher Lab History 17:24 Outro
nov.com/products-and-services/brands/md-totcoOtt Compensating Planimeter: Hot Integrals in Your AreaOur Own Devices2026-01-31 | Invented in the early 19th century, Planimeters are used to measure the area of irregular two-dimensional shapes such as regions on maps or cross-sections in engineering drawings. The mathematics behind their operation are extremely clever, relying on an elegant application of the Difference of Areas Theorem / Green's Theorem.
0:00 Intro 1:16 Early Planimeters 1:49 Hermann Planimeter 2:51 Rolling Sphere Planimeters 3:29 Ball-and-Disk Integrators 4:38 Amsler Planimeter 5:26 Ott Planimeter: Overview 7:06 Ott Planimeter: Use 7:34 Mathematical Principles 10:43 Ott Planimeter: Accessories 11:48 Other Planimeters 12:10 Outro
http://www.mathinstruments.ch/pdf/amsler_ca1928_instructions_for_amslers_planimeter.pdfKukri: Blade of the GurkhasOur Own Devices2026-01-23 | Among the most famous fighting knives of all time, the Kukri originated in Northern India and Nepal and is most closely associated with the legendary Gurkha units of the Nepalese, Indian, and British armies. But beyond its use in combat, the Kukri is also a general-purpose tool of great everyday utility and cultural significance across the subcontinent and the world.
0:00 Intro 1:07 Brief History of the Gurkhas 2:36 Kukri Origins 3:05 Design 3:26 Manufacture 4:06 Variations 5:05 Fuller Myths 5:29 Kukri Parts 8:30 The “Draw Blood” Myth 9:23 Ceremonial Use 10:07 Combat Use 11:13 Outro
The Bon Zoe Company of Winnipeg, Manitoba operated from c. the 1930s to the 1970s and was best-known for its proprietary brand of skin ointment. It also distributed various medical supplies and First Aid Kits.
Carousel Dissolve Control video: youtu.be/3E4bvyp-7lECiné-Kodak Model B: The Dawn of Home MoviesOur Own Devices2025-12-22 | Launched in 1923, the Ciné-Kodak brand was designed to bring filmmaking to the masses, offering a line of compact and (relatively) affordable home movie cameras, projectors, and other accessories in the then-new 16mm (and later 8mm) film format.
0:00 Introduction 1:09 16mm Film 2:42 Ciné-Kodak Model A 4:27 Model B 4:59 Upper Surface 5:53 Lenses 6:56 Right Side 7:26 Feed System 8:05 Loading Process Pt.1 9:39 Film Gate 10:32 Loading Process Pt. 2 11:57 Operation 12:08 Safety Systems 12:37 Later Models 15:30 Accessories 16:17 Outro
Introduced in 1873 by English inventor Hiram Codd, Codd-Neck or Globe-Stoppered bottles were among the first bottle designs to allow mineral water and other carbonated beverages to be widely distributed in bottled form. A secure seal was achieved using a glass marble forced by internal pressure against an internal rubber o-ring. Due to the introduction of cheaper sealing systems like "crown corks" (AKA bottle caps), Codd-Neck bottles are otherwise rarely seen today outside of Japan and India.
0:00 Introduction 0:43 NordVPN Integration 2:29 Early Soda History 3:13 The Bottling Problem 3:46 Hamilton and Other Early Bottles 4:32 Hiram Codd 5:17 Codd Bottle Design and Function 7:56 Vintage Bottles 9:28 Rubber Stoppered Bottles 10:10 Flip-Top Closures 10:36 Codd Company History 12:34 Crown Corks 15:18 Japanese Ramune 18:11 Indian Banta / Goli Soda 20:10 Codd Bottle Trivia 21:18 Outro
0:00 Introduction 1:15 Soda Water Prehistory 2:06 Early Soda Syphons 3:32 Soda Fountains 4:27 Sparklets Model D 5:56 Sparklets Bulbs 7:53 Unusual Sparklets Applications 10:30 Kovocas Merkuria 11:06 Gasogenes 11:34 Decline of Syphons 12:29 Outro
keithwright.ca/Thorens/Thorenspage.htmlSHORT: U.S. Army Target LightOur Own Devices2025-11-17 | Entering service with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s, the "Light, Target, Surveying, Self-Illuminated, With Carrying Case, For Use With Range Pole" was designed for setting up artillery batteries and conducting other triangular surveying work in low-visibility conditions. Though largely superseded by laser and GPS-based systems, such analog technologies are still carried by artillery batteries for backup purposes.
https://www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/amd-us-archive/FM6-2(65).pdfSHORT: WWII Hawaii Overprint BillOur Own Devices2025-11-14 | Fearing an imminent Japanese invasion of Hawaii following Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Treasury replaced all currency on the islands with over $400 million in specially-overprinted bills which, if captured, could immediately be declared worthless. The feared attack never materialized, and after the war around half the overprinted bills were incinerated. The other half, however, survived and remain readily available on the collectors' market.
https://kealakai.byuh.edu/u-s-stamps-hawaii-on-dollar-bills-after-pearl-harbor-attackNV 5151 Drivers Goggles: a Night Vision Missing LinkOur Own Devices2025-11-11 | Developed from American SU-49/50 goggles, the NV-5151 was adopted by the Israeli Defense Forces around the 1970s/80s. A generation 0/1 device requiring active infrared illumination to operate, it was designed to allow vehicles to be driven at night using IR headlights.
February 1942. In the darkest depths of the Second World War, a Winnipeg businessman hatches a brilliant scheme to sell Victory Loans and supercharge the flagging Canadian War Effort: stage a fake Nazi invasion of the city. What could possibly go wrong? An absurd and timely comedy of errors inspired by true historical events.
'If Day' was first performed at the 2025 Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival and filmed thanks to a generous grant from Veterans Affairs Canada.
*NOTE: credits had to be removed due to copyrighted music.
Written by Gilles Messier & Jess Morgan
Directed by Gilles Messier & Brian Langlotz
Produced by Bill Zuk
Johnny Loewen: Andreas Detillieux Isaac Loewen: Ken Stone Esther "Essie" Schwartz: Krista Austin Sophie Schwartz: Lisa Bryski John Perrin: Khald Nuristani Kenny Baker: Ena Ferrino Max Moritz: Élie Tardiff Breen The Major / Johnny Canuck / Narrator: Stéphane Normandeau Henry White: Stephen Gatphoh John Smith: Vance Halldorson German Soldier / Newspaper Vendor: Gilles Messier
Cinematography / Editor: Brad Crawford
Camera Operator: Landon Lake
Production Sound: Joel Mireau
Stage Lighting: Max Mummery
Production Assistant: Alora KempthornArmalite AR-7: the Survival Rifle EvolvesOur Own Devices2025-10-30 | Made famous by early James Bond movies like From Russia With Love, the Armalite AR-7 was developed in the late 1950s as an aircrew survival weapon and a handy, portable rifle for hikers, fishers, boaters, pilots, and other outdoor enthusiasts. Though plagued by reliability issues throughout its long history, it continues to be produced to this day.
0:00 Intro 0:55 Early Survival Rifles 2:05 M4 Survival Rifle 2:21 M6 Survival Weapon 2:55 Armalite 4:23 AR-5 6:05 AR-7 Origins 6:22 Assembly 8:50 Markings 9:39 Early AR-7 History 10:21 James Bond 11:40 Variants and Aftermarket Parts 12:22 Charter Arms 12:51 Explorer II Pistol 14:18 Survival Arms and Henry 14:35 Reliability Issues 16:47 Shooting 18:30 Henry Improvements 19:49 Israeli Survival Rifle 20:09 Outro
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1071544SHORT: Gescha Junior Model 3 Toy TypewriterOur Own Devices2025-10-19 | Manufactured by German toy manufacturer Gebruder Schmidt Nürnberg (AKA GSN or Gescha), the Junior was a remarkably sophisticated toy typewriter, featuring sturdy stamped-steel construction, ribbon typing, and upper/lowercase capability. Widely exported across Europe and to North America, various versions were manufactured and sold between 1936 and 1965.
https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/42630Blasting Machines: Not Just for Wile E. CoyoteOur Own Devices2025-10-12 | While commonly associated in pop culture with the likes of the Looney Tunes, Blasting Machines are practical tools which have been used in mining, construction, and many other industries for over a century and a half. In this video, we look at three different models of blasting machines:
-Dominion Electrical Works plunger machine (c.1930s) -Exploders Dynamo Mk.VII (1940s-50s) -Exploder Dynamo-Condenser Mk.II/III (1950s/60s)
patents.google.com/patent/US436023A/enFord Model T Ignition Coil: a Spark of GeniusOur Own Devices2025-10-03 | [ERRATUM: I accidentally misspoke and stated that the "D" in DELCO stood for DETROIT rather than DAYTON]
Early Ford vehicles from the Model A (1903) through the Model T (1908-1927) used an electrical ignition system based on "trembler" coils, high-voltage, high-frequency transformers adapted from the classic induction or Ruhmkorff coil. But while effective, this system struggled to achieve accurate ignition timing and was eventually replaced by the more reliable DELCO ignition coil system.
0:00 Introduction 0:46 Non-Electrical Ignition 1:55 Ford Make-and-Break System 3:22 Trembler Coil Overview 4:11 Induction Coil Theory 7:17 Commutator/Distributor 7:52 Trembler Coil Box 8:24 Electrical System Evolution 9:57 Trembler Coil Shortcomings 11:07 Master-Slave Coil Systems 11:28 Joseph Williams Improvements 12:36 DELCO Ignition System 14:27 Other Ignition System 15:28 Ford Trembler Coil Evolution 19:15 Outro
0:00 Introduction 2:00 Classic VASI 3:09 T-VASI 3:36 Other VASI Styles 4:33 PAPI 5:34 VASI Unit Setup 7:47 External Controls 8:39 Projector Disassembly 9:12 Base Disassembly 9:38 Outro
pilotinstitute.com/vasi-vs-papi-differencesPVS-502: Gen 2 Night Vision for CanadaOur Own Devices2025-09-18 | Originally developed for the civilian market as the Varo 9823E Hyper-Miniscope, the PVS-502 was a Generation 2 passive ‘Starlight’ scope officially adopted by the Canadian Armed Forces in 1976. Initially issued with adaptors for mounting on the C1, C2, and C3 7.62x51mm NATO rifles and the 84mm Carl Gustav recoilless rifle, the PVS-502 was later used as a handheld monocular before being retired sometime in the 1990s.
Metascope video:
AN/PVS-2 video:
0:00 Introduction 1:00 NVG Generations Summary 2:31 Carrying Case 2:58 Objective Assembly 3:46 Intensifier Tube 4:09 Battery Compartment 4:40 Ocular Assembly 5:01 Weapons Mounts 5:25 C1 Mount Installation 6:31 Reticle 7:16 Replacement 7:38 OutroSHORT: VSh-1 Vetrochet Course CorrectorOur Own Devices2025-09-15 | Invented by B.V. Sterligov in 1927, the VSh-1 was a simple course corrector / wind drift calculator used by Soviet pilots for over 50 years.
http://www.flight-computer.de/Air-Navigation-Computers.pdfSimplex: the Plankton of TypewritersOur Own Devices2025-09-12 | Invented in the 1890s, dial typewriters were originally intended as an inexpensive (albeit inconvenient to use) alternative to proper keyboard typewriters, but later repurposed into popular children's toys that were sold well into the 1950s.
0:00 Introduction 0:52 Early Typewriters 1:52 Herrington Typewriter 3:07 Origins of Simplex 4:00 Simplex Special No.1 6:00 Transition to Toys 6:30 Simplex Special Demonstrated A 7:26 Louis Marx & Co. 9:07 Marx Dial Typewriter 10:40 Outro
oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history-cxvi.htmlMystery Object #9 ANSWEROur Own Devices2025-09-03 | Yesterday, I showed you a small metal box with a cocking lever and trigger button which, when depressed, releases a set of ten sharp, semi-circular blades. As I hope most of you guessed, this is a scarificator, a device invented in the early 18th Century to perform the procedure of bloodletting, tied to the defunct four humours theory of medicine.
http://www.collection-appareils.fr/visionneuses/html/visio.phpTefifon: West Germanys Weird 1950s Audio FormatOur Own Devices2025-08-18 | Developed in 1936 but not commercialized until 1950, the Tefifon was a unique German audio format that used cartridges filled with long flexible plastic tapes scribed with single continuous audio tracks. Though capable of recording up to four hours of high-quality audio, Tefifon could not compete with more conventional, established audio formats and, while briefly popular in West Germany in the 1950s and 60s, never caught on elsewhere and eventually disappeared from the market.
https://www.radio-bastler.de/forum/index.php?thread/19213-totalrestaurierung-tefifon-hs-teil-1/Fiestaware: Uranium in the CupboardOur Own Devices2025-08-08 | Prior to the discovery of nuclear fission in the late 1930s, Uranium was largely a byproduct of Silver and Radium extraction, used mainly as a cheap colouring agent for glass and ceramic glazes. And perhaps the most famous commercial product to use uranium glaze was Fiestaware, a colourful and highly popular line of dinnerware introduced in 1936 by the Homer Laughlin China Company of Newell, West Virginia and still produced to this day.
0:00 Introduction 0:55 Early Uses of Uranium 1:28 Pitchblende 2:25 Discovery of Uranium 3:13 Uranium Yellowcake 5:43 The Radium Boom 7:35 Fiestaware Origins 8:44 Fiestaware Red-Orange 9:03 Other Uranium Glazes 10:42 Plant Tuscan China 11:26 Discovery of Fission 12:25 Depleted Uranium 13:08 Later Fiestaware History 15:00 Radioactive Hazard 16:37 Outro
http://www.flight-computer.de/Air-Navigation-Computers.pdfLecture: Canada and Nuclear Weapons 1963-1984Our Own Devices2025-07-01 | [NOTE: at 6:20 I state that the Mount Kologet B-36 crash took place on February 15, 1950 and 4 crew died. It actually took place on the morning of February 14 and 5 men died: one in the aircraft and four after parachuting into the sea.]
Happy Canada Day, everyone!
While the True North Strong and Free is not typically associated with weapons of mass destruction, for 20 years during the Cold War, Canada was a nominal nuclear-armed power, deploying four different nuclear weapons systems as part of its commitments to NORAD and NATO. However, these weapons were not technically owned by Canada, remaining under American custody under a ‘key sharing’ agreement until released to Canadian personnel in time of war.
Lecture delivered to the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) in Winnipeg on June 26, 2025.
0:00 Introduction 1:50 Canada and he Manhattan Project 5:04 American Nukes on Canadian Soil 8:26 NORAD / NATO Before Nuclear Weapons 10:32 The Decision to Acquire Nuclear Weapons 15:18 Boeing CIM-10 BOMARC 23:09 Canadair CF-104 Starfighter 28:16 Douglas MGR-1 Honest John 31:37 Douglas AIR-2 Genie 35:23 Political Opposition 37:09 Operational Issues 42:36 End of an Era / Outro
SOURCES:
Clearwater, John, Canadian Nuclear Weapons, Dundurn Press, Toronto, 1998
Canada's Cruise Missile Testing Controversy of 1983, CBC, July 15, 2018, cbc.ca/archives/canada-s-cruise-missile-testing-controversy-of-1983-1.4744435Trinitite: Dawn of the Atomic AgeOur Own Devices2025-06-29 | [NOTE: at 8:39 I state that Co-60 in Trinitite was formed by neutron activation of Co-59 in steel components. Another, more likely pathway is the neutron activation of Fe-58 in steel into Fe-59, which decays via beta emission into Co-60 with a half-life of 44.5 days.]
Trinitite is glass formed from sand melted by nuclear explosions - particularly the very first, the Trinity Test, detonated near Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945. A diverse mineral found in many forms and colours and containing a witch's brew of radioisotopes, the composition of Trinitite reveals much about the chemistry, physics, and engineering pioneered by the Manhattan Project.
0:00 Introduction 1:02 Trinity Yield Analysis 1:57 Sampling Sherman Tanks 3:28 Ground Zero 4:27 Naming Trinitite 5:00 Forms of Trinitite 5:36 Mineralogy of Trinitite 6:24 Trinitite Formation Theories 7:27 Trinitite Colours 7:56 Trinitite Trace Elements 9:01 Authenticating Trinitite 10:11 Safety of Trinitite 11:00 Politics of Trinitite 11:49 Collecting Trinitite 12:40 Outro
0:00 0:23 Snell’s Law 0:52 Refractometer Theory 1:43 Refractometer History 3:57 Traditional Handheld Refractometer 5:38 Usage Procedure 6:33 Other Applications 7:55 Outro
patents.google.com/patent/EP1832873A1/en?q=(carbon+monoxide)&assignee=kidde&oq=kidde+carbon+monoxide&page=2Nixie tubes: the OG Digital DisplayOur Own Devices2025-05-26 | Introduced by the Burroughs Corporation in the mid-1950s, Nixie tubes were cold-cathode numerical displays used in various devices including scientific instruments and stock tickers through the 1970s, when they were largely replaced in the West by more sophisticated and cost-effective display technologies. However, they remained in production in the Soviet Union until its collapse in the early 1990s, and have recently experienced a surge of popularity among electronic hobbyists for their unique retro aesthetics.