Retro-Tech

Arcane transport systems, pneumatic tubes, steam engines, zeppelins, wooden submarines, antikythera mechanisms, phantasmagorias, and any other amazing and now outmoded peice of technology belongs here.

Mayor Weigh-In

17th-century tradition of public weighing is met with boos or cheers depending on the Mayor's weight

Although public officials are met with far less rotten fruit and tomatoes, the annual Mayor Weigh-In in High Wycombe, England still draws a crowd ready to boo an increase in the mayor's weight.... »

Retro-Tech, Cultures and Civilizations , Rites and Rituals | Edited by atimian and Seth Teicher

Soudan Underground Mine State Park

Minnesota's oldest and deepest mine is now an underground physics laboratory

Cutting 2,341 feet into the earth, Soudan Underground Mine is the deepest mine in Minnesota, and one of the only mines in the world that also plays host to a physics laboratory. Opened in 1882... »

Instruments of Science, Retro-Tech, Subterranean Sites | Edited by atimian and HJHausman

Kings County, New York, US

Floyd Bennett Field

Home of aviation trailblazers

Named after the first person to fly over the North Pole (and Brooklyn resident), Floyd Bennett, the field was New York City’s first local airport. Opened in 1931, it quickly became a hub for... »

Natural Wonders, Museums and Collections, Instruments of Science, Marvelous Maps and Measures, Retro-Tech | Edited by HJHausman

Remnants of the Paris Guillotine

Indents in the pavement are all that remain from a grisly death machine in Paris

Blissfully unaware of the history of Paris, one might simply trip over these five indents in the street without realizing they were once the foundation for a guillotine that carried out executions... »

Memento Mori, Retro-Tech | Edited by serflac and atimian

Peasholm Park's Naval Battles

80 years of the Battle of Peasholm on a small English lake

Opened originally on the grounds of a medieval manor house, Peasholm Park in North Yorkshire is everything but a conventional English park. Each year during the summer months in Scarborough,... »

Retro-Tech, Wondrous Performances | Edited by jademontserrat and atimian

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, US

Johnstown Inclined Plane

Steepest flood safety railway in the entire world

Synonymous with Johnstown and its great floods, is the Johnstown Inclined Plane. Constructed as a "lifesaver" after the Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889, the Incline has more than lived up to its... »

Retro-Tech | Edited by yamsaynot and atimian

Staatlicher Kremlpalast, Russia

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum

A lot of arcades have their own special tokens for their games. But few have Soviet-era Kopek coins complete with a hammer and sickle signifying their connection to communism. Preserved by a... »

Retro-Tech | Edited by Dampo and atimian

Drottningholms Slottsteater

18th century opera in its original splendor

Drottningholms Slottsteater, or the Royal Theater of Drottningholm, was built in 1766 and is one of the oldest preserved opera houses in the world. But it's not just a relic collecting dust, or an... »

Musical Wonders, Retro-Tech | Edited by atimian

Dendera Light

Ancient Egyptian relief, claimed to depict an electrical light

The Dendera Light is a depiction on a stone relief at the Hathor Temple, located at the Upper Egyptian temple complex of Dendera. It has been a major source of controversy in Egyptian history,... »

Retro-Tech, Cultures and Civilizations | Edited by Tawsam, atimian and others

Rainbow Bridge

Nova reconstruction of the bridge that baffled engineers for years

Considered one of the most famous works in the history of China, the Qingming Scroll depicts a festival during the Song Dynasty. Zhang Zeduan, a court painter, created the scroll in the 12th... »

Retro-Tech, Outsider Architecture | Edited by serflac and atimian