EE January 1920 issue cover
Toronto. Over the years, any significant scientific discovery was soon promoted as a nostrum for curing any long-term illness without recourse to the nasty demands of scientific proof. Electricity, Radiation, Atomic Energy, etc. The list goes on including most recently “cures” for Covid-19 from the US President down. But other non-medical uses were touted, often ones very innovative for the time.
In 1920, a popular American magazine was called “Electrical Experimenter“. Its editor was Hugo Gernsback. While mainly devoted to radio (wireless) and electricity, amongst the January 1920 articles was a photographic piece on page 904 showing how the relatively new electric lighting could be used to contact print indoors. Space between the light bulb and printing frame could allow a degree of dodging and burning if needed. I am surprised that the DPST (double-pole, single throw) knife switch under the shelf didn’t accidentally electrocute the photographer!
NB. The post title comes from Eddie Grant’s 1982 protest song of the same name sang by him in this 2006 upload to YouTube (this tune has a very low res video). As a youth, I read Gernsback’s Radio News and occasionally Science and Mechanics for many years. A tip of the hat and a big thanks to good friend George Dunbar for sharing his research with me.
