I noted in the post Amazing sun dome you can build! that Dad was an avid reader of several science magazines, including Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, Science and Mechanics, and every other permutation of those titles.
Just home from work, and diving into the latest issue of Popular Mechanics, 1970s
His interest must have started early, because the few early issues I saved from his massive library include an issue of Popular Mechanics from 1928 (when Dad was a mere 9 years old), and a 1931 issue of Modern Mechanics and Inventions. These magazines appealed to Dad's mechanical and inventive mind his entire life.
Dad built shelves for his magazine collection. He was miffed when Popular Science enlarged its size and no longer fit.
Pre- and post-war issues of Mechanix Illustrated
Dad told a tale about reading Mechanix Illustrated in the St. James Public Library. The magazine had a feature page each month to showcase a new tool or device, presented by a scantily-overalled model called "MiMi". At the library one day, wee Myrna spotted this page and announced to all within earshot, "Daddy's reading a dirty book!" Poor Dad would cringe even to remember it.
Dad was not thrown out of the library, thankfully, and continued to visit its periodicals reading room well into his advanced years.
It's fun to look at sample articles and ads in these old issues. Their celebration of science and forecasting of future technology make for some amusing and weird bits. Check out some selected articles, below.
Popular Mechanics, 1928
A real article, honest. I'm not making this up.
I'm going to start calling my car a "road yacht."
Wrong, just wrong.
Fine in the house, but don't try getting on a bus.
The magazine's ads often promised riches beyond your wildest dreams.
Cooking in seconds? Preposterous!
King me!
Modern Mechanics and Inventions, 1931
You would have to be a clown.
"striking and unusual" indeed
We're still waiting for automatic turn signals.
You, too, can charm women with fake money and a nose flute.
Practical if you live in a floodplain.
Removes excess flesh without exercise? I'm in!
"It didn't work, however."
Well, you get the idea. It's easy to see how magazines like this influenced New Yorker illustrator and "retro futurist" Bruce McCall. Popular Science, in particular, is renowned for its fantastic cover art. Take a look at this gallery to admire the remarkable vehicles of the future, often in blazing orange and yellow. Check out Bruce McCall's inspired work in a Ted Talk entitled "Nostalgia for a Future that Never Happened."
