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Gaston Tissandier's 1883 "Swimming Apparatus" gave humans propeller power

Popkin
Feb 04, 2025
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The Swimming Apparatus (public domain)

French scientist and balloonist Gaston Tissandier published this image of a "swimming apparatus" in his book Les Récréations Scientifiques in 1883. The book is full of similarly amusing illustrations of his ideas, experiments and inventions. I wish I could take a ride on this swimming apparatus. I love that it has a…

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