20 life hacks from a century ago

In the late 1880s, cigarette manufacturers began inserting hard cards into paper packages to make them more durable and convenient. A little later, pictures, photos of famous people and pretty girls, grouped into series, began to be printed on these cards. This continued until 1940, and these cards now sell for a lot of money: one of the most expensive ones was sold in 2007 for $2.8 million.

But we are not interested in the age of the pictures, but in the content of some of them. In 1910, Gallaher Ltd in Belfast and London, and a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Co in Ogden, published a How-To series with cool life hacks, from crossing a whitewater stream to how to escape a mad dog. Some of them may still be relevant today.

1. Fire extinguishing agent

Take 500 grams of salt, 250 grams of ammonia and stir in 2 liters of water. Pour this mixture into glass bottles. If a fire breaks out, throw one or more bottles at the source of the fire and the flames will go out.

2. How to get a splinter

Fill a wide-necked bottle with hot water and press your hand firmly into it. The suction force will pull the skin of the hand and pull out the splinter.

3. How to preserve eggs

Immerse the eggs whole in salt to preserve them for a long time. The main thing is that no air gets into the egg.

4. How to cut down a tree

Once you decide which way the tree should fall, cut it on both sides: one higher and one lower, as shown in the picture.

5. How to protect yourself from a mad dog

If a dog attacks you, any objects that can be placed between you and the dog will help: a hat on a cane or the cane itself, located horizontally.

Before biting you, the dog will try to remove the obstacle in the form of a hat or stick, and at this time you will have time to kick it.

6. How to organize watering of plants without your participation

If you are going on vacation, this life hack will be very useful. Weave three to six strands of wool together to create a relatively thick cord.

Place one end of it in a bowl of water located above the level on which the pots with plants are placed, and the other end in the pots with home flora.

7. How to light a match in the wind

To ensure that the match flares up normally in the wind, before lighting it, make small notches on it, as if removing shavings, but not completely.

8. Cross a stormy river

If you have to cross a rapid stream and one or more people in the tour group do not know how to swim, you can use a rope to get them to the other side.

9. How to save a person from electric shock

One person - a good swimmer - swims to the other side with the end of the rope and ties it to the nearest tree. Make a loop from another rope to use as a seat, and use the two ends of the rope to pull the person who cannot cross the river on his own.

If a person grabs a live wire, do not try to help him unless your hands are protected with rubber gloves, a waterproof raincoat, or several layers of dry cloth.

To avoid being electrocuted, stand on a piece of glass or dry wood and only then provide first aid to the victim.

10. How to make a water filter

Take a zinc container, such as a galvanized bucket, with a hole made in the bottom and a small tube installed. Fill a bucket with fine and coarse sand, gravel and pebbles. Water will pass through all layers of the filter, be cleaned and flow out through the tube.

11. How to determine cardinal directions using a clock

If you need to determine the cardinal directions, but you do not have a compass with you, then it is quite possible to do this using a regular watch. To do this, position them so that the hour hand points to the sun. After this, you need to find the angle between the hour hand and 12 o'clock and mentally divide it in half. The line dividing this angle will point south. Please note that before noon the south will be on the right side of the sun, and after noon it will be on the left.

12. How to detect a gas leak

A gas leak is a very dangerous situation that can lead to poisoning or even an explosion. Therefore, everyone should know a simple way to check pipes and connections for damage. It is necessary to apply a soap solution to the suspicious area with any brush and carefully observe it. If you see bubbles appearing, you need to urgently contact your gas service.

13. How to remove a long nail

If you need to pull out a long nail, the easiest way to do this is to place a small block of wood under the tool as a support.

14. How to put the cork back into the bottle

If you've ever tried to cork a bottle, you know that it's not that easy. The base of the cork is usually wider than the neck of the bottle and does not want to fit back into anything. Do not rush to cut the cork with a knife, but simply place it on the floor, press it with the sole of your shoe and move your foot back and forth several times. Obviously, to maintain hygiene, it is better to first wrap the cork in a napkin.

15. How to preserve an expensive vase

Vases dear to your heart have a magical property of attracting children and animals, who strive to smash them. To at least slightly protect your fragile jewelry from damage, pour a little sand into it. This way they will become much more stable, especially for those products that have a narrow bottom and a shape that expands towards the top.

16. How to slice fresh bread

To ensure that fresh bread does not fall apart under the knife, and its pieces remain even, you must first lower the knife into boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then it is advisable to wipe the blade with a napkin, and you can cut the bread.

17. How not to get dirty when painting

When you paint high-lying objects with a brush, sooner or later the paint will still flow down the handle of the brush and further onto your hands and clothes. To prevent this from happening, take a small piece of cardboard and cut a hole in it. Insert the brush firmly and get to work.

18. How to draw an ellipse

Everyone knows how to draw a circle using a thread and a nail. It is no less easy to depict a regular ellipse. You only need one more nail for this.

19. How to separate stuck glasses

If the glasses nested one inside the other are so tightly stuck that you cannot separate them without fear of breaking, then try the contrasting temperatures method. Heat some water in a bowl and place the glasses there so that the water heats only the bottom one. Pour cold water into the top glass or even add some ice. After this, you can easily pull one glass out of the other.

20. How to boil a cracked egg

When boiling an egg with a cracked shell, the whites usually leak out, leading to disastrous results. To prevent this from happening, simply add a little vinegar to the water, which helps the protein coagulate and prevent it from leaking out. The same effect can be achieved with a spoon of salt. This does not affect the taste of the egg.

Yes, today we can easily buy a fire extinguisher, a good gas lighter that does not go out in the wind, and pepper spray for dogs. The problem is that few people care about such “little things” until an emergency happens. Most of the old life hacks come in handy in emergency situations. We can only hope that if something happens you will remember them.