Not every Victorian invention, or proposed invention, was a work of genius destined to be enjoyed well into our own lifetimes. Victorian inventors came up with a host of bizarre ideas, some of which actually got built but most of which (thankfully) never made it past the patent office. It was a period of lavish predictions as to what the future would hold. And it was also a period of some really bad ideas - such as the idea of pouring oil onto the ocean to "calm the waves," or suggestions on how to turn the Sahara desert into a sea that would enable ships to penetrate the heart of Africa. This section looks at wacky Victorian inventions, predictions that didn't quite hit the mark, and proposals that, thankfully, never became reality.

Bringing the Sea to London (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1876)

A curious proposal to bring large reservoirs of salt water into London to provide improved drainage, street-cleaning, and street moistening in hot weather.

The Flooding of the Sahara (Scribners, 1879B)

"The proposal on the part of English and French engineers to flood the great desert with the waters of the ocean and of the Mediterranean, and transform its waste into a watery highway for the commerce of the nations, at first impresses us as visionary and impracticable. A thorough examination of the subject, however, has led some of the most eminent scientists to quite a different conclusion."

Piercing the American Isthmus (Scribners, 1879B)

Proposals for a Nicaragua Canal.

The Search After Perpetual Motion, by Prof. W. Steadman Aldis (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1881)

How the Stormy Waves Were Conquered, by C.F. Gordon Cumming (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883)

The use of oil to calm stormy waters. All in all, probably not a good idea...

The Use of Oil to Still the Waves, by W.H. Beehler (Century Magazine, 1889A)

The Irrigable Lands of the Arid Region, by Major J.W. Powell (Century Magazine, 1890A)

Schemes to irrigate the "arid lands" of the American West.

Inventions Overdue, by Arnold White (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

Much has been invented, this author notes, but there is still room for more - he eagerly awaits such inventions as instantaneous transportation, the harvesting of volcanic energy for home heating, noiseless pavements, and... colour photography! (Well, at least he wouldn't have been completely disappointed!)

The Conquest of Arid America, by William E. Smythe (Century Magazine, 1895B)

Efforts to make the "voiceless dessert... Blossom with the homes of men."

Cablegrams for the Million, by J. Henniker Heaton, MP (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1896)

A look at telegraph technologies of the day, with predictions of what this might lead to in the future.

Ways and Means in Arid America, by William E. Smythe (Century Magazine, 1896A)

Irrigation and reclamation projects in the "arid areas" of the country.

A Steamer on Wheels, by James Walter Smith

A French "roller-boat" for crossing the Channel. (The Strand, 1896B)

The Pleasure Telephone, by Arthur Mee (The Strand, 1898B)

Imagine being able to receive news, entertainment, music, sports events, and sermons broadcast over a telephone! Oh, wait... Actually, this was a prediction that would have to wait until the 20th century and the radio to "come true" - and then wait for the cell phone of the 21st century to come back around to "the pleasure telephone" once again.

Liquid Air, by Ray Stannard Baker (The Strand, 1899A)

Subtitled "A new substance that promises to do the work of coal and ice and gunpowder, at next to no cost."

Science in the New Century: What Will be Its Greatest Achievement? by Frederick Dolman (Strand, 1901A)

Sir Norman Lockyerpredicts that monitoring sunspots will enable the forecasting of famines in India and droughts in Australia. Sir John Wolfe Barry believes it will be useful to establish moving walkways along major thoroughfares to reduce traffic congestion. Mr. Swan doubts that electricity will ever have much application in cleaning windows or scrubbing floors. M. Berthelot imagines a day when everyone take their nutrition in the form of small tablets. And at least one doctor believes that man may soon be able to live forever!