More Awesome 100-Year-Old Life Hacks You Need To Try
By: Toni Tails
Tags: Humor, Creativity, Productivity, Life, History

The term “life hacks” may be new, but people have always loved short-cuts that make everyday tasks a little easier. In the early 1900s, British cigarette company Gallaher began printing life hacks on the cardboard stiffeners inserted in paper cigarette packages. While some of the life hacks don’t stand the test of time, most of them are still surprisingly good a hundred years later.

A life hack is any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life. — Wikipedia

Corky’s Revenge

Don’t you hate when those pesky corks don’t let you shove them in the bottle like good little stoppers? You may try trimming the corks, but you’ll also get cork dandruff in your wine, and that’s no good for anyone! Instead, roll those suckers under your shoe! Sure your chardonnay will taste like a foot, but at least it will stay fresh! Who the heck wants moldy, old wine anyway?

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

It may happen that the cork is slightly too large for the bottle you wish to fit. Do not pare cork down with a knife; a better method is shown in the picture above. Roll cork under the sole of the foot, exerting steady pressure. This will be found to reduce the size of the cork without injuring the smooth surface. — Gallaher LTD

A Grain of Salt

Got mucus clogged up your snout? We’ve got your cure right here. Just grab your salt shaker, lean back, and snort away! Do it every day to keep those pipes clog-free! Don’t worry about the strange looks you’ll get at restaurants. Tell them Gallaher sent you, and all will be well.

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

Take a pinch of ordinary table salt up the nostrils just as you would a pinch of snuff. Then gargle the mouth and throat with warm water — being careful not to swallow it. Do this each morning before breakfast. — Gallaher LTD.

Lung Power

If there’s one thing a cigarette company can help you improve, that’s your lung power! Just stand on your feet balls — wait — that doesn’t sound right. Just stand on your tippy-toes, lean way back, and inhale until your lungs are full of air. If you start coughing up blood — you’re doing it right!

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

Stand erect on the balls of the feet, and with head held well back. Then inhale deeply until the lungs are fully inflated, gradually exhale, falling the chest to sink first — followed by the lungs. Repeat exercise several times, both morning and evening. — Gallaher LTD

Huff, Puff, and Blow Down

This hack will be sure to impress that cutie you’ve been eyeing. Next time you go to a party, bring a brick and paper bag. Lay the brick on the table and dare anyone to blow it down like the little piggy they are. When they are done huffing and puffing, make them feel sheepish by sticking a paper bag under the brick and blowing into it. That brick will fall right over, and that cutie I mentioned earlier is sure to laud you a hero. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Big Bad Wolf!

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

… Take a paper bag and stand the brick upon it. Now gather up the mouth of the bag and blow into it a good puff of air: the brick will be easily overturned. — Gallaher LTD

Get Some Tail

Are you looking for some fresh tail? Here’s how to find it. If you’re buying a boiled lobster at the lobster store, tell them you need to check it for freshness. Then lay that bad boy out and give the tail a pull! If it snaps back — fantastic! It’s time to get your lobster on! If the tail slowly curls back into place — you may have gone into a parallel universe where everything moves in slow motion or — that is some rank, old lobster! Please don’t buy it!

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

If, when buying a lobster, you are in doubt as to its freshness, just pull back the tail, then suddenly release it; if the tail flies back with a snap, the lobster is quite fresh, but if it goes back slowly, you may be pretty sure the lobster has been boiled and kept for some days. — Gallaher LTD

Secure Your Nuts

No, really. That’s what this life hack is all about. The card below explains how to keep these bad boys secure. There’s something about sticking pins in a nut and boring holes — none of that matters, though. The most important thing is that I get to say securing nuts.

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

Nuts can be made more secure by having a bent pin put through a hole bored into the bolt. The nut should be as “tight” as possible before the pin is inserted. Sometimes it will be found necessary to have the hole bored right through the nut as well as the bolt. — Gallaher LTD

Dirty White Hat

We all know how inconvenient a dirty white straw hat can be — especially when everyone is looking down their noses from beneath their glistening, pure-as-the-fresh-driven-snow — straw hats. Well, worry no more! All you have to do is brush it, rub a lemon on it, brush it again, and put some gum on it. Easy peasy! Now you can stay stylish and looking fly.

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

The hat should be well brushed to remove any loose dust, and then rubbed with half a lemon. This will clean the straw in a surprising fashion. Finish off with a glaze of clean gum and carefully brushed all over, your hat will look like a new one. — Gallaher LTD

Foggy Specs

Tired of those steamy glasses blocking your view? I’ve got some good news for you! All you have to do is soap those suckers up and give them a good rub-down. Make sure you don’t try this with liquid soap. It doesn’t have quite the same effect. That reminds me, I need to call my eye doctor.

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

… if the glasses are daily rubbed with soap and well polished afterward, a very thin invisible film of soap remains, which has the effect of preventing condensation of moisture on the glasses. — Gallaher LTD

Damp Beds

If you frequent strange beds, then this is the life hack for you! Never leave home without your trusty hand mirror. Just stick it between the sheets and see if it gets fogged up. If so, that is one soggy bed you have there. Run for the hills! Be sure to take a break at some point and sanitize that mirror.

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

In order to detect dampness in a strange bed and so be warned of danger, a small hand mirror should be slipped between the sheets and left for a few minutes. Any mistiness or blurred appearance of the mirror’s surface when withdrawn is an indication of dampness, and the bed should not be slept in. — Gallaher LTD

One More Life Quack — I mean, Hack

Ever wanted to draw a duck without taking your pencil away from the paper? That’s a silly question — we’ve all wished for that at some point in our life. Well, this is your lucky day, friend. Just follow the diagram below, and you will impress everyone with your exceptional artistic and pencil-not-leaving-paper skills!

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

These life hacks are a lot of fun, and there are hundreds of them. Be sure to check out the NY Public Library’s digital collection when you get a chance. I think these vintage life hacks could give 5-Minute Crafts a run for their money!

Even More Century-Old Life Hacks!

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

The New York Public Library/George Arents Collection

Want to see even more? Your wish is my command!