In the age of the Internet, human life is easier than ever before. Back in the 1910s you obviously couldn’t search online. Gallaher’s Cigarettes addressed this need to make life easier with handy life hacks printed on cards that were tucked inside their packs. We found this collection from ‘The New York Public Library’s Collection’, which was recently digitized and uploaded to their website.
Here’s an assortment of some of the most useful life hacks that are relevant even today. You can thank us later!
10 DIY Fire Extinguisher:
Mix a pound of salt and half pound of sal-ammoniac in two quarts of water. Store it in this glass bottles. In case of a fire, throw these into the flames. This can possibly avert a disaster.
9 Extract a Splinter:
Tweezers are painful. Fill a wide mouthed bottle with hot water. Press the affected area against the mouth of the bottle. The suction would make the bottle stick as the steam extracts the splinter. Hickey’s trick, really. Amazing!
8 Water your plants while away:
Fill a bucket with water and place it a bit higher than the plants. Loosely tie few strands of wool together. Tie the ends to a weight and let it sink to the bottom of the bucket. Rest the other ends on the soil. The water will soak through the wool and water your plants.
7 Light a match when it’s windy:
Blocking the wind with your hands may or may not work. Why take the chance! Cut small shavings near the striking end of the match. This will increase the surface area and ensure the whole thing catches fire.
6 How To Preserve Eggs:
Now you can store eggs even if your refrigerator’s not working. Bury them into a box of dry salt, simple. Store it in a dry place. This way you can preserve them for a very long time.
5 Use your Watch as a Compass:
Point the hour hand at the sun. Lay a blade of grass or wire crosswise between the hour hand and the figure twelve. The end of the wire between twelve and the hour hand points south.
4 Carrying heavy articles:
Carry a heavy object upright. This prevents the weight from pulling down the object. If you’re carrying a jug filled with water, this would also avoid spillage.
3 Pull out long nails:
It’s very difficult to pull out long nails from wooden surfaces. Once you’ve pulled it out just a bit, place a small block of wood under the pincers and you can pull it out easily.
2 Identify Gas leaks:
Gas leaks are tricky to detect. Some can be potentially dangerous, and even fatal. Paint strong soap solution on the pipe. The gas would cause bubbles at the escaping point. This way you can identify it quickly and fix it. This method is safe and reliable.
1 Cool Wine without ice:
In case you need to cool wine and have run out of ice, fret not. Wrap the bottle in flannel and place it in a crock beneath the cold water tap. Wait for ten minutes and the wine would be ready for the table.
[Source: All images are taken from the New York Library]
