40 Vintage Life Hacks from 100 Years Ago

Back in the 1900s, cigarette manufactures used to insert stiffening cards into their paper cigarette packs to add strength and help them last longer. Along the way, someone had the bright idea of printing trivia, artwork and even famous people and athletes (Honus Wagner anyone?) onto the stiffening cards.

In the early 20th Century, Gallaher’s Cigarettes printed a special series of 100 “How to do it” cards that included some truly useful and helpful tips for everyday situations and problems. The entire 100 card collection is part of the New York Public Library’s George Arents Collection and was recently digitized.

Below you will find 40 of the Sifter’s personal favorites. Visit the NYPL Digital Collections to see them all.

 

 

1. How to Extract a Splinter

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (29)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (30)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

2. How to Light a Match in the Wind

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (67)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (68)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

3. How to Tell the Points of the Compass with a Watch

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (71)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (72)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

4. How To Treat Sprains

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (11)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (12)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

5. How To Make a Fire Extinguisher

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (15)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (16)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

6. How To Carry a Heavy Jug

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (35)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (36)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

7. A Hint When Boiling Potatoes

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (13)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (14)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

8. How To Kill a Tree Stump

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (5)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (6)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

9. How To Make Corks Fit

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (9)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (10)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

10. How To Pull Out Long Nails

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (1)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (2)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

11. How To Measure With Coins

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (39)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (40)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

12. How To Detect Escaping Gas

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (45)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (46)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

13. How To Cool Wine with Ice

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (25)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (26)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

14. When Boiling Cracked Eggs

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (63)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (64)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

15. How To Preserve Valuable Vases

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (53)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (54)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

16. How To Remove Sea Stains from Brown Shoes

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (61)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (62)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

17. How To Make a Simple Gate Latch

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (7)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (8)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

18. How To Clean an Oil Painting

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (27)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (28)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

19. How To Test Butter

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (23)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (24)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

20. How To Draw a Circle Without a Compass

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (47)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (48)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

21. How To Clean Real Lace

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (17)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (18)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

22. How To Revive Cut Flowers

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (73)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (74)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

23. How To Judge the Freshness of a Lobster

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (75)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (76)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

24. How To Make a Water Fountain for Chicks

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (19)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (20)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

25. How To Treat Squeaky Boots

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (31)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (32)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

26. How To Adjust a Door

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (21)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (22)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

27. How To Cut New Bread Into Thin Slices

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (43)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (44)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

28. How To Remove a Stuck Glass Stopper

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (55)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (56)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

29. How To Detect Dampness in Beds

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (3)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (4)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

30. How To Draw an Ellipse with String

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (51)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (52)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

31. How To Pick Up Broken Glass

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (59)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (60)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

32. How To Stop a Runaway Horse

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (79)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (80)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

33. How To Clean New Boots

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (41)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (42)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

34. How To Remove a Tight Ring from the Finger

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (33)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (34)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

35. How To Keep a Paint Brush Handle Clean

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (49)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (50)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

36. How To Take Ink Stains Out a Handkerchief

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (57)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (58)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

37. How To Fit a Large Candle

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (69)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (70)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

38. How To Clean Bottles

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (37)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (38)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

39. Three Useful Knots

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (77)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (78)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library

 

 

40. How To Separate Glass Tumblers

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (65)

vintage life hacks from the 1900s (66)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library
Sursa: twistedsifter.com


19 Surprising Kitchen Tips And Tricks

 

When you’re getting crafty in the kitchen, there are some potentially tasty results waiting for you. With these tricks, your kitchen will be the yummiest place in town!

1. Substitute Applesauce for Sugar

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 0
via I Adore Food
If you’re out of sugar, substitute unsweetened applesauce in your baked goods.

2. Zucchini Noodles

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 2
via Bed, Bath and Beyond 
Instead of making pasta every night, use this spiral cutter to make zucchini noodles (zoodles). Zoodles are healthier and pasta and very trendy right now.

3. How to Scoop Egg Shells

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 4
via HealthyRootsHappySoul
If you’re cooking and you drop a little bit of egg shell into the bowl, use the bigger portion of the egg shell to fish out the dropped piece.

4. Keep Greens Fresh

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 6
via Popsugar

Wash and dry your lettuce, then portion it into plastic bags. Blow up the bags with air, and seal them. They’ll last longer and are already portioned for you. Just make sure the lettuce is dry when you put it into the bags.

5. Yogurt Popsicles

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 8
via One Good Thing By Jillee
Buy a pack of yogurt, insert popsicle sticks into the closed yogurt packs, and freeze. Now you have the easiest, healthiest popsicles ever!

6. Preserve Herbs

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 10
via the kitchn
Don’t let your fresh herbs go bad! Chop them up and place them into an ice cube tray with olive oil. When you’re cooking and you need herbs, no need to buy more and let them go bad – grab your frozen herbs and throw them in the pot!

7. How To Tell If An Egg Is Fresh

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 12
via Root Simple
If you aren’t sure if your eggs are still good, use this easy trick! Put the egg in water. If the egg sinks, it is very fresh. If one end of the egg rises slightly, then the eggs are still good, but not as fresh. If the egg floats, it is bad and should not be consumed.

8. Cut Soft Foods with Floss

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 14
via Learni.st / Michele Ochoa
Use unscented floss to cut soft foods like cakes and cheeses.

9. Pancake Batter

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 16
via Crafterholics
Remake your pancake batter and put it in a clean Ketchup bottle. This way, you have ready to cook pancakes whenever you want. Bonus: easier to pour into the pan and clean up.

10. Frozen Grapes

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 18
info via thekitchn | image via reddit/u/Tericakes
To keep your wine chilled without watering it down, freeze grapes and put them in. Freeze white grapes for white wine, and red grapes for red wine.

11. Peeling Ginger

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 20
via Martha Stewart
Use a spoon to peel the skin off ginger in your recipes. The spoon easily removes all the skin, even from the bumpy parts of the ginger. This trick can also be used for kiwis.

12. Prevent Water from Boiling Over

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 22
via reddit/u/slokotov
When you’re boiling water, place a wooden spoon across the top of the pot. This keeps the water from boiling over and making a mess.

13. Easy Taco Shells

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 24
via eatingwell
If you’re making tacos for dinner, but don’t have any crunchy shells, don’t worry! Take the soft shells, and cook them upside down on your oven rack. Crunchy shells in no time!

14. Get More Juice from Lemons and Limes

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 26
via RebootwithJoe
Before you cut lemons and limes, roll them on the counter with your palm, applying light pressure. This will make the lemons and limes juicer.

15. Grate Butter

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 28
via perfect wife magazine
If you need melted butter in a flash, don’t risk microwaving it (if you’re baking, you could cook the eggs prematurely – ew!). Grate the butter and it will melt more quickly.

16. Clear Ice

DONT SWIPE Kitchen Tips and Tricks 30
via Instructables / isr_Raviv.
If you make ice cubes with boiling water, they’ll be clear. If you make your ice cubes with room temperature or clear water, they’ll be foggy.

17. Keep Brown Sugar Soft

19 Surprising Kitchen Tips and Tricks 32
via 7thhouseontheleft / greg
To keep your brown sugar soft, put some marshmallows into the container. Make sure the container is also airtight! A damp piece of terra cotta also works to keep brown sugar soft.

18. Hull Strawberries

19 Surprising Kitchen Tips and Tricks 34
via barefeetinthekitchen
An easy way to hull strawberries for baking or recipes is to use a straw. Push the straw up through the bottom of the strawberry, and the leaves should come off too.

19. Cut Corn off the Cob

19 Surprising Kitchen Tips and Tricks 36
via Life in Random Bits
An easier way to cut corn off the cob is to put the corn into the center hole of a bundt pan and then cut it. This way, the corn won’t slip around, and all of the corn will fall into the pan.
Sursa: diply.com