10 Unconventional Fixes That Solved Major Problems

Sometimes, the most unconventional ideas end up being the most effective. Prepare to be amazed by these clever fixes that didn’t come from the textbook but still worked wonders.

Surgery

On a plane, doctors Angus Wallace and Tom Wong performed surgery for a woman’s collapsed lung using the plane’s medical kit, a coat hanger, and bottle of water.

Clean Air

During the Apollo 13 disaster, engineer Ed Smylie used duct tape and other simple things to procure extra air filters.

Mapping

British prisoners used lemon gelatin to plan an escape route during World War II.

Snorkles

NASA astronauts on the ISS used makeshift snorkels to breathe when their space suits flooded with leaking fluid.

Firing Squad

When the Allied soldiers needed to retreat in WWII, they rigged string and leaking ration cans to fire rifles at random, masking their escape.

Motorcycle

When French electrician Emile Leray’s car broke down in the desert, he took it apart and built a motorcycle.

All Vehicles On Deck

French taxis, busses, race cars, and other vehicles on hand all participated in moving French troops to stop German advances in 1914.

The Waffle Cone

Thanks to extreme heat, vendors at the Saint Louis 1904 World’s Fair were forced to improvise, and came up with the waffle cone.

Snakes

Out of ammunition? Hannibal used buckets of venomous snakes to win the battle of Eurymedon in 190 BC.

Poison Smokes

The British defeated the Ottomans in World War I with the help of opium-laced cigarettes dropped on enemy positions.