Fire Helmet from 1880 Fun fact: Before respirators, firefighters used to grow out their beards, wet them with water, and stuff them into their mouths to filter out the smoke. I don't think it worked very well, but it was probably better than nothing
A Mississippi River pearl diver, using a car’s old gas tank for a helmet, prepares to descend into the river . Rather than oysters, these divers searched for pearly mussels, whose shells were used for buttons until plastic replaced them mid-century.
Submarine Escape Apparatus. “Crew members of the submarine HMS wearing their Rees Hall escape apparatus, dating from the There is no record of the apparatus ever having been used.” - Sea Your History
