The periscope only came about with the advent of the submarine, right? Wrong. These handy, corner-checking devices have been used everywhere from the trenches of WWI to aboard the Gemini Spacecraft. Our friends at Oobject have collected nine of the best examples.
And when you’re done checking those out, take a look at these terrestrial submarines, drug smuggling subs, decommissioned subs, and 12 torpedo rooms.
Periscope on board a VC10 commercial airliner
Gemini Space Project Launch Complex Periscope
The orange cover is a protective cushion to stop people banging their heads on it.
1920s Bank Vault Periscope
Beautiful 1960s Carl Zeiss Periscope
19th C Periscope creating illusion of seeing through stone
Gundlach 360 degree periscope
This periscope, designed for tanks, enabled looking in any direction, without the viewer turning.
Inverse periscope, land to water
For sketching fish, apparently.
WWI Stick Trench Persiscope
Long before they become associated with submarines, periscopes were commonly used to peek above trenches in WWI
