As a reader of Engadget, Gizmodo, and other snarky style tech blogs I enjoyed the write-up from this article included in the August, 1931 issue of Modern Mechanics and Inventions.
Motorboating in a Washtub
THE ancient and lowly washtub, long the symbol of feminine drudgery, recently proved its conservatism in England when efforts were made to modernize it by adding an outboard motor and converting it into a sea-going craft. The tub promptly rejected the idea and submerged.
Little Madeleine Waeldin trying out the idea of hooking an outboard motor to a washtub at an English beach resort. It didn’t work, however.
(via ModernMechanix)
Here is evidence that people can have really poor judgment even where it directly risks someone valuable to them. This is also why child endangerment laws exist. But, it reminds me of the saying; “A person is quick to fault their poor memory, but not to fault their own poor judgment.“