Bicycle, Handmade by Henry V. Hemeyer, circa 1935

Henry V. Hemeyer's son, Frederick, wanted a bicycle, but the family couldn't afford one during the Great Depression. The resourceful father instead built a bike from galvanized water pipe and flat steel. The finished cycle is held together with nuts and bolts rather than welds, is driven by gears rather than a chain, and has wheels made from bent pipe.