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GE's World War II Era "Copper Man" Gets His Due

Posted by samzenpus on from the iron-upgrade-now-available dept.

An anonymous reader writes "GE's 'Copper Man' is a quarter-inch-thick, electroplated copper mannequin from the early '40s that the Army used to evaluate the thermal-insulating quality of protective clothing issued to B-17 and B-24 airmen. At the request of the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, DC, the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine recently agreed to donate its oldest Copper Man for permanent display."

7 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Electric blankets, anyone? by tibit · · Score: 4, Informative

    Trivia: the copper man used to test and advertise heated electric blankets. The same ones whose failures cause an estimated 5000 fires each year in the U.K. The ones that were sold for more than a decade in the U.S. without adequate safety circuits.

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    1. Re:Electric blankets, anyone? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

      Copper Man find human oxidation response pitiful. Human exhibit wasteful thrashing and screaming upon oxidation, offend bystanders with futile noises and charred remains.

      Copper Man resist oxidation. Maintain readiness for duty until tasteful patina develop. Then still ready for duty. Also art object.

  2. Re:Copper goes for $3/pound by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 2

    The Copper Man has a thick skin.

    Of course he does... Otherwise he turns green when he cries.

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  3. Re:This is just... by magarity · · Score: 2

    "Copperman: The Ironman prequel"?

    No, sorry, Bronzeman is the Ironman prequel.

  4. Re:This is just... by Megahard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    We should have a superhero for each element of the periodic table.

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    I eat only the real part of complex carbohydrates.
  5. Dystopian buster by arisvega · · Score: 2

    So he is like buster, only older. And more steampunk.

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    The three laws of thermodynamics:(1) You can't win. (2) You can't break even. (3) You can't even quit.
  6. Re:This is just... by RDW · · Score: 2

    This looks rather like one of the 'Minutemen' group photos from 'Watchmen':

    http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/CopperMan1.jpg