19. Homemade fire extinguishers that resembled Molotov cocktails in reverse
Fire extinguishers for the home and especially for the kitchen are readily available commercially (and highly recommended by experts) but for those who prefer to make their own, there was a formula used in the early twentieth century. They contained water, salt, and salammoniac. It was possible, and somewhat common, to substitute sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, for the latter. A half-pound of salt, quarter-pound of baking soda, and a quart of water were mixed into quart bottles, preferably made of fragile glass, and stored in a handy spot.
If a fire broke out in the kitchen, or elsewhere in the home, the intent was to throw the bottle into the center of the conflagration with enough force to shatter the bottle, allowing its contents to smother the flames. Depending upon the type of fire, such a device would be as likely to ignite flammables in other areas due to the dispersal effect of the bottle hitting the flames (a grease fire, for example, could splatter all over the room). In such a case the fire could require multiple bottles, thrown at the multiple fires which would be a likely result of the use of such an extinguisher.