From boiling cracked eggs to removing splinters, these are the 100-year-old life hacks which are still useful today
From preparing breakfast to helping with the washing up, these are the life hacks which stood the test of time
THESE are the ancient life hacks which have withstood the test of time - and are surprisingly useful to this day.
The New York Public Library has archived a series of tips from the 1900s, in the form of the "How to do it" cards which used to come in cigarette boxes.
These life hacks were all originally found in Gallaher cigarette boxes, from the days when the brand was the largest tobacco company in the world.
Some of the helpful how-tos are one hundred years old, but many are still useful to this day.
From help preparing breakfast to a tip which helps with the washing up, these are the life hacks which made life easier in the last century.
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Removing splinters
Splinters will never stop being infuriating, but thankfully there's a relatively pain-free way to remove them.
Back in the low-tech 1900s, all it took to remove a pesky splinter was a glass bottle and some hot water.
Advice from Gallaher reveals that you can shift a splinter by filling the bottle with hot water and pressing it tightly against the affected part of the hand.
The suction will pull down on your flesh whilst the steam draws the splinter out.
Cutting bread
If you're stuck wrestling with a particularly firm loaf of bread, our friends from yesteryear have a simple solution.
Simply soak your knife in hot water until the blade has warmed up, before wiping it clean and quickly taking it to the loaf.
You'll find that the heat makes your knife glide through that bread without any difficulty.
Boiling cracked eggs
The age-old advice reveals a way you can boil damaged eggs, rather than throwing them away because they've taken a bit of a bruising in the carton.
Simply add a splash of vinegar to the pan and the eggs should remain in-tact as they boil.
Separating stuck glasses
If you have two glasses which are stacked in each other and won't budge, then there's an easy way to separate them.
Simply fill the upper glass with cold water, and place the lower one in warm water: the ancient hack claims this will do the trick and cause them to pop safely apart.
These historic hacks will compliment today's best tips, including the secret to nabbing the best cinema seats.
We also recently revealed the quickest and easiest way to make your bed - according to the military.
