Originally published in November 1919
“France’s task of beating swords into ploughshares included the conversion of tanks into something having peacetime value. Some have been employed for towing canal barges; others have become agricultural tractors; others have made their way into the factory. But the most novel conversion is no doubt that of the mountain-climbing tanks, now available to tourists of the French Alps of Savoy. Shorn of its coat of armor and its fighting equipment, and provided with seats, it becomes an excellent passenger-carrying vehicle for traversing rough terrain.”
—Scientific American, November 1919
More gems from Scientific American’s first 175 years can be found on our anniversary archive page.
