The space suit photo was taken by Fritz Goro, who invented "macrophotography," which made it possible for cameras to capture microscopic images.

“Weird Science in Action” is am essay of 19 cool photos of odd science experiments culled from the amazing Life magazine archives. My favorite one is probably number 14, “Prototype Space Suit, Mojave Desert, California, Early 1960s,” although “Play Ball,” in which a chicken plays a baseball board game (number 15), is also very great.

Number 19 shows a high-voltage demonstration by Jim Vaus, an erstwhile illegal wiretapper and electronics expert who converted to Christianity after hearing a speech by Reverend Billy Graham. Vaus’ story of quitting a crime syndicate and his subsequent religious conversion was the subject of an autobiography and the 1955 film Wiretapper.

See other Great Photography.