PHILIPS 1856 (US)

The first atmospheric diving suit was designed in 1856 by Canadian ex-patriot, Lodner Philips. His design consisted of a ‘tubby’ barrel shaped upper torso and was the first to incorporate ball and socket type joints. Phillips was best known for a serious of small submarines, at least one of which bore the name "Fool-Killer." Apparently, he didn’t suffer gladly. There are no details available on the joint design, so it is not possible to say whether or not it may have had a fighting chance. It would be nice to know if the ever actually built a working suit, or if details of the proposed joint design exists in some archive.