6. Doors to saloons, Western United States
The feature of any respected saloon in the Wild West is a hinged door that can freely open to both sides. At first glance, it might seem to be a completely impractical construction. However, this door device has a few very direct purposes.
The first most obvious one is ventilation. The second one is puritan in nature, it was to protect the gazes of the pious inhabitants of western towns from the indecency inside the saloon. At the same time, frequent saloon-goers could see the light from afar and knew that the bar was open. The third reason has a more commercial meaning, the shape of doors, called “bat wings,” made saloons recognizable even without a sign.