In the early 20th century, carbon tetrachloride was widely used as a dry cleaning solvent, as a refrigerant and put in lava lamps[5]. Small, carbon tetrachloride fire extinguishers were widely used and took the form of a brass bottle with a hand pump to expel the liquid.
However, once it became apparent that carbon tetrachloride exposure had severe adverse health effects, safer alternatives such as tetrachloroethylene were found for these applications, and its use in these roles declined from about 1940 onward. Carbon tetrachloride persisted as a pesticide to kill insects in stored grain, but in 1970, it was banned in consumer products in the United States.
One specialty use of "carbon tet" was by stamp collectors to reveal watermarks on the backs of postage stamps. A small amount of the liquid was placed on the back of a stamp sitting in a black glass or obsidian tray. The letters or design of the watermark could then be clearly detected.
Prior to the Montreal Protocol, large quantities of carbon tetrachloride were used to produce the freon refrigerants R-11 (trichlorofluoromethane) and R-12 (dichlorodifluoromethane). However, these refrigerants are now believed to play a role in ozone depletion and have been phased out. Carbon tetrachloride is still used to manufacture less destructive refrigerants.
Carbon tetrachloride has also been used in the detection of neutrinos. Carbon tetrachloride is one of the most potent hepatotoxins (toxic to the liver), and is widely used in scientific research to evaluate hepatoprotective agents 7,8
Holy cats! Gee, what a great idea. Let's put some of THAT in a glass container and have people keep it around their houses where things often get knocked over. 
