Art, obsession, and identity
One of the great inventions of the Industrial Revolution was the washing machine. Unveiled in England by James King in 1851, this was the first washing machine to use a drum. A rotary version was patented in 1858 by Hamilton Smith.
The first mechanical dishwashing device was registered for a patent in 1850 in the United States by Joel Houghton.
James Sharp, a pioneer of domestic gas cooking technology, patented a gas stove in Northampton, England, in 1826. Pictured is one of the first gas stoves ever sold.
In 1892, Canadian inventor Thomas Ahearn filed a patent for an "Electric Oven"—a forerunner of today's modern electric cookers.
In 1945, the heating effect of a high-power microwave beam was accidentally discovered by self-taught American engineer Percy Spencer. Two years later, in 1947, commercial microwave ovens became available to purchase.
In 1892, African-American inventor George T. Sampson developed and patented America's first automatic clothes dryer.
In 1913, the first electric refrigerators for home and domestic use were invented and produced by Fred W. Wolf of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Shortly afterwards Kelvinator refrigerators, manufactured in Detroit, Michigan, from 1914 to 1918, were the first successful domestic refrigerators to enter full-scale production in the US. Pictured is a 1926 model.
Home freezers as separate compartments or as separate units were introduced in the United States in 1940.
A Norwegian mechanical engineer named Edwin Ruud is credited with inventing the first automatic, storage tank-type gas water heater, around 1889.
The concept of induction cooking was conceived in the early 20th century, as this 1909 diagram demonstrating the principle illustrates. However, modern, commercially available induction cookers didn't appear until the 1970s.
Illinois-based inventor Henry W. Altorfer came up with the idea of an electric clothes drying cabinet in 1937. In just a few years, it became one of the most popular must-have home appliances.
By the 1960s, however, it was the tumble dryer that took center stage. The design took shape as far back as 1892, when the aforementioned George T. Sampson, working from blueprints originally drawn up by Frenchman Émile Edmond Ponchon, came up with the idea of a metal drum with a rack that dried clothes but away from the main source of heat.
The notion of in-home air conditioning units was being mooted as early as 1914 after American inventor Willis Carrier built the first modern electrical air conditioning unit. But it wasn't until the early 1930s that the most common type of individual room air conditioner—one designed to sit on a window ledge— became widely available.
Interestingly, German inventor Karl Drais, the man most associated with the development of the bicycle, also came up with the idea of a meat grinder. He announced his hand-cranked unit to the public in the 1840s.
The first device built to grind coffee was invented in 1799 by Richard Dearman, an English blacksmith from Birmingham. It was widely distributed in the US. France, meanwhile, became associated with some of the most decorative pieces.
And it is the French who are credited with the invention of the first modern coffee percolator, invented in 1819 by the Parisian tinsmith Joseph-Henry-Marie Laurens.
British company Russell Hobbs introduced the first electric kettle in 1955. The firm also unveiled the first electric coffee maker that same year.
The in-home deep fryer evolved in the 1950s from the industrial deep fryers used in restaurants and hotels.
The electric food mixer of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s evolved from the wire whisk invented in France around 1850.
By the 1960s, the electric food processor-blender had arrived, invented in France in 1963 for professional kitchens. The Magimix was the first domestic version.
The waffle iron appeared in an early form in 1869, invented by American Cornelius Swartwout.
The appearance of the electric iron coincided with the widespread electrification of American homes in the 1880s. The first patent for an electric steam iron and dampener was issued to Max Skolnik of Chicago in 1934.
A useful accessory in any kitchen, the modern-day pressure cooker is derived from an invention known as Papin's digester, invented by French physicist Denis Papin in 1679.
The first electric toaster was invented in 1893, made by English company Crompton & Company of Chelmsford, Essex.
In 1901, English engineer Hubert Cecil Booth invented the first successful powered vacuum cleaner. The device turned domestic servitude on its head.
Electric fireplaces didn't start heating people's homes until the early 20th century. The first electric fireplace was invented in 1912, but the appliance didn't become truly popular until the 1950s, when running costs became more affordable.
Electric fans appeared in 1886, the first being created by American electrical engineer Schuyler Skaats Wheeler.
The first mechanical sewing machine was patented in 1830 by French tailor Barthélemy Thimonnier. But it was American inventor Elias Howe who developed the first lockstitch sewing machine (pictured). Machinist Isaac Singer made important improvements in the design of the sewing machine, and it is his name that's most closely associated with this device.
Sources: (Smithsonian Magazine) (Britannica)
Have you ever wondered when the washing machine was invented? Come to think of it, when did we first start using a refrigerator, or microwave? Many of the everyday home appliances we take for granted today were in fact created in the 19th century on the back of the Industrial Revolution, most by design but some by accident. So, next time you reach for the steam iron or vacuum cleaner, take a moment and ponder their origins!
Intrigued? Click through and take a look at the inventions that made living a whole lot more convenient.
Discover the surprising origins of your favorite household appliance
Innovations that have significantly improved our convenience in daily life
LIFESTYLE Inventions
Have you ever wondered when the washing machine was invented? Come to think of it, when did we first start using a refrigerator, or microwave? Many of the everyday home appliances we take for granted today were in fact created in the 19th century on the back of the Industrial Revolution, most by design but some by accident. So, next time you reach for the steam iron or vacuum cleaner, take a moment and ponder their origins!
Intrigued? Click through and take a look at the inventions that made living a whole lot more convenient.