In , William Blackstone of Indiana built a machine that removed dirt and stains from laundry as a birthday present for his wife. This thoughtful gift would come to be the first first example of washing machines designed for convenient use in the home.
The Thor was the first electric-powered washing machine. Introduced in by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois, the Thor was a drum type washing machine with a galvanized tub and an electric motor. Early washing machines had a heavy, dirty, cast-iron mechanism mounted on the inside of the tub lid.
The introduction of a metal tub and reduction gears to replace this bulky apparatus was a great improvement. By , the coopered wooden tub was no longer being manufactured. In , a British inventor, James Dyson, produced a washing machine with two cylinders which turned in opposite directions, thus reducing washing times and giving better results. Nowadays, washing machines are connected to the internet and may have integrated Wi-Fi for deferred startup of washing programs, for instance during off-peak times when electricity costs are at their lowest.
Some models work without detergent , thanks to electrolysis, which separates the positive and negative ions. Some machines will soon be equipped with touch screens , following the example of the models presented by American leader in the field, Speed Queen. Until the 18th century, washing was done at the municipal washhouse with the help of a beater and a brush, a little soap and some ashes.
In many cases, you had to go to the next village to wash laundry occasionally. Washing was a challenging task and a luxury.
But this would change thanks to the initiative of a few outstanding inventors and entrepreneurs. A look back at the incredible journey of an appliance which is now part of our daily lives. This scientist was a Jack-of-all-trades. On 31 March of this year, an American, Nathaniel Briggs, filed the first patent for a washing machine. James King filed a patent for the first drum machine. This model, however, was still mechanical and the engine was activated with a crank.
All the same, physical exertion was reduced. But not all materials could stand such treatment. Thanks to these manual washing machines, household linen could be washed at home, in much more comfortable conditions than were available in the laundries. First, the laundry had to be boiled in a washing machine. The laundry was often pre-treated using wood ash naturally rich in potash, they acted as detergent and disguised odors.
The laundry was then put in the machine, then the wheel was turned: the back-and-forth movement churned the laundry in both directions, then the dirty water was drained away via a lip in the gutter. An American engineer, Alva John Fisher, is generally considered to be the inventor of the first electric machine.
But at least one patent was filed before his, for a model electric machine. However, the identity of the inventor remains unknown to this day. Wooden tanks were replaced by metal ones. Fisher prototype patented in : the drum was powered by an electric motor. On the early models, this engine was not watertight and short-circuits occurred frequently: the machine was therefore potentially dangerous.
From ancient wash-houses that employed abrasive sand to remove dirt from the modern appliances, washing machines have evolved tremendously. The earliest patent classified under washing machines dates back to in England. In , German scientist Jacob Christian Schaffer invented the washing machine. Schaffer was a jack-of-all-trades holding degrees in theology and philosophy.
He was also a member of multiple academic societies. The first patent for a rotating drum washing machine was issued by Henry Sidgier in There is, however, no depiction of the device owing to the fire of the patent office. In , James King issued a patent for a washing machine that featured a drum. This device is the earliest relative of modern day washing machines.
Strada was a gifted goldsmith and antique dealer. He was also the official architect of three Roman emperors. With such an illustrious CV sheet, one can see why the rumour might be true!
Unfortunately, only a couple of books whisper about Strada and there is no solid evidence that his invention took off at the time. The object was a trough filled with water and warmed by a kiln below. The unlucky person doing the chore had to beat the water and operate a handwheel to work the device. While this was undoubtedly better than scrubbing a smock in a river, this device still required a lot of physical effort. The official history of the washing machine seems to begin with patent This was the number that British inventor John Tyzacke received for his machine in This included minerals to break them apart, preparing leather, pounding seeds or charcoal, refining pulp for paper and washing laundry by hitting the clothes and raising the water.
The German-born scholar was fascinated with fungi and discovered heaps of new species. Besides being an author, he was also a professor, a pastor and an inventor. But it was his design for a washing machine that he published in that earned him a place in the history books. In , he published his version apparently with several improvements. Despite all the tweaks, somebody still had to worry the laundry inside the tub with a crank.
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