Significant technologies that aided in the advancement of household management

  • Engine powered vaccum

    Engine powered vaccum
    First powered vacuum cleaner designed by British civil engineer H. Cecil Booth. People would take the hoses from the vacuum and clean buildings. This helped make cleaning easier and more effective. This could also be used in a house to make cleaning multiple areas fast!
  • First Commercially successful electric toaster

    First Commercially successful electric toaster
    Frank Shailor of General Electric created the D-12, the first commercially successful electric toaster. The D-12 has a single heating element. A slice of bread must be turned by hand to toast on both sides. Thinking about the toasters we have now, this invention doesn’t seem to cool. However, this was a huge invention for the time. This invention allowed for less work and time.
  • Electric dishwasher

    Electric dishwasher
    The Walker brothers of Philadelphia produced the first electric dishwasher to go on the market. The model included a pulley and a belt so the machine could operate automatically. The dishwasher still needed to be filled with water and emptied by hand, but this was the beginning of making washing dishes much more convenient for the everyday family.
  • Automatic toaster

    Automatic toaster
    In 1926 it was known as the "Toastmaster."
    This was significant in allowing women to do other things while waiting for the toast to be done cooking. It saved time and engergy.
  • Gilbreth’s Practical kitchen

    Gilbreth’s Practical kitchen
    Gilbreth partnered with the Brooklyn Borough gas company to develop this kitchen. The kitchen was invented to showcase new gas fueled appliances. Gilbreth also wanted to invent this to help the efficacy and organization in a kitchen. In the picture you can see more storage space, stoves put side by side and an overall easy “flow” in the kitchen.
  • Washing machine

    Washing machine
    John W. Chamberlain of Bendix Corporation invented a device that allowed a washing machine to wash, rinse, and extract water from clothes in a single operation. The only thing available at this time were the washing boards that were labor intensive and time consuming. This made washing clothes easier.
  • first garbage disposal

    first garbage disposal
    John W. Hammes developed the first garbage disposal in his basement because he wanted to make kitchen cleanup work easier for his wife. Nicknamed the "electric pig" when first introduced by the Emerson Electric Company, this did exactly what it was supposed to do; make kitchen cleanup easier!
  • Electric refrigerator, Model T-7,

    Electric refrigerator, Model T-7,
    In the 1930s, Lillian Gilbreth designed an electric refrigerator to put frequently used items like eggs in special containers up front. Being able to store things for days is something we take for granted. Back then, you had to use what you had because there wasn’t easy ways to store food for days. This was a great invention and advancement in technology.
  • First electric clothes dryer

     First electric clothes dryer
    To spare his mother having to hang wet laundry outside, J. Ross Moore built an oil-heated drum in a shed next to his house, thereby creating the first clothes dryer. The first washer was invented, but that still left a problem with hanging clothes. What if the weather didn’t permit to dry clothes? How long does it take to hang clothes? And how long does it take for those clothes to dry? This solved all of those issues.
  • Z1 computer

    Z1 computer
    Konrad Zuse - Z1 created the First freely programmable computer. I feel that this invention talks for itself. Without having this first invention, we would not be where we are today with computer advancement.
  • Circular routing

    Circular routing
    This invention was called Circular routing or work triangle. This concept is still used by designers today. In an efficiently planned kitchen, the perimeter of the triangle formed by stove, sink, and refrigerator can’t be greater than 26 feet, with a total distance of 5.5 feet between appliances. This would help with more organization in the kitchen, and in turn allow for more productive work.
  • Ion machine

    Ion machine
    This is an automatic ironer that irons, presses, and steams. This iron was great because it contained many things the basic iron did not. This doesn’t seem too impressive to us nowadays, but there was nothing like this back then.
  • Silvertone console

    Silvertone console
    Nothing had compared to this. When the silver tone console came out people could enjoy something that they could watch. This was great for families that enjoyed spending time together. The tv was easy to view from all angles.
  • first automatic coffee pot

    first automatic coffee pot
    Russell Hobbs invents the CP1, the first automatic coffeepot as well as the first of what would become a successful line of appliances. The percolator regulates the strength of the coffee according to taste. Great for moms running on no sleep and lots of caffine!
  • Tweleve speed mixer

    Tweleve speed mixer
    One of the brightest cooking invention during the 50s was the speed mixer.This mixer had 150-watts power and any choice of tweleve speeds to choose from. Multitasking made easy!
  • AM-FM radio

    AM-FM radio
    Better than anything on the market. The silvertone radio had duel speaker and AM-FM tuner. This made it easy for people to listen to the radio at any place in the house.
  • Electronic Can opener

    Electronic Can opener
    Automatic can opener that allowed individuals a faster and safer way to open cans. Also, this invention made it safe for a child to use. Mothers wouldnt have to worry so much about the edges of a can cutting there child.
  • Smoke detector

    Smoke detector
    Randolph Smith and Kenneth House create a battery powered smoke detector for home use. The element's radioactive particles generate a small electric current. If smoke enters the house it disrupts the current, triggering an alarm. I’m sure fire's happened back then, just like they do today. This was a good way to let a person know if there was a family.
  • Mr. Coffee

    Mr. Coffee
    Sunbeam develops the Mr. Coffee, the first percolator with an automatic drip process as well as an automatic cut-off control that lessens the danger of over-brewing.
  • First electronic sewing machine

     First electronic sewing machine
    Singer introduces the Athena 2000, the world’s first electronic sewing machine. A wide variety of stitches, from basic straight to complicated decorative, are available at the touch of a button. Why was this important back then? Because people made their own clothes. This made the whole process much faster.
  • Environmentally friendly washers and dryers

      Environmentally friendly washers and dryers
    Environmentally friendly washers and dryers that save water and conserve energy are introduced. They use a smaller amount of water, and a dryer with sensors, rather than a timer, that shuts the appliance off when the clothes are dry.
  • First prototype of a robotic vacuum cleaner

    First prototype of a robotic vacuum cleaner
    Swedish appliance company Electrolux presents the first prototype of a robotic vacuum cleaner. The device, billed as "the world’s first true domestic robot." Having something like this makes cleaning easy. It allows for one to do other things while the machine does all the work.
  • Tempurpedic mattress

    Tempurpedic mattress
    I love my tempurpedic bed! I have a bad back and my bed helps tremendously. Tempur-Pedic International, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of mattresses and pillows made from viscoelastic foam. This was a great invention because sleep is very important.
  • USB flash drive

    USB flash drive
    A portable device that can store information. And the portable device is very small. How cool! This makes anyone be able to work from anywhere.
  • Bluetooth earpiece

    Bluetooth earpiece
    The bluetooth was a great advancement for the world. People are extremely busy, so bluetooth allowed for people to do what they needed to do while multitasking.
  • DVR

    DVR
    DVR made it easy to watch things on your schedule. No longer did you have to work around the TV, but the TV worked around you. Another thing for our convenience.
  • Double sealed window unit

    Double sealed window unit
    As part of the drive to reduce fuel bills by improving the energy efficiency of windows, the double-glazing sealed unit was developed. The double glazing sealed unit has a moisture absorbent seal between two panes.
  • Color Therapy Lamps

    Color Therapy Lamps
    Although expensive, I feel that color therapy lamps were a huge invention of our time. They are more than just pretty lights. Powered by the same fluorescent bulbs used for light therapy (to treat seasonal affective disorder during winter months, for example), the lamps help with depression. This is important because depression is a very big mental illness in the world today.
  • Sony playstation 3/blue ray

    Sony playstation 3/blue ray
    The cool thing about this was that it was a gaming system and a movie system. This system allowed to save space. this system also allowed apps to be put on it like netfilx. Not to mention streaming from home!
  • Apple phone

    Apple phone
    Announced in January 2007 and released the following June, the iPhone marked Apple's entry into the cellular phone marketplace. a big technology advancement for many families around. Now people would be able to do just about anything from there house.
  • High speed internet

    High speed internet
    Anyone who went online in the 90's remembers dialing into the Internet over phone lines. Now thanks to the high speed, the interent is always on and very fast!
  • WIFI hotspot

    WIFI hotspot
    WIFI is amazing. No longer do you have to have a cable running to your compuer or router. Now you can go virtually everywhere have have a WIFI hot spot. The idea of WIFI has been around sense the 90's but the idea of wifi hotspot is new (within the last 10 years).