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Period: to
1920s Inventions
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The First Motorized Vacuum Cleaner was Invented
British engineer, Hubert Cecil Booth patented a motorized vacuum cleaner on August 30, 1901. Booth's machine took the form of a large, horse-drawn, petrol-driven unit, which was parked outside the building to be cleaned with long hoses being fed through the windows. Booth first demonstrated his vacuuming device in a restaurant that same year and successfully sucked dirt. -
The Washing Machine Is Invented
The first electric powered washing machine was in vented in 1908 by Alva J. Fisher. It was called the Thor, and was manufactured by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago, In 1911, the Whirpool Corporation produced the first electric-motor driven wringer washers, In 1922, the Maytag Corporation began producing agitator washing machines. -
First Commercial Plane Flight
The first commercial plane flight took place between St. Petersburg and Tampa, flying a total of 23 minutes between the two cities separated by 21 miles of bay waters. The plane maintained an altitude of 15 feet across the open waters of the bay, rather than a high arch like one would see in todays flights. The plane was a Benoist XIV, two seater with a very small flight deck. It was piloted by Tony Jannus, and his one paying customer. -
First transcontinental Telephone Call
On June 27, 1914, after affixing 4,750 miles of telephone line, workers raised the final pole at Wendover, Utah, actually on the border between Nevada and Utah state lines. Then, Theodore Vail, the president of AT&T, succeeded in transmitting his voice across the continental U.S. in July 1914. -
Vacuum Tube Hearing Aid is Invented
The Vactuphone was the first vacuum tube hearing aid to be commercially produced. It was invented by Earl C. Hanson and manufactured as a collaborative effort between the Western Electric Company and the Globe Phone Manufacturing Company. It came to the market in October 1921. -
The First Frigidaire Refrigerator is Produced
By 1920, over 200 companies were manufacturing different models, and at this same time, many companies had developed technologies to produce them with combined freezers. They were still very much luxury appliances, and many people continued to use the old standby of the icebox instead. -
The First Traffic Light was Invented
The traffic light was invented by police officer William Potts. He used red, amber and green lights and $37 worth of wire to make his traffic light. -
The Car with a Combustion Engine Hits the Market
The Model T, also known as the “Tin Lizzie," was produced from October 1, 1908 until changed the way Americans live, work and travel. Henry Ford’s revolutionary advancements in assembly-line automobile manufacturing made the Model T the first car to be affordable for a majority of Americans. -
Band Aids Invented
Bandages for wounds had been around since ancient times, but an easy-to-use dressing with an adhesive was invented by Earle Dickson (a cotton buyer at the Johnson & Johnson company). Dickson perfected the BAND-AID® in 1920, making a small, sterile adhesive bandage for home use. Dickson invented the BAND-AID® for his wife, who had many kitchen accidents and needed an easy-to-use wound dressing. Dickson was rewarded by the Johnson & Johnson company by being made a vice-president of the company. -
The First Commercial Radio Broadcast
The first commercial radio broadcast took place in Pittsburgh, PA on November 2, 1920. Soon, radios became almost a necessity even to those who could barely make ends meet. The radio changed communication, created a new form of entertainment, and changed how people were informed of current events and news. By 1929, Paul Galvin had invented the car radio, so even while traveling, people could hear news. By 1933, 60% of America’s households had radio. -
The Pop-Up Toaster is Invented
The pop-up toaster was invented by Charles Strite and patented on October 18th, 1921. It wasn’t until the 1930′s, when sliced bread became sold on store shelves, that toaster prices fell and became more reachable for consumers. Bread now became toast every time, without burning! -
Insulin is Discovered
At Toronto General Hospital, 14-year-old Canadian Leonard Thompson becomes the first person to receive an insulin injection as treatment for diabetes. -
First Electric Blender is Invented
Stephen Poplawski invented the blender to mix food and beverage items together with a small blade at the bottom of a container. -
The First Bulldozer is Invented
James Cummings and J. Earl Mcleod invented the Bulldozer, and it was first called a caterpiller. It was used fro construction and demolition. -
The First Frozen Vegetables are Preserved
In 1923, Clarence Birdseye discovered an effective way to preserve food. Birdeyes obtained buckets of brine, ice, and an electric fan. With these objects, he created an effiecient way of preserving food, and by 1930, started selling frozen food with the name Birds Eye. This greatly helped the way we store food. -
THe First Talkie Debuted
History was made in New York on October 6th, 1927 when the very first spoken voice in a feature film was heard. The voice belonged to Al Jolson and the ground breaking movie - The Jazz Singer. The reaction by the theatre audience was immediate - they rose to their feet, applauding ecstatically. -
Antibiotics Were Discovered
One of the most important advances ever made in medicine began with a Monday morning clean-up in a hospital laboratory in central London when Alexander Flemming discovered Penicillium - the world's first antibotics. Fleming said, "It was because I was able to stand on the shoulders of giants, that the discovery of penicillin was possible.
