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Disposable Bag Vacuum Cleaner
Though the first vacuum cleaner can be traced back to about 1860, it was in the mid-1920s that the vacuum became much more efficient and easier to use. In fact, in 1920 Air-Way Sanitizer of Toledo, Ohio, introduced a vacuum cleaner with a disposable bag. In 1926, the popular vacuum company Hoover developed a positive agitation system that greatly increased dirt removal efficiency. Cleaning household carpets became a lot easier and much faster. -
Lie Detector
The lie detector, the modern polygraph system that sensed reactions that helped to determine whether or not a person was lying, was invented by John A. Larson in 1921 -
Electric Blender
The first electric blender was developed in 1922 by Stephen J. Poplawski. He devised the machine for his business Stephen’s Tool Company, after being hired by Racine, Wisconsin’s Arnold Electric Company, who wanted him to create a machine specifically for making malts and milkshakes at soda fountains. In 1926, Stephen’s company was bought out by Hamilton Beach, where Poplawski continued to work. -
Water Skis
A new sport was created in 1922 by Ralph Samuelson, known as water skiing. Strapping a pair of boards on, and using a clothesline as a tow rope in Lake Pepin, Minnesota, Samuelson’s brother pulled him on a boat, reaching 20 MPH speeds. He worked hard to develop the technique that seemed to work best. Samuelson spent the next 15 years travelling the country teaching people techniques in water skiing. -
The Electric Automatic Traffic Light
In 1923, Garrett Morgan submitted a patent for an electric automatic traffic signal. He was the first African-American to own a car in Cleveland, Ohio. His design used a T-shaped pole unit with three positions. There was Stop and Go, and a light that signaled all vehicles to stop to clear the intersection. Morgan sold the rights to his traffic signal to General Electric for $40,000. According to government records, the United States had roughly 300,000 traffic lights installed in 2018. -
The Band-Aid
In 1920, Johnson & Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, invented the adhesive bandage for his wife Josephine, who often cut herself while cooking in the kitchen. The adhesive bandage allowed her to dress her own foods without the help of another person. The bandages worked, and Johnson & Johnson began to produce and market the product known as the “Band-Aid” in 1924. -
Bread Slicer
The first automatic commercial bread-slicing machine was invented by American inventor and engineer Otto Frederick Rohwedder in 1927. -
Kool-Aid
Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins of Omaha, Nebraska. The original name was called Fruit Smack. -
Electric Razor
The electric razor was invented by Jacob Schick in 1928. This convenient form of shaving did not require the use of water or shaving cream. -
Sunglasses
In 1929, Sam Foster invented what would become the modern sunglasses. A plastics manufacturer that also worked with celluloid, Foster began marketing his “Foster Grant” sunglasses on the boardwalk at Atlantic City, New Jersey. People began buying them like hotcakes to protect their eyes from the sun while visiting the beach. The glasses also soon became fashion statements when Hollywood Stars began to be photographed wearing them.