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The First Toaster
During WW1, there was a big problem on the breakfast table at a plant in Stillwater, Minnesota. Almost all of the bread that was cooked on the stove was burnt to a crisp. To counter this problem, a man named Charles P. Strite, a master mechanic who worked at the factory, created the first electric pop-up toaster with variable timers and strings. He applied for a patent in May of 1919. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/toaster.htm -
The Next Toaster: The Toastmaster
In 1926, the Waters-Genter Company redesigned Strite's original toaster, and made the first automatic pop-up toaster. This revolutionary device was dubbed the Toastmaster, and it was a hit with the public. (Exact date unknown) http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/toaster.htm -
Introduce Sliced Bread!
The next event for the toaster happened in 1928, when an inventor named Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented pre-sliced loaves of bread. It was now much easier to toast bread without a lot of hassle. (Exact date unknown) http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/toaster.htm -
Spring-Loaded Toaster
About 5 years after sliced bread came into existence, American bakeries used more sliced than unsliced bread. This prompted Charles Strite to create another invention, the spring-loaded toaster, which had been on the shelves for a long time. With the huge amount of sliced bread, his invention suddenly made sense. The spring-loaded, pop-up toaster became a standard in American households. (Exact date unknown) http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/toaster.htm -
Toasters Become Affordable and Common
When the toaster became a hot item in the 1930's, it was very expensive, often costing about $25, (about $393 in today's economy). Because of this, the toaster was usually a luxury product. However, 30 years later, the price dropped tremendously, and most families could afford one. Furthermore, toasters were also compacted to improve counter space. (Span of 1960s) https://www.overstock.com/guides/history-of-the-toaster -
Toasters Can Be Customized
Usually the common 2-slice toaster were available in painted colors or in wood-grain finishes, but a person could customize a toaster to match their kitchen style. Today there are much more colors to pick from, such as black and red. Some other colors consumers could pick from in the 1970's were harvest gold and avocado. (Span of 1970's) https://www.overstock.com/guides/history-of-the-toaster -
Toasters Have Wider Slots
In order to accommodate for the rise of bagels and large slices of bread, the traditional 2-Slice toaster's slots were widened so these bread items could be properly toasted. These methods made 4-slice and 6-slice toasters even more useful. (Span of 1980's) https://www.overstock.com/guides/history-of-the-toaster -
Today's Toasters
Today, the toaster industry is as powerful as ever, as around 5 million tasters are sold in the UK each year. The toaster price has dropped so much that even the people on the tightest budget can buy one. They also come in many colors, as stated above. (Today's Days/Date) https://www.overstock.com/guides/history-of-the-toaster
