There is one thing we can always be sure of: things change over time. Nothing can prevent this from happening. People change, technology changes, and situations change as well. Change is inevitable! Look back at your own life, for example.
How many things have really changed? Especially when it comes to technological advancements. It can be quite frightening to look back and see how much things have evolved. But it can also be quite refreshing! Take, for example, this “object”; we bet you don’t know what it is… Unless you lived in the 1930s, there’s a good chance you don’t know what it is. If you do, well done! A bit strange, isn’t it? Can you guess what this device might be?
You’d be perfectly forgiven for not knowing what it is. But we guess you really want to know! This quirky object that looks like a flask or some kind of carrying case is actually a vacuum cleaner from the 1930s, known as the Hercules! This retro vacuum is a far cry from the vacuum cleaners we have today. In fact, right now, I’m watching my Roomba® clean my floor while I type this! Can you imagine what life must have been like back then? How exciting and innovative a machine like this must have been for its time? And yet today, we all take for granted how much easier our lives have become thanks to technology and progress.
The Hercules vacuum cleaner was a very stylish and sophisticated machine for its time. The one shown above was covered in crocodile skin, making it quite an expensive purchase. Adding to its luxury status, it was sold during the Great Depression—a time when many families were struggling to make ends meet, let alone afford a Hercules. If you knew what it was, try showing it to your kids and see if they can guess what it is! They certainly won’t know what it is!
Did you know that the humble broom wasn’t perfected until the year 1797? A farmer from Massachusetts decided to create one that worked properly after seeing his wife struggle with sweeping. Soon, his broom, known as broomcorn, became a household name. Of course, over time, people became lazier! A few new brooms and sweepers came and went, and it wasn’t until 1860 that Daniel Hess invented the first true vacuum cleaner. According to his patent: „The nature of my invention consists in sucking up dust and dirt through the machine by means of an air current.“
Then, in 1869, Ives McGaffey from Chicago took it a step further. Although his design was actually more difficult to use than a regular broom. His patent states: „The accumulation of dust and dirt in households is a source of great annoyance to all good housekeepers… avoiding these difficulties is the object of my invention.“ Unfortunately, his invention didn’t take off.
Many designs came and went. But it was James Murray Spangler who revolutionized the vacuum cleaner. A humble janitor, 60 years old, living in Canton, Ohio, James worked tirelessly to perfect his design. It even took a toll on his health. His machine was better than the others because not only was it vertical, but it was also portable. The crude machine worked well, sucking up dirt and blowing it out the back into an attached pillowcase. Spangler patented it in 1907 and left his job, founding the Electric Suction Sweeper Company.
„He used a ceiling fan motor and blades to create the airflow… he used a leather belt and connected it to a rotating brush he had obtained from a carpet broom… No one was able to clean carpets as well because they didn’t have a motorized brush.“
The Hoover was then born when he encountered financial difficulties, selling his company to his cousin, Susan Hoover!
