A BRIEF HISTORY OF ELECTRIC APPLIANCES
By Tim Lambert
Who Invented Electricity? No single person invented electricity. Many people made discoveries and inventions. However in 1819 a Dane, Hans Christian Oersted discovered that electric current in a wire caused a nearby compass needle to move. The Englishman Michael Faraday (1791-1867) showed that a magnet can produce electricity. In 1831 Faraday invented the dynamo. Eventually in the late 19th century people invented all kinds of electric appliances.
Electric Battery Volta invented the electric battery in 1800 Electric Blanket Nobody is sure who first invented the electric blanket but primitive versions were made in the early 1900s. Electric Car Heater The electric car heater was invented in 1890 by Thomas Ahearn. Electric Chair The first person to die in the electric chair was William Kemmler who was executed on 6 August 1890 at Auburn prison New York. Electric Fan The electric fan was invented in 1882 by Dr Schuyler Wheeler. Electric Hearing Aid Who made the first electric hearing aid is disputed but they were being made by about 1900. Electric Fire The first successful electric fire went on sale in the USA in 1908. Electric Generator The first electric generator was invented by Michael Faraday in 1831. Electric Hairdryer The electric hairdryer was invented in 1890 by Alexandre Godefoy. Electric Iron The first electric iron was made in 1882. Electric Kettle The first electric kettle was sold in 1890. Electric Light The first practical electric light was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879. Electric Motor As early as 1837 Thomas Davenport made an electric motor. However electricity was seldom used in industry until the end of the 19th century. Electric Organ Morse Robb invented the electric organ in 1928. Electric Oven The first electric oven went on sale in the USA in 1891. They went on sale in Britain in 1893. By 1939 there were about 1 1/2 million electric ovens in Britain and about 9 million gas ones. Electric Power Station In Britain the first electric power station opened in Godalming, Surrey in 1881. Electric Razor The first successful electric razor was invented in 1928 by Jacob Schick. Electric Sewing Machine The first electric sewing machine was sold in 1889. Electric Toaster The first electric toaster was invented in Britain in 1893. Electric Toothbrush The first cordless electric toothbrush was sold in 1961. Electric Washing Machine Hand operated washing machines have been around since the 18th century. It is disputed who made the first electric washing machine but it was sometime in the early 1900s. Escalator The escalator was patented in 1892 by Charles Wheeler. Fridge The first domestic fridge was sold in 1913. Neon Lights The first neon lights were made by Georges Claude in 1910. Radio Who invented radio is disputed but by 1899 Marconi was sending signals across the Atlantic. Telegraph The electric telegraph was invented in 1837 by Sir William Cooke and Sir Charles Wheatstone. Telephone The telephone was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. Television Television was invented in 1926 by John Logie Baird. The BBC began broadcasting in 1936. Washing Machine The first electric washing machines went on sale in 1906. To read more about life through the ages click here.