Have you ever wondered what your great-grandmother’s toaster looked like? Have you ever considered what kind of contraption you would have needed to mow your lawn over a century ago? Do you know how your great-grandparents made a fresh pot of coffee each morning?
The tools that past generations used look quite different from what our homes hold today, thanks to decades of innovation. But if you’d like to experience a blast from the past, we’ve got the perfect list for you. Bored Panda has scoured the internet for photos of early versions of the inventions we still use every day, so enjoy scrolling through this virtual museum and be sure to upvote the tools you’d happily purchase at an antique shop!
#1 This Electric Toaster From 1920
#2 The IBM 305 RAMAC, The First Computer With A Hard Drive: $10,000 Per Megabyte
Image source: ed-thelen.org
#3 The First Lawn Mower, 1916
Image source: Missouri Botanical Garden
#4 Housewife Doing Laundry Using The First Electric Washing Machine – Eatonville WA (C. 1910)
#5 Electric Kettle, Designed By Peter Behrens. AEG, Berlin, 1909
Image source: Daderot
#6 One Of The First Osborne 1 Laptops, 1981
Image source: Bilby
#7 Pedal Roller Skates, 1910
Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington
#8 Michaux-Perreaux Steam-Vélocipède, 1869. It Is One Of Three Motorcycles Claimed To Be The First Motorcycle
Image source: ROGERIOMACHADO
#9 The First Computer Mouse (1964), Invented By Douglas Engelbart
Image source: Blake Patterson
#10 The 10-Pound Headphones
Image source: HistoireOdyssee
#11 The First Mass-Produced TV Set And Was Sold In 1946 And 1947
Image source: Fletcher6
#12 James King Invented And Patented The First Washing Machine Using A Rotating Drum. The Drum Partially Filled With Water
Image source: Harald Bischoff
#13 Hair Dryer (1920). The New Dryers Were Often Heavy, Weighing In At Approximately 2 Pounds (0.9 Kg), And Were Difficult To Use
#14 A Classic Emerson Transistor Radio, 1958
Image source: Joe Haupt
#15 The Marchant Calculating Machine Company Was Founded In 1911 By Rodney And Alfred Marchant In Oakland, California
Image source: Ezrdr
#16 Elias Howe’s First Sewing Machine, 1860
Image source: Digital Public Library Of America
#17 The First Refrigerator To See Widespread Use Was The General Electric “Monitor-Top” Refrigerator Introduced In 1927
Image source: Magi Media
#18 Gorgeous New Addition To The Collection. A 1950 Zenith “Lazy Bones”, The First TV Remote Control – 17″ Cord And All
Image source: wasbuxton
#19 In 1947, Raytheon Released The “Radarange” – The First Commercial Microwave Oven
#20 On June 6, 1882, Henry W. Seely Of New York City Patented The Electric Iron, At The Time Called An Electric Flatiron
#21 Booth’s Original Red Trolley British Vacuum Cleaner, 1905
Image source: bitsandbells, Matt Brown
#22 Emile Berliner, With The Model Of The First Phonograph Machine Which He Invented
Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
#23 Electric Blender
The first electric blender was developed in 1922, specifically for making malts and milkshakes at soda fountains. In 1932 its inventor, Stephen J. Poplawski, received patents for a machine that would reduce fruits and vegetables to a liquid.
Image source: exhibits.museum.state
#24 An Actor Portraying Alexander Graham Bell Speaking Into An Early Model Of The Telephone For A 1926 Promotional Film By The American Telephone And Telegraph Company
Image source: Unknown author
#25 The First ATM To Go Live On The Network
Image source: VentnorNJ
#26 Electric Waffle Iron, Ca. 1940
This deluxe Dominion waffle iron has twin grids that are controlled separately and have adjustable indicators for light or dark waffles. Companies advertised the cast aluminum grids as “fast heating” and “greaseless”.
Image source: Illinois State Museum
#27 The First Video Recorder Was Invented By Charles Ginsberg
Image source: Karl Baron
#28 Experimenters Taking An X-Ray With An Early Crookes Tube Apparatus, From The Late 1800s
Image source: William J. Morton
#29 Electric Coffee Maker, Tray, Sugar And Creamer, Ca. 1940-1946
In 1940 this coffee maker sold singly for $16.00 or for $23.50 as part of a matched set. Its design was modern, one of many industrial designs by Alfonso Ianelli who was brought to Chicago in 1913 by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Image source: Illinois State Museum
#30 Electric Fan
The electric desk fan has been around since 1882 when it was little more than a motor attached to two blades. This fan delivered “powerful breezes” in an arc around the room. It was turned on or off by a single switch, and the oscillator arm could be disconnected. Fans similar to this one were advertised as “economical to use” and of a “modern streamline design.”
Image source: Illinois State Museum
#31 The Brown Box Was The Prototype For The Commercial “Odyssey” Home Video Game Console
Image source: Philip Steffan
#32 The Patent Model For Daniel Hess’s Carpet Sweeper Displayed At The Museum Of Clean In Pocatello, Idaho. The Only Known Model In Existence
Image source: Underneaththesun
#33 Electric Mixer, 1950
This Meal Maker mixer was purchased by Gerald and Shirley Berg of rural White Hall, Illinois. The Bergs butchered fifty chickens to raise the money necessary to buy it. The motor of this 1950 Meal Maker is adjustable to five speeds: mashing, mixing, beating, whipping, and “juice-grind.” The juicer, which sits above the beaters, was designed with a long spout that allowed the juice to pour directly into the bowl. An attachment was also available for grinding meat.
Image source: Illinois State Museum
#34 The Boston Toaster Circa 1909
The patent for this Simplex toaster was applied for in 1909, and manufactured by a Boston company, The Simplex Electric Heating Company. According to William F. George, author of Antique Electric Waffle Irons 1900-1960 A History of the Appliance Industry in 20th-Century America, it was a division of Simplex Wire & Cable Company that grew from The Simplex Electrical Company incorporated in 1895 and doing business on Franklin Street in Cambridge.
Image source: MichaelSheafe
#35 Pop-Up Electric Toaster, 1939
The first pop-up toaster was introduced in 1926 by the McGraw Electric Company. The Toastmaster sold for $12.50 and promised: “Perfect toast every time without watching, without turning, without burning.” Over the years many mechanisms were introduced to improve temperature control. In 1939 the model shown here was sold alone or as part of the “Toastmaster DeLuxe Hospitality Set,” which included trays, glass relish dishes, and a toast-cutting board.
Image source: Illinois State Museum
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