Who Invented The Vacuum Cleaner
A vacuum cleaner is that wonderful electrical invention designed to pick up the dirt and dust off the floors of our homes and businesses. It works by using an air pump to create a vacuum that can suck up small particles of dirt, sand, hair and dust. This debris is usually collected inside the vacuum cleaner either in a bag or in a holding container for later disposal. There are numerous different types of vacuum cleaners, but all are designed to make cleaning that little bit easier.
The Invention of the Vacuum Cleaner
The first vacuum cleaners that were invented were manual powered cleaners. They required hand pumping to create a vacuum that could such dirt and other household mess out of carpet. The first manual vacuum cleaner was invented in the 1860’s by an American named Daniel Hess. His vacuum cleaner was aptly named a carpet sweeper. In 1868, Ives McGaffey patented a device he called the “Whirlwind.” To operate the vacuum cleaner a hand-held crank needed to be turned whilst pushing the head across the floor.
The first motorized version of the vacuum cleaner was created in 1898 by John S. Thurman of St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The large gasoline powered engine was carried on the back of a horse drawn cart and Thurman would clean carpets for $4.
The first handheld version of the vacuum cleaner was invented by a janitor named James Spangler who devised a suction device that could be attached to a broom handle. He refined his invention and received a patent for it in 1908. James Spangler founded his own company to manufacture his design. He later sold his patent to the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Company and continued to work and design for the company. By 1919 a Hoover vacuum cleaner was in nearly every home in America.
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