heroes of home tech

How home technology has developed throughout the decades and the minds behind it all

1860

1886 commercial dishwasher

The frst commercially used dishwasher was invented by Josephine Cochran. She created the model and applied for a patent in 1886, eventually opening a factory for her own business, The Crescent Dishwashing Company. Her company was acquired by the company that would eventually become KitchenAid.

1913 electric refridgerator

The DOMELRE (Domestic Electric Refridgerator) was invented by Fred Wolf Jr. in 1913. His model was the frst household refridgeration system that could easily be delivered and mounted on top of the ice box.

1969 home security system

Marie Van Brittan Brown and her husband Albert Brown created the frst closed-circuit television (CCTV) system for surveillance of their home in Queens, N.Y. They received a patent in 1969, and their invention stands as a precursor to modern day security and surveillance systems.

1893 modern day ironing board

Invented by Sarah Boone, a black woman born in North Carolina in 1832. She desired a better way to iron the unique designs of women’s clothing. In 1892, she applied for and received a patent that made signifcant improvements to previous ironing boards.

1930 electric television

Philio Farnsworth received a patent for the frst all-electric television in 1930. The invention of the television can be attributed to many different people, however, Farnsworth has over 100 patents for various parts of the original television.

2023

2002 roomba vacuum

The Roomba Vacuum was invented by the company iRobot; it was cofounded by Helen Greiner, Colin Angle and Rodney Brooks in 1990. The Roomba frst hit the market in 2002.

Sources: Amsterdam News, Greenbelt Museum, Lemelson-MIT, Odetta, Smithsonian, TechCrunch and U.S. Patent and Trademark Offce