Who Invented the Washing Machine? Who invented the washing machine What did the first washing machine look like

The automatic washing machine is a great invention that can be put on a par with a wheel, a bicycle, a car, etc. Thanks to the washing machine, millions of modern housewives have additional hours of free time that can be spent usefully without doing hand washing. 82% of women in the world use washing machines, but only a few know who to thank for this. Let's try to correct this injustice by telling in an article about who invented the first washing machine.

The appearance of the first washer

Who actually invented the first washing machine and when, we are unlikely to find out, since we can only judge the past by those crumbs that have miraculously survived to this day. Ancient powerful civilizations have sunk into oblivion, and we are unlikely to be able to find out what their life was like in detail. We only know facts from the modern history of washing machines for certain.

In 1851, the American King invented the first washing machine with a handle that the hostess had to rotate. It was he who patented this machine as a washing machine, although “in all honesty”, King simply slightly altered the home churn into a device for washing clothes, but this was already a breakthrough. Further, the history of washing machines unfolded more rapidly. Already in 1874, hand-operated washing machines were put into series again by the American Blackstone.

Blackstone washing machines had not only a washing tank that rotated by hand, but also a very simple device for wringing clothes - two rollers with a handle. Wet linen was passed through the rollers, while turning the handle and thus wrung it out. The wringer was invented a little earlier in 1861. Further, until 1875, more than 1900 models of various washing mechanisms and devices were patented in the United States. But most of them were either unworkable or too inefficient and unreliable.

In the old world, the washing machine appeared after almost 50 years, but it was much more efficient and efficient than the inventions of Blackstone and King. We are talking about the invention of the German K. Miele, who in 1900 made the first European manual washing machine.

For your information! The first Miele washing machine also looked like a butter churn and was not widely used.

The first semi-automatic

The era of semi-automatic washing machines began with the invention of Fisher, who in 1908 built a washing machine with an electric drive. The car was conceived as a home, but it was too dangerous, since all its moving parts bulged outward. However, what Fischer came up with made a breakthrough, now the washing machine could do laundry without the use of heavy manual labor.

The first half of the 20th century can be considered the era of the development of semi-automatic washing machines. At this time, many industrial enterprises specializing in the production of washing machines appeared. The bright representative was the company Miele, which to this day is a leader in the production of washing machines, only now automatic.

• In 1911, Upton built a small factory for the production of semi-automatic washing machines, this factory later became the Whirlpool Corporation, which continues to thrive to this day.
• In 1916, in Italy, Antonio Zanussi opened a small workshop for the production of electric washing machines. A little later, production turned into the largest company in Italy, and after some time this company became transnational.
• In 1930, Lee Byung-chul built a mill in Korea where he began to produce rice flour. From that moment began the history of the Samsung company, which produces, among other things, washing machines. This is the largest technology company in South Korea.

The list can be continued for a very long time, because at that time there were about 2,000 enterprises in the world that specialized in the production of home appliances, including washing machines. Semi-automatic washing machines greatly facilitated the work of housewives, however, it was still far from fully automated washing.

automatic machine

In the first half of the 20th century, semi-automatic washing machines flooded the market and were very common in Europe and America. In 1951, the situation began to change because the first automatic washing machine appeared. This washer was already very similar to the modern one, since it had a spin function. The machine had two control toggle switches, one included the washing mode, and the other drying mode, there was no automatic switching between washing and drying.

In 1962, a representative of the Miele company invented the automatic washing machine, which was controlled by just one switch. The main problem of spinning washing machines of the 60s was that they squeezed things rather poorly, because the drum rotation speed did not exceed 600 revolutions. In 1970, a washing machine appeared, capable of wringing clothes at a speed of 1000 revolutions. It was very noisy, but the spin quality, as well as the quality of washing, was on top.

Note! The automatic washing machines of the 50s and 60s did a great job, but they were mechanically controlled.

In 1978, an engineer from Mile invented, and then a whole team of engineers launched, the first microprocessor-controlled automatic washing machine. This machine no longer required switching between washing and spinning modes. In fact, it was the first prototype of a modern automatic washing machine. Modern automatic washing machines are able to perform a full cycle of laundry care, they have the following functions:

1. drying;
2. easy ironing;
3. bubble wash;
4. automatic weighing of linen;
5. smart washing;
6. washing of certain types of fabric and others.

So we talked briefly about the foreign history of washing machines, including touching on the question of who first invented the washing machine. If you are interested in more details, read the publication of the same name on our website.

Russian models

With the history of washing machines in Europe and America, in general terms, everything is clear, but what about in Russia? In the USSR, there were quite a lot of their own washing machines, although often the prototypes of our Vyatok and Rig were foreign Huskvarns and Mile. Until 1925, there were no washing machines in Russia at all, then they began to be purchased in small quantities abroad for nomenclature workers.

After the Second World War, the economy of the USSR began to recover rapidly. Thousands of new enterprises appeared, thanks to the industrial capacities of which the USSR managed to launch the production of its own semi-automatic washing machines. So in 1949, the Riga RES enterprise launched the production of EAYA-2 and EAYA-3 machines. The cars went on sale in 1950, in order to buy them you had to stand in line, which could stretch for 5 years. Nevertheless, these were the first washing machines available to the mass consumer, produced in the USSR.

In 1966, in the USSR, on the basis of the Kirov Plant, the production of Vyatka washing machines was launched. They differed little from the "works" of the Riga plant, the same round washing tanks, and water had to be poured in a bucket. The first "Vyatka" had only one plus - a roller wringer was fixed on it. In the 70s, the industry of the USSR began to produce a whole series of washing machines. Almost every million-plus city had an enterprise manufacturing washing machines. At the same time, washing machines Volga, Chaika, Volna and others appeared in the USSR.

For your information! In some houses, you can still find similar washing machines. They are 40 or even 50 years old, and they work perfectly - Soviet quality.

The history of washing machines of the USSR did not end there. In the 80s, the same Kirov Plant launched the production of the first fully automatic washing machines in the USSR, Vyatka-Avtomat 12. Production of these machines was established at the expense of the Italian concern producing Ariston equipment. Vyatka-automatic 12 "is a copy of one of the models of Ariston washing machines.

Subsequently, the USSR collapsed, and Russian industry was in decline. Gradually, foreign companies appeared on the Russian market, which launched the production of automatic washing machines. At present, it is quite common to find Russian-made Samsung, LG, Ariston, Whirlpool, Bosch, Indesit washing machines, however, their quality still leaves much to be desired. Russian-made washing machines are not valued.

In conclusion, we note that even historians can hardly answer the question of who and when invented the very first washing machine. It is believed that the first washing machine was made in the middle of the 19th century, and it is from this moment that the existence of this invention should be counted. We have no choice but to agree with this statement, especially since we cannot refute it.

What is the washing process scientifically? This is the transition of a thing from one state - dirty, to a qualitatively different - clean. From the point of view of a simple housewife, this is just dirty linen, hot water, detergent (for example, soap or powder), hands, and as a result of the addition of these components - clean linen. But how to replace hands? How? Crush clothes like grapes with your feet? Linen is not grapes, it will not become cleaner from crushing. So it turned out that only hands - and nothing more.

Navigators approached the issue in an original way - many centuries ago, and, by the way, they did it, almost until recently. To wash clothes, they began to use the movement of their ship: the clothes were tied to a rope and thrown overboard. The foam jet quickly washed away all the dirt from the fabric. Meanwhile, on the shore, the sailors' friends were rubbing linen on stones, using sand as an abrasive for greater efficiency. So the first of the components of washing was found - a mechanical effect on the fabric. As for the second - chemical - component, then a man discovered it a very long time ago. During archaeological excavations on the Sapo hill in Rome, the remains of the most ancient soap were found, for the preparation of which ash and fat of animals sacrificed to the gods were used. Ash, by the way, was used as a fine abrasive in almost all countries. There is evidence that the ancient Slavic women, the ancient Albanians of Caucasian Albania, the original inhabitants of the American continents - Indian women, etc. washed their linen with ash.

Yes, washing clothes has always been a primordially female affair and one of the first female professions, one might even say that the very first. So the opinion that the first oldest profession is prostitution, and the second is journalism, is fiction. And about the second - the inventions of the journalists themselves. Laundress - here she is, the first! The services of laundresses have always been in great demand, and their work was very hard: from early spring to late autumn, they rinsed clothes in running water, kneeling on wooden walkways. And in winter - and in the hole, in ice water. However, before they began to rinse, the linen was first boiled at home in a cauldron, and then heavy baskets were carried to the river or pond. The walkways for rinsing clothes turned into a kind of women's club, however, a kind of club - they did not rest there, but worked hard. From this "club", to the unanimous joy of the assembled women, any man was expelled with a wet rag. It's not a man's job to wash clothes!

In the city, of course, there were no bridges near the reservoirs, so the laundry was washed in special rooms - laundries. And laundresses had a narrow specialization. Some washed table and bed linen, the second - delicate cambric shirts that require careful handling. The work of the second was valued more, as it required more qualifications. Although the first spent much more purely physical effort. Wealthy citizens could afford to have a washerwoman separately for underwear and separately for everything else. The less wealthy were content with a two-in-one laundress. Women who did not have the opportunity to use the services of a laundress, arranged a big laundry in the house about once a month. As a rule, only underwear and bed linen, towels, children's clothes were washed. Everything else - men's camisoles and trousers made of wool and velvet, ladies' silk dresses, embroidered corsages and frock coats - were not washed at all, but only kept over steam and then brushed. Kind of like dry cleaning. True, as for the Middle Ages, in those troubled centuries, linen was washed extremely rarely - cleanliness is a sin, as the Church taught.

In the East, the services of laundresses were always used, because everything was exactly the opposite: purity is half of faith (as it says in the Koran). There are at least two explanations for why the first washing machines appeared. According to the first explanation, they were invented by caring husbands in order to facilitate the work of their beloved wives. According to the second impetus for engineering thought, the need to wash a large number of unmarried men concentrated in one place, who gathered, for example, in the towns of gold miners, in seaports, and the like, served as an impetus for engineering. Most likely, both explanations are correct.

Probably the very first attempt to mechanize the laborious washing procedure was made in ancient Babylon. Rock carvings of large wooden wheels with blades have come down to us, rotating which the Babylonian washerwomen “shoveled” wet linen in large vats.

In 1797, there was a revolution in the field of washing clothes - a washboard was created, a device for minimally mechanizing the washing process. The younger generation, who is now fifteen or twenty, do not even know what it is. And this is a board with a tin ribbed surface, on which linen was rubbed. Thus, the load on the hands was reduced. The washboard was used right up to the second half of the last century in the remote places of our ball, including the Soviet Union, because buying a washing machine was the height of dreams.

Back in the mid-80s, the primitive "", a bucket with a motor, as the wits called it, was sold in Moscow only with a Moscow residence permit. Yes, even with the queue. The queue could last several months. To get in line, some smart provincial women dreamed of marriage with a Muscovite (this moment is well beaten in the movie "The Blonde Around the Corner"). But we are getting ahead of ourselves, so let's go back to the old days.

The best minds were occupied with the problem of mechanization of washing. So, in the papers of the great poet and thinker Goethe, descriptions of a hypothetical device, a washing machine, dating back to the second half of the 18th century, were found. However, in reality, such ideas were first embodied not by scientists, but by ordinary people - peasants and gold diggers.

American farmers and peasants of Western Europe, whose farms, earlier than factories in cities, were equipped with steam engines to drive agricultural mechanisms, in order to facilitate the work of their wives, made strong barrels, inside of which a crosspiece rotated (now we would call it activator). The rotation was carried out from the drive belt or gear. The devices turned out to be quite attractive in appearance, their design did not stand still, acquiring ingenious devices. No wonder vintage washing machines are the pride of some antiques museums.

In the middle of the 19th century, such inventions began to be patented. The first washing machine was patented by an American named James King back in 1851. By the way, it was very similar to a modern typewriter - with a rotating drum. That's just the drive of his car was manual. Since that time, the process of inventing various options for washing machines has gone at a rapid pace.

Until 1871 alone, more than two thousand patents for various laundry appliances could be counted in America alone. True, many of them were not suitable for use and did not receive further development, because. the ideas underlying them were not viable. Basically, these devices processed only one piece of clothing at a time. It is clear that such a machine had no prospects. But some specimens deserve special attention.

So, for example, in 1853, a gold digger from California designed a device that washed one and a half to two dozen shirts or a dozen trousers at one time. For this, ten mules were harnessed, and the man did not waste his strength. The inventor took some remuneration for washing and felt pretty good. Apparently, the gold diggers paid him gold dust. And what else could you pay in those years in California?

The device was very cumbersome and would not have remained in history if it were not for one thing: it was one of the first public laundries, and the “ten-power” unit was the first “laundromat” in history, that is, a paid washing unit. In 1856, another American - Moore - received a "privilege" (patent) for another device for washing clothes, which was very original. It was a wooden box on wheels, over which a wooden frame of complex design moved. Laundry was put into the box, half filled with small, smoothly polished wooden balls and poured with washing solution on top. The lever-actuated frame moved up and down, the balls rolled over the linen, simulating the movement of many hands. Most likely, after each wash, the balls had to be washed by hand. In fact, it was a “washboard in reverse” - it was not the linen that moved along the ribbed surface of the board, but the surface (in this case, the balls) - along the linen.

However, the world went the other way - by drum-type machines or containers with rotating elements that rolled laundry inside the container. Agree, it’s more convenient than balls in a box! In the future, the design idea did not stand still, the machines spread and improved, step by step becoming more convenient and safer. But the countdown of the era of washing machines did not begin until their real mass production was established.

As for the source of energy, almost all the mechanisms of the first washing machines were set in motion with the help of the muscular strength of animals or humans. This was the case until the end of the 19th century. Such was the car of William Blackstone, which this resident of Indiana in 1874 presented to his wife on her birthday. From here, apparently, the version arose that the caring husband invented the washing machine. This machine also had a manual drive. Blackstone's invention went down in history as the first household washing machine. And, perhaps, the first mass-produced for sale: Mr. Blackstone, like a true businessman, soon set up the production and sale of his cars for two and a half dollars apiece. It is precisely because his typewriter was serial that Blackstone is considered the inventor of the washing machine. Interestingly, the company founded by Blackstone continues to produce washing machines to this day.

The most important and inalienable attribute was the manual rolls for wringing clothes, invented in 1861. Although, I must say, this was the “invention of the bicycle”: rolls for squeezing linen existed in the early Middle Ages in Rus' - housewives passed linen between two rolls, and this made it possible to remove excess water. In this case, they were simply made mechanical. Such rolls have taken their place on the body of the washing machine for almost a century and a half, and until recently they were equipped with the simplest semi-automatic machines. But the true countdown of the era of washing machines begins with their serial mass production. And it happened not in America, but in Europe.

In 1900, a German firm that produced milk separators began making butter churns - wooden tubs with hand-rotating blades. At the same time, the company's engineer Carl Miele came up with an ingeniously simple idea: to slightly modify this design and adapt it for washing clothes. The idea was brought to life, and the world recognized almost a real washing machine. The serial production of such washing machines began in the same year, and they began to enjoy unexpectedly high demand. Therefore, 1900 can be considered the year of the birth of the washing machine in Europe.

The smart idea was picked up by other manufacturers, and various European companies began to produce wooden washing machines. By the way, not without curiosities. When a batch of German washing machines was brought to the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century, the savvy Russians quickly adapted them to... butter churns! That is, where they started, so they ended. The party was instantly sold out, and the linen continued to be washed by hand in the river.

A revolution in the development of washing machines was the use of a motor - at first it could be either a gasoline internal combustion engine or an electric motor. In the American town of Eton, in the state of Colorado, there is an unusual museum. Its owner and caretaker, Lee Maxwell, has been collecting early 20th century washing machines for many years. Now the collection of Maxwell has over six hundred devices, the vast majority of which were restored by him and are now in working order. Some are incredibly beautiful! Modern home appliance design - what could be better? The cases of washing machines were decorated with carvings, inlays, and castings. All the frills can not be counted! What about forms? They are literally adorable! However, the first washing machines sometimes looked so that it is simply impossible to guess from the first time that it is a washing machine in front of you.

Further improvement in production technology made it possible to design a washing machine with an electric drive. It happened in 1908. And a new era in the development of washing machines began.

The “electric laundress” called Thor was invented by the American Alva Fisher, who went down in history as the creator of a new class of electrical household appliances. It was patented in 1910 by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago. Fisher's machine had a wooden drum that made eight rotations, first in one direction, then in the other direction. In order to bring the drum rotation mechanism into engagement with the motor shaft, there was a lever at the bottom of the machine. All transmission mechanisms of the machine were open - the safety of the consumer in those days was not too much taken care of. This does not mean that the designers or manufacturers were ruthless and indifferent people, there were simply no precedents, and not everyone could assume any danger from the mechanism in the future. In this, people, in general, have remained exactly the same now. They will invent some kind of collider, but they don’t think about what it can lead to at all. Museum curator Lee Maxwell says that once, when he was talking about this to a group of museum visitors, one elderly woman leaned over and showed a huge scar on the back of her head in embarrassment. As a little girl, she helped her mother during the laundry, and the girl's hair was pulled into the wringer rolls.

In the future, Fisher's washing machines were called activator-type machines, and machines in which water was set in motion with the help of a small screw and many blades, forcing the water to move in a circle, became known as turbine ones. The division of the machine into activator and turbine has in some way been preserved to this day - in America, preference is still given to the first, and in Europe drum washing machines are used more. As control devices in the very first non-automated machines of the activator type, mechanical timers were used, which are time relays. With their help, this or that washing or spinning time was set, the program was only partially automated - the hostess needed to be near the machine all the time in order to open and close the water supply tap, turn the electric motor on and off and perform other operations. This, of course, was inconvenient, but we understand this inconvenience, and the housewives of the early twentieth century were happy to have such an assistant in the house.

Then the housewives learned and fell in love with drum washing machines, front-loading and top-loading machines, with the function of spinning and drying washed clothes ... But all this was later, but for now ... So far, since the invention of Fisher's electric washing machine, the expansion and improvement of the production of washing machines continued to grow, and by 1920, there were about 1,400 companies producing cars in the US alone! The vast majority of them have long been forgotten, others continue to grow and develop. Basically, all companies cared only about the performance of their basic functions by machines - all drives and parts were still open and there was still no question of any consumer safety. The then little-known company decided to break this foundation, which, by the way, now feels great on the market and is still a manufacturer of excellent washing machines. Already in 1911, the first cars produced by this company have devices aimed at improving consumer safety - all running parts of the car were covered with plastic lining. In addition, Whirlpool reduces the noise produced by the engine and moving parts of the machine, employs good designers in its staff, and offers the buyer a choice of several body colors. From a rather clumsy and bulky device, the washing machine turns into an elegant electrical appliance.

Soon, competitors followed the leader, and the further technical evolution of washing machines was accompanied not only by new technical solutions, but also by their aesthetic improvement. Washing machines began to become widespread around the world by the 30s of the last century. They were in almost every home - in Europe and in America. Except, of course, the Soviet Union. In Europe, the leader, of course, was Germany, a big fan of electrical household appliances. This led to massive closures of public laundries for lack of customers, although American sociologists note that as early as 1920, the appearance of a household washing machine "brought washing back into the house." Up to this point, machine washing already existed, but in the form of public laundries, where housewives handed over linen.

The boom in washing machines and the appearance of such in every home caused massive layoffs of domestic workers. The advent of the washing machine, affordable and compact enough to fit in an apartment, transformed the American woman from a consumer of services (in this case, laundry services) to a consumer of technological goods, which contributed to the rapid growth of the corresponding industry. So the mechanization of labor simply ousted human labor from many households. According to American statistics, in just one decade - from 1910 to 1920 - the number of domestic servants in the United States decreased by 400 thousand people. The advent of electrical appliances (and by 1925, 53.2 percent of homes in the United States were electrified), primarily washing machines, made it possible to get rid of hand washing and laundresses. This, of course, could not please the laundresses, but who listened to them? As a result, by 1926, 900 thousand washing machines were sold in America at an average price of $ 150 apiece, and by 1935 the fleet of machines reached 1.4 million units with an average price of a machine of 60 (!) Dollars.

In 1948, the first automatic washing machine was released. This has been a real breakthrough! Now washing has become an elementary and simple matter. Gone are kneeling on rickety footbridges near cold pools, thick heavy steam in laundries, the hard work of women, their red chapped hands... Washing machines have come a long way before appearing before us in their current form, the technologies used have improved and control system.

In current, fully automatic washing machines, all procedures are performed by the machine independently - water is filled, heated and drained, there is a programmed transition from one operation to another, several washing modes and automatic shutdown at the end of work. The type of fabric is taken into account, for this there are several washing modes. Well, except that she still cannot independently load laundry, washing solution and powder, as well as unload after squeezing and drying.

But, despite all this, human participation in washing is minimized. But this is not the limit. Not so long ago, for example, an interesting novelty appeared on the market - an ultrasonic washing machine. Actually, this is not a machine, but a small activator with a wire, the size of a hockey puck, which is placed in the middle of a container with washing solution and dirty laundry. A piezoceramic emitter excites ultrasonic vibrations, which form a huge number of microscopic bubbles in the solution, which break the adhesion of contaminated microparticles to the fibers of products and facilitate their removal by surfactants of washing powder or soap. Thus, the cleaning of the fibers of the fabric occurs from the inside, which makes it possible to achieve a high washing efficiency. At first, the world perceived the appearance of such machines ambiguously. Like, they came up with some nonsense, they are fooling our brother. In fact, the quality of washing in such a washing machine is somewhere in the middle between hand washing with subsequent boiling and washing in an automatic machine with a bleaching function. So if you need to wash something that is not too dirty or worn, such a baby is the cutest thing! The amount of laundry is not limited - only the required washing time depends on it. Among other things, ultrasound is quite effective in killing germs. Unfortunately, it does not know how to squeeze ultrasound. Rinse too. Of course, the main advantage of this laundry appliance, which the tongue does not dare to call a "washing machine", is its small size and power consumption, which is only a few watts. Therefore, such a machine is indispensable for travelers and business travelers, summer residents and villagers whose houses are not connected to the central water supply, as well as for residents of some areas of our city, where water is given per hour by a teaspoon or once a year by promise.

As for the washing machines familiar to us, the choice is now truly cosmic! For any size, for any volume. Modern washing machines are built into kitchen furniture, can have a reduced depth (for small rooms), have a stylish design and different color variations, work with reduced noise, connect to the Internet and have many other innovations. It remains only to choose. And this, perhaps, will be more difficult than washing several kilograms of dirty laundry by hand!

A washing machine is an essential household appliance. Modern equipment of this type is inexpensive and can save its owners a lot of time. And in fact, even light summer clothes are very difficult to wash by hand, not to mention winter clothes. But who invented the washing machine and when was the first such unit designed and assembled?

Laundry in antiquity

When exactly people learned to wash dirt from clothes with water is not known for certain. But it happened, of course, quite a long time ago. Primitive people were engaged in washing, of course, hardly. However, historians managed to find out that a mixture of fats and alkalis, designed to remove dirt from clothes, was made more than 5 thousand years ago in ancient Sumer and Babylon.

Soap legend

In relation to the invention of soap by people, there is even one interesting ancient legend. According to legend, the Latin word sapo (soap) comes from the name of Mount Sapo in Ancient Rome. In this place, according to legend, once upon a time sacrifices were made to the gods. The fat released during the burning of animals was subsequently washed away by rains into the Tiber flowing under the mountain. Soon, the ancient housewives noticed that the best way to wash clothes in the river is right next to the place of sacrifice.

Where was the washing machine invented: the first mechanical devices

With the invention of soap, removing dirt from laundry has certainly become much easier. However, the washing procedure was still quite heavy. And of course, a person has repeatedly tried to facilitate this process using various kinds of mechanical devices.

We will talk about who first invented the washing machine a little later. The inventors of the primitive technology of lightweight washing in ancient times were ordinary sailors. They simply wetted their dirty clothes with water, lathered them thoroughly, tied them to a rope and threw them out of the ship into the sea.

In the middle of the XIX century. one of the American gold diggers came up with the idea of ​​​​using the power of animals to wash things. In 1851, this entrepreneur designed a primitive device driven by 12 mules. When answering the question of who invented the washing machine, one should first of all remember this particular person. However, his specific name and surname in history, unfortunately, have not been preserved. In any case, the machine invented by the gold digger worked quite efficiently. At one time, she could wash up to 15 shirts.

Thus, the answer to the question of which country invented the washing machine is the United States. Later, enterprising Americans, who guessed to use pack animals for washing, even opened the world's first paid laundry.

The most convenient mechanical washing device was invented in the 19th century. American Jace King. The machine he made looked like a tub with a perforated cylinder on a rotating axle. This mechanism had to be set in motion manually. But this device, of course, still greatly facilitated the washing process.

Although King's invention was extremely imperfect, it gave impetus to the implementation of many other ideas for washing machines. Already by 1827, for example, about 2000 such mechanisms had been patented.

When did serial production start?

William Blackstone was the first person to put into production a mechanical washing device. This inventor invented his typewriter and assembled it specially for his wife's birthday in 1874. Later, convenient mechanical equipment began to bring a good income to the family.

In Europe, mechanical washing machines first began to be produced in 1900. The German Karl Miele became the inventor of a new equipment designed to remove dirt from clothes in this part of the world. The machine assembled by him on the basis of a butter churn worked. A small batch of such mechanisms at that time was also brought to Russia.

The world's first electric model

Mechanical washing devices produced since the middle of the 19th century. before the beginning of the 20th century, of course, could make life easier for housewives. Laundries in those days were very popular among the population. But who invented the modern version of the washing machine, that is, with an electric motor?

Such a model was first developed in 1908 by the American Alva Fisher. After electric machines went on sale, it became unnecessary to spend physical strength on washing. However, the ultra-modern Fisher machines at that time had one rather serious drawback. Unfortunately, they weren't safe. All parts of these units were open.

The unit was called Fisher Thor. The machine was equipped with a drum made of wood and rotated alternately in one direction or the other. At the bottom of this equipment there was a special lever, through which the device rotating the drum was engaged with the shaft of the electric motor. In 1910, Thor machines were put into mass production by the Hurley Machine Company.

The evolution of washing machines in the 20th century

In the XIX and early XX centuries. companies produced mainly industrial machines used in paid laundries. Compact units suitable for installation in private homes appeared on sale only in the 20s of the XX century.

By this time, more than 1000 companies were producing washing machines. All sorts of changes were constantly made to the design of this equipment, aimed at improving its ease of use and safety.

It was in the 20s of the last century that the wooden cisterns of washing machines were replaced with metal enameled ones. At the same time, two types of such equipment that still exist today were determined. Vertical machines and more convenient and expensive drum machines were supplied to the market.

In 1924, among other things, devices appeared on sale that were designed not only for washing, but also for squeezing linen. The American company Savage Arms Company was the first to supply such units to the market.

Who invented the washing machine

In subsequent years, models with mechanical timers and drain pumps appeared on the market, among other things. Such machines, of course, were already very convenient to use. However, the housewives still had to constantly be near the washing machine - turn the water supply tap on and off, start and stop the engine, etc.

The first truly fully automated unit appeared on the market only in 1951. Unfortunately, it is not known who invented the automatic washing machine. The surname of the inventor has not been preserved in history. In any case, the new machine was very convenient to use. The automatic unit had a spin function and two control toggle switches.

New generation equipment

So, who invented the washing machine is unknown. In any case, such devices were convenient to use, but, of course, they still required improvement.

In the 70s of the last century, washing machines began, among other things, to be equipped with microprocessors. After that, the drying function, which was not very popular due to inefficiency, appeared in the units. Also, new devices could wash clothes in different modes.

In the mid-90s, the Fuzzy Logic system was developed, which became a real revolution in the production of washing machines. Equipment began to be supplied to the market that can independently control the temperature of the water, the volume of loaded things, the concentration of detergents, etc.

Washing machines in the USSR: interesting facts

So, we found out. The world's first mechanical device was assembled by an unknown American gold digger. The electric model of such household appliances was invented by Fischer.

European and American housewives began using washing machines as early as the beginning of the 20th century. In the USSR, such equipment appeared only in 1925. Unfortunately, only the wives of party nomenklatura could use it in those days. Cars were imported to the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s, mainly from America.

Simple Soviet housewives were forced to wash on ordinary corrugated boards almost until the very “thaw”. They began to be produced directly only in the middle of the century.

The first washing household units were supplied to Soviet stores from the Baltic states. The Riga RES plant was engaged in their manufacture. The first cars that appeared in the 50s were called "EAYA-2" and "EAYA-3". The price of these units was about 600 rubles. at a cost of 1500 rubles. After some time, a new generation of washing machines appeared in stores - Riga 54, into which it was possible to load up to 2.5 kg of laundry.

The first unit with a timer in the USSR was released in 1966. It was a new Vyatka machine, a huge vertical tank with a screw in the bottom. The first units with a timer were a real shortage and were sold exclusively in Moscow.

The answer to the question of where the washing machine was invented is, of course, America. It was in the USA that the most convenient and functional units of this type were originally produced. However, household appliances of this variety produced in the last century in the Soviet Union were quite reliable and ergonomic.

In the 70s of the last century, in the USSR, under the license of the Italian company Merloni Elektrodomestici, an enterprise was built that began to produce Vyatka-automatic machines. These units were twin sisters of the Ariston models and were very popular with Soviet housewives.

The first "Vyatka-automatic machines" appeared on sale in 1980. These units were quite expensive - about 400 rubles. (two salaries of a Soviet engineer). But they still bought them very willingly.

Before scientific and technological progress began to steadily gain momentum, washing methods and detergents were primitive. The first washing machine radically turned the life of a person and confidently entered people's homes. If you are interested in the history of its creation, you have come to the right place - we will tell you the most entertaining moments of the appearance of washing machines.

It is difficult to say unequivocally who was the first to create a washing machine - in the past years, patent offices constantly received applications for registration of devices that facilitate washing. They were weakly similar to modern SMA, but they can be confidently called progenitors.

Interesting. A Californian gold digger created the original washing machine in 1851. This “machine” washed about 10 shirts in one go. Mules were used as the "engine". He no longer had to "wash" the gold, instead he provided washing services to colleagues who paid off the enterprising inventor with the gold they found. It is known that the first laundry was opened due to the need for laundry from bachelors. Perhaps this refers to the story of the prospectors for gold.

Attention! If you're in Eaton, Colorado, visit the Washing Machine Museum founded by Lee Maxwell. It contains a whole collection of devices of the XX century. Today, you can see more than 600 exhibits in it. The main thing is that they all work, so you can clearly see the principle of operation of each of the machines.

Machines with an engine

Washing has changed dramatically after the appearance of washing machines with motors. Some of them were gasoline, the rest were electric.

The Thor model, assembled in Chicago in 1908, got into serial production. The creator of the machine, A. Fischer, was known as the inventor of a technique that was unique at that time.

In the early 1920s, there were more than 1,300 organizations in the United States alone that launched the production of SM. Not everyone was destined to firmly consolidate their position in the market, so not many have survived to this day. From the "old-timers" of the washing machine market, the company "Whirlpool Corporation" can be distinguished.

The improvement of washing machines continued - all dangerous parts and assemblies were gradually hidden and covered with panels, the appearance of the equipment was more and more conducive to its purchase.

Such a "boom" provoked changes in the social structure of society - after the invention of most household appliances, the need for servants disappeared, and queues disappeared in laundries, most of them closed. By the mid-1950s, 1.4 million washing machines had been sold. At that time, the cost of the machine was at the level of 60 US dollars.

It is difficult to say who created the first machine - the history of this technique covers entire countries and too many inventors and entrepreneurs. And it is almost impossible to decide when the first machine appeared - due to the fact that the first inventions bore little resemblance to the current CMA.

Stages of evolution

• 1920s Wooden tanks were replaced by enameled metal counterparts.
• 30s. At this time, pumps powered by electricity began to be used. A timer was added to the design of the machines.
• 1949 This year the first programmer was invented and the production of the first automatic washing machine was launched.
• 50s For the first time the function of automatic wringing out of linen is realized.
• 78th year. A model with a microprocessor has been created.
• The beginning of the XXI century - the integration of SMA into the "smart home" system.

From the beginning of the 90s to the present day, manufacturers have been supplementing and improving the design of washing machines, adding options and functions, and unique innovative technologies.

In the 50s, on the shelves of Soviet stores, you could choose from two models - EAYA-2 and EAYA-3, these machines were assembled in Riga. The design, like other Soviet devices, was little like foreign counterparts - these machines looked more like rockets.

"Vyatka"

Activator SM "Vyatka" went on sale in the 66th year. The design is obscenely simple - a tank in the form of a barrel and an engine. In the 16 years that have passed between the release of "EAA" and "Vyatka", nothing has changed, except for the design and additions in the form of a timer.

Semi-automatic models with centrifuge

"Barrels" with a motor continued to be produced without any attempts to improve them. Reliability was positioned as the main advantage. Models with centrifuges became that “breakthrough” (in the meantime, the Americans were wrung out in automatic mode).

The first spinning machine was produced under the brand name "Siberia" (a harsh machine is a harsh name).

Automata

In the 70s, buyers finally saw automatic cars (20 years later than in the whole world). The first prototype was "Eureka", although it did not reach the machine: the water had to be poured on its own. But the laundry was already wrung out in the same drum where it was washed.

Vyatka-automat has been evolving for almost 15 years, and a lot has changed over the years. They were manufactured under license from Merloni Eletrodomestici (Italy). The model already had a couple of programs. This is the only washing machine that did not become a shortage in the Union - it was released during the "stagnation", and it cost 400 rubles (decent money at that time).

Interesting! To buy an SMA, it was necessary to bring a certificate to the store stating that the wiring in the house could withstand the load of the “gluttonous” device.

The next car "Volga-10" quickly lost the interest of buyers, as it was inferior to the "Vyatka-automatic" and consumed much more electricity.

Modern SMA

In modern models, discrete logic has been replaced by Fuzzy Logic(read more about it in the corresponding article). Its distinguishing feature is the mass of parameters that the user can set, as well as the information that the sensors read and report to the control unit.

In recent developments, Fuzzy Logic has been replaced by UseLogic– the system analyzes all parameters of the laundry, determining the optimal course of washing. During the regime itself, the processes are analyzed, researched and adjusted - this reduces the consumption of resources and detergents. At the same time, the quality of washing and the impeccable appearance of the linen are maintained.

Sensor clear water- a development that analyzes water pollution. If the sensor tells the board that the water is too cloudy, the system will automatically initiate an additional rinse.

You can endlessly discuss the cars of our time, but this is a topic for a separate article. And you have already learned the most interesting about the history of the emergence and development of this industry.

The washing machine is rightfully considered one of the most important inventions of mankind in the 20th century, which significantly eased the fate of women and deprived them of the fetters of communal slavery. Before the appearance of a simple washing machine, only a manual washing board was in use.

The first washing machine appeared with the light hand of Nathaniel Briggs from American New Hampshire back in 1797. The apparatus was a wooden tub with a moving frame. Due to the high labor costs, the invention did not take root.

When was the first washing machine

The thorny path to fame washing machine took place in the vastness of America. But there is no exact answer in what year the washing machine was invented, and who was the discoverer. For the right to be called such, several inventors of different devices are fighting at once.

The prototype of the drum washer

The first washing machine, which at least somehow looked like a modern drum, was patented only in 1851 by the American James King. This apparatus had a drum with holes for draining water, mounted on a rotating axis. Laundry and soapy water were placed in the drum, but the rotation was carried out manually.

The first public laundries opened in the California goldfields in the 1950s. Animals were used to start the mechanism. In one wash, it was possible to process a large amount of laundry at once.

After the first such successful experience, America was covered with a “washing” wave, and several thousand patents were issued within a few years. No, there were only a few workers, the rest remained on paper.

In 1861, the first mechanical addition appears, providing spin. The mechanism consisted of rotating rollers that clamped wet linen.

Mass production

William Blackstone is also credited with the first inventors of the washing machine. In 1874, an American designs a new model. It's simple - the "washerwoman" was developed as a gift for his wife's birthday. Later, it was this version that went into mass production. The company, founded by an inventive American, still makes washing machines.

In Europe, washing machines did not appear until 1900, when Miele & Cie offered a wooden butter churn with rotating blades. The European "discoverer" was the same Carl Miele.

Fact. Do-it-yourself washing machines have existed long before patented devices. Such machines worked in large American and European farmlands. The basis was a steam engine, a belt or gear drive was involved.

First electrically driven machine

In 1908, the first electric machine appears. The inventor was Alva Fisher, the machine was named Thor. A couple of years later, the Hurley Machine Company takes over mass production. The device was equipped with a wooden drum capable of rotating in both directions. There was also a lever for coupling the rotator to the motor shaft.

By 1920, more than a thousand companies fought for a buyer and offered not at all antediluvian mechanisms, but compact equipment. Wood has finally been replaced with durable enameled steel. It is now possible to wring out laundry in the drum, drain pumps and mechanical timers have appeared.

At this time, the machines were just divided into two types: activator with vertical loading and an activator at the bottom, and drum machines - more complex and not so reliable, they were distinguished by gentle washing and water saving.

Despite the innovations and the updated look of the machines, the housewives still had to monitor the progress of the wash, providing water supply, draining, switching the timer and so on.

Who and when invented the machine

The first automated washing machine appeared in America in 1949. At this time, such a profession as a laundress disappears, now it is enough for housewives to load laundry into the washing machine and start the process.

The end of the 70s was marked by the appearance of a microprocessor in typewriters and the appearance of a drying function, however, too uneconomical at that time. Now users can choose the desired washing mode. Machines of various sizes appear - depending on the needs of the user.

The last years of the 20th century gave the world the revolutionary Fuzzy Logic system, which allows you to control the temperature and hardness of water, the amount of laundry and the required amount of detergent, and, of course, a lot of program options to choose from.

Recently, manufacturers have focused on the development of "smart" technologies such as self-selection of the mode, an automatic sensor system, searching for solutions to problems on the Internet.