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Who knew history could be so much fun? Find out about the inventors of the vacuum cleaner, the toaster, the iron and the telephone in these books I've written about our familiar household appliances, and see some of the strange ways people handled these household chores through the ages.
Before the vacuum cleaner was invented, people had to carry their carpets outdoors and beat them to get rid of the dust. As I was researching this book, I found out that the first major improvement on this arrangement was a type of cleaner that blew compressed air onto a dusty carpet. The compressed air was supposed to blow the dust up into the air, where an assistant stood with a box, ready to catch it! Did you know that the man who invented the upright vacuum cleaner had allergies? James Murray Spangler invented the vacuum cleaner in order to keep his janitor job and stop sneezing.
Click here to read an excerpt from Vacuum Cleaners.
A Scholastic Reading Counts! Title An Accelerated Reader Title
People have always loved toast. In ancient times, bread was so valuable it was used for money in some places! But bread got moldy too fast, so people started toasting it, first over an open fire, and then over a stove. The catch was that you had to watch your toast very carefully, or you'd end up with black, smelly, charred bread, instead of a crunchy treat. Charles Strite invented the pop-up toaster because he was fed up with burnt cafeteria toast.
Click here to read an excerpt from Toasters.
Chosen as a selection for the "Book It" 1999-2000 theme: "An Amazing Century: A New Millennium."
An
Accelerated Reader Title
Ancient Romans liked pleats in their togas, so they ironed for fashion, probably the way you do today. But fashion isn't the only reason the iron was invented! In warm climates, insects lay their larvae in moist places - like clothes that have just been washed! Ironing the clothes dried them out quickly and killed any bugs that had settled in. Before electricity, people had to heat heavy irons on the fireplace or the stove. Modern irons were more convenient, but they could get so hot they'd scorch the clothes - and the person ironing! But a kid came to the rescue. Fourteen-year-old Joseph Myers decided his mother's new electric iron needed an automatic heat control, and invented one.
An
Accelerated Reader Title
People have always tried to get their messages across, whether they used drums, signal fires, flags or runners. Even before the telephone was invented, people used the word "telephone." But it referred to speaking tubes, instead of telephones as you know them today. Did you think Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone? Think again! The original inventor was actually Philipp Reis, a German schoolteacher. Reis invented the first telephone in 1860 so he could listen in on his students!
Click here to read an excerpt from Telephones.
Learn about the history of these inventions,
and have fun with hands-on activities. You can build your own
vacuum cleaner or telephone, try out tasty toaster recipes, and
make an iron-on shirt for yourself or a quilt with your class.