The Vacuum Cleaner

Vacuum Cleaner

Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The name of the person credited with inventing the Vacuum Cleaner is Daniel Hess (1831 - 1916). Daniel Hess is not only famous as the American inventor of the Vacuum Cleaner but also as a businessman and entrepreneur. When was the Vacuum Cleaner invented? Daniel Hess invented the Vacuum Cleaner in 1860, during the Second US Industrial Revolution / Victorian period of invention (1850 - 1914).

Definition of the Vacuum Cleaner: The Vacuum Cleaner is defined as a labor saving household device that uses an air pump, to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from carpets and floors, and also from other surfaces such as upholstery and curtains.

 

Facts about who invented the Vacuum Cleaner

 

 Inventions and Inventors Index

 

Fact File about the Invention of the Vacuum Cleaner: Invention: Vacuum Cleaner *** Date of Invention: 1860 *** Name of Inventor: Daniel Hess *** Lifespan of Inventor: 1831 - 1916 *** Nationality of Inventor: American *** Historical Period: Second US Industrial Revolution / Victorian (1850 - 1914) *** Category: Household Items *** Country of Origin: America *** Facts about the Inventor, Daniel Hess, and the invention of the Vacuum Cleaner ***

Fact 1: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The Vacuum Cleaner was invented by Daniel Hess in 1860 during the Second US Industrial Revolution era of inventions (1850 - 1914).

Fact 2: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? Prior to the invention of the Vacuum Cleaner in 1860, brooms and mops were used to sweep or clean the floor. Rugs were taken outside, hung on a line and were beaten with a carpet beater to beat out as much dirt as possible.

Fact 3: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The invention of the steam-operated loom for weaving in 1785 by Edmund Cartwright (1743 - 1823) made rugs and carpets more affordable and led to the development of various mechanical cleaning devices.

Fact 4: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The  home carpet sweeper was invented in 1858 by H. H. Herrick of East Boston, Massachusetts, but it was a complex device and lacked suction which limited its success.

Fact 5: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? Electricity was in its infancy in the 1800's and Electricity only become available as a source of power in homes during the late 19th century.

Fact 6: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The Industrial Revolution witnessed countless advancements in science and technology but it was also responsible for the dramatic increase in factories that poured out smoke, soot, dirt and pollution.

Fact 7: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? In the late 1850's the work of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch provided convincing evidence of the connection between dirt and germs leading to the spread of disease. As the knowledge of disease increased so did concerns about cleanliness, health and hygiene.

Fact 8: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The early mechanical sweepers had rapidly rotating brushes that  pushed dirt inside into the sweeper. It was Daniel Hess who came up with the idea to build a device that used air to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt. 

Fact 9: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The inventor of the Vacuum Cleaner, Daniel Hess, was born on August 6, 1831 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States and died on May 18, 1916.

Fact 10: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The early years of Daniel Hess were spent in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States and he was raised by his family in West Union, Iowa. His father's name was John Hess and his mother's name was Magdalena Musser Hess. Daniel Hess had one sister called Martha Hess.

Fact 11: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? Little is known about the personal life of Daniel Hess other the names of his family. He married a local girl called Eliza J Wade Hess and the couple had one son named Amos M. Hess (1867 - 1943).

Fact 12: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? Daniel Hess developed his invention to facilitate the removal of dirt and dust and was granted patent number 29,077 on July 10, 1860. His patent states that his device drew "fine dust and dirt through the machine by means of a draft of air". Daniel Hess called his invention a 'carpet sweeper' - the term 'Vacuum Cleaner' was coined much later in 1919 by another inventor called Hubert Cecil Booth.     

Fact 13: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The device invented by Daniel Hess had a rotating brush like other earlier mechanical carpet sweepers, but his machine also possessed an elaborate bellows mechanism that created "a continuous current of air up through the machine" to generate air suction. The device also incorporated two "water chambers" to capture the dust and dirt which cleansed the air as it passed through the device. When the water was dirty it was removed and replenished with a fresh supply.

Fact 14: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The story of the invention of the first 'Vacuum Cleaner' by Daniel Hess ends at this point. There is no evidence that his machine was ever manufactured on a large scale. The history of Daniel Hess ends with his death on on May 18, 1916.

Fact 15: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The development of the Vacuum Cleaner moved on when, in 1869, an inventor called Ives McGaffey of Chicago patented an "Improved sweeping-machine" that he called the "Whirlwind". Patent number 91,145 was issued for his device on June 8, 1869. His "Whirlwind" sweeping-machine created suction with a hand-cranked, belt-driven fan that sucked up the dirt by a current of air.

Fact 16: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? Ives McGaffey arranged for the manufacture of the "Whirlwind" sweeping-machine via the American Carpet Cleaning Company who successfully marketed and sold the device in Boston and Chicago. The vast majority of the "Whirlwind" sweeping-machine were lost in the Great Chicago fire in 1871 and the Boston fire of 1872.

Fact 17: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? In 1876 Melville Reuben Bissell (1843 - 1889) patented a carpet sweeper with a central brush, rubber wheels, and other improvements on vacuum technology. Melville Bissell began selling carpet sweepers in 1883 and the famous Bissell corporation is named after him.

Fact 18: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? Ives McGaffey worked on the development of the Vacuum cleaner - the early models were hampered because customers had to crank the machine. In 1900 Ives McGaffey made an attempt to provide the device with an electric motor. His electric invention failed, but the concept was good, and other inventors worked on producing the first electric vacuum cleaner.

Fact 19: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? In 1899 John S. Thurman of St Louis, invented the gasoline powered vacuum cleaner which he patented on October 3, 1899, patent number 634,042. John S. Thurman's invention of a "pneumatic carpet renovator" is considered by many to be the first motorized vacuum cleaner. John S. Thurman sold the carpet cleaning service door to door, cleaning carpets and rugs for $4 per visit.

Fact 20: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The "pneumatic carpet renovator" invention of John S. Thurman was unable to suck dirt and dust. The ‘sucking’ feature of the vacuum cleaner  was invented upon by the British inventor Hubert Cecil Booth.

Fact 21: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? In 1901 the British engineer Hubert Cecil Booth (1871 - 1955) invented one of the first powered vacuum cleaners. His massive industrial sized device, which he called the "Puffing Billy". The "Puffing Billy" had a 5 hp piston pump driven by a petrol/gasoline engine or an electric motor. There were no brushes on the "Puffing Billy", dust was extracted entirely by the powerful suction through nozzles at the ends of long flexible tubes with a filter.

Fact 22: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? Hubert Cecil Booth founded the British Vacuum Cleaner Company and the the "Puffing Billy" was operated via a trolley that would be driven through the streets to the clients house. Using long tubing, the vacuum would be fed into the house, with the device itself remaining outside in the street.

Fact 23: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? As Electricity become available as a source of power in homes  the British Vacuum Cleaner Company developed portable vacuum cleaners that were were designed to work to be plugged electrical sockets in the home. The British Vacuum Cleaner Company launched the ‘Goblin’ brand in the 1920s.

Fact 24: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? In America Corinne Dufour from Savannah, Georgia acquired patent number 664135 dated December 18, 1900, for the electrically powered Carpet Sweeper and dust collector.

Fact 25: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The invention of the Vacuum Cleaner improved again when a janitor in Canton, Ohio called James Murray Spangler (1848 - 1915) invented the first portable, upright electric vacuum cleaner. James Murray Spangler was issued with patent number 889,823 on June 2, 1908 for his 'Electric Suction Sweeper' portable device.

Fact 26: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? James Murray Spangler gave one of his Electric Suction Sweepers to his cousin Susan Troxel Hoover (1846–1925). Susan Hoover was impressed with the Vacuum Cleaner and showed it to her husband, William Henry "Boss" Hoover ( 1849 – 1932) and her son Herbert William Hoover (1877 – 1954).

Fact 27: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? William Henry "Boss" Hoover was equally impressed with the Vacuum Cleaner and bought the patent from James Murray Spangler in 1908 and founded what would become the Hoover Company, the largest vacuum cleaner maker in the world. The product was so successful that the 'vacuum cleaner' was referred to as the 'hoover' for many years.

Fact 28: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The invention of the Vacuum Cleaner was revolutionized by the British Inventor Sir James Dyson.  Irritated by his hoover getting clogged up with dust James Dyson resolved to create a vacuum cleaner that would not lose suction as it picked up dirt. James Dyson invented the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, which worked on the principle of cyclonic separation

Fact 29: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? James Dyson was issued with US patent 4,593,429 for his 'Vacuum cleaning appliance' on June 10, 1986. The 'Dyson' became a world wide success challenging Hoover in becoming the most successful vacuum cleaner in the world.

Fact 30: Who invented the Vacuum Cleaner? The invention of the Vacuum Cleaner continues its history as sensor driven vacuuming robots have been made available to take the hassle out of cleaning. Robotic Vacuum cleaners are still in their infancy, but before long our old appliances will be replaced by robots.

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