Significant Technologies

  • First engine powered vaccum invented

    First engine powered vaccum invented
    Hubert Booth invented the Puffing Billy in 1901. The Puffing Billy was a large oil engine powered vaccum. It was taken on the streets and the hoses used to clean houses. One flaw was that it had to be transported by a horse drawn carriage. This invention gave a sneak peek of how household cleaning would become easier.
  • Air Conditioning Invented

    Air Conditioning Invented
    Willis Carrier invented the air conditioner. He originally invented it to fix a problem at a printing company, later it was adapted for use in an average household. It would help keep families cool when working inside in the summer.
  • Ford Model T Car Invented

    Ford Model T Car Invented
    Ford invented this car in 1908, and it was the first car that was affordable to the public. Suddenly, a car was something an average household could own, make transportation dramatically more efficient.
  • First Household Toaster Invented

    First Household Toaster Invented
    General electric invented the first household toaster in 1909. The toaster may seem like an irrelevant invention, but it dramatically simplified the process of making toast. People no longer had to use a metal frame or on a long-handled toasting-fork and hold it near a fire or over a kitchen grill.
  • Electric Stoves

    Electric Stoves
    Lloyd Copeman invited the "fireless cooker" in 1912. Copeman's electric stove made cooking safer and easier for households.
  • First Household Refrigerator

    First Household Refrigerator
    Fred wolf invented the first household refrigerator. It was a small unit mounted on top of an icebox. It was one of the first steps towards a modern refrigerator which help keep our food safe longer.
  • First electric dishwasher

    First electric dishwasher
    The walker brothers introduced the first electric dishwasher. It had to be filled with water and emptied manually, but it was the first step to making washing dishes less of a chore so that families could spend more time together.
  • Electric Clothes Dryer

    Electric Clothes Dryer
    The electric clothes dryer first appeared on the market in 1915. The electric clothes dryer would allow for households to dry their clothes much faster than hanging them out on the line. It would also require less labor.
  • Electric Garbage Disposal

    Electric Garbage Disposal
    The electric garbage disposal was invented by John Hammes in 1927. Food scraps are a large part of household waste so the garbage disposal helped make disposing much more efficient.
  • First Television Invented

    First Television Invented
    Farnsworth invented the first television in 1928, this invention would make worldwide communication something that was available beyond the radio. Households would be more knowledgeable about what was going on around the country.
  • First Videotape Recorder

    First Videotape Recorder
    Ginsberg invented the videotape recorder in 1951. This allowed households to capture a moment forever, and be able to relive it. This was much more in depth than a picture. It allowed families to spend time making and watching videos.
  • First Automatic Coffee Pot

    First Automatic Coffee Pot
    In 1952 Russell Hobbs invented the first automatic coffee part. This led to a huge industry that is still developing today. Most of the time people want coffee to help them get work done, so they don't want to have to work in order to make it.
  • High Speed Printer

    High Speed Printer
    In 1953, the first high-speed printer was developed by Remington-Rand. This allowed people to take what they had on their computers and create a paper copy much easier.
  • Birth Control Pill

    Birth Control Pill
    The first oral contraceptives were approved by the FDA in 1960. This was a huge advancement for families because it allowed families to decide whether or not they wanted their family to continue to grow.
  • Self Cleaning Oven

    Self Cleaning Oven
    General Electric introduced the first self cleaning oven in 1963. This invention just allowed families to cross one thing off of the list of chores they needed to complete, and gave them more time to do other things.
  • Cordless Phone

    Cordless Phone
    In 1965 Teri Pall, a musician, invented the cordless phone. However, in 1968 she sold her idea to a manufacturer who modified it for practical use. This invention allowed households to not be tied to one place when talking on the phone, and was one step closer to modern day cell phones.
  • Countertop Microwave Oven

    Countertop Microwave Oven
    In 1967 Amana created the first household microwave oven. This invention allowed households to cook food faster and easier than ever. It was very efficient.
  • Smoke Detector Invented

    Smoke Detector Invented
    In 1969 Randolph Smith and Kenneth House invented the smoke detector. This was an important invention because it made households more safe in the case of a fire.
  • First Mobile Telephone

    First Mobile Telephone
    In 1973, Martin Cooper invented the cell phone. This device would come to be very important, as it gave households the ability to communicate with family members from nearly anywhere.
  • First Personal Computer

    First Personal Computer
    Even Roberts engineered the first personal computer. They started out as kit computers. This invention was important because it made computers a more reasonable item for a household to own, and made it more easy to use.
  • Swiffer

    Swiffer
    The swiffer was invented in 2001. This invention made sweeping and mopping floors much more efficient and easy for families to do so that they could spend more time together.
  • Camera Phone

    Camera Phone
    In 2002 the camera phone was invented. This technology allowed families to snap a picture at any moment without having to carry around a camera. It made it more efficient to combine the two into one easy to use device.
  • Roomba

    Roomba
    The roomba was invented in 2002. This robotic vaccum cleaner was something families had been waiting for. It allowed the house to be cleaned without any work, and without anyone even being there. This invention did the cleaning for families so that they could spend their time together doing other things.
  • Skype

    Skype
    Skype was invented in 2003. This was an important invention because it allowed family members to have a face to face conversation even if they are far away. It helped keep families close when members had to be away for a long period of time.
  • Facebook

    Facebook
    Facebook was invented in 2004. Although it started as a social networking site for college students, it soon became a way for families to connect with each other and keep up to date on their lives.
  • Nintendo Wii

    Nintendo Wii
    The nintendo wii was invented in 2006. Video games had grown to be very popular, and this console allowed children to be physically active with the games they were playing. It got children up and moving, and it was also a great activity for the family to do together.
  • Amazon Kindle

    Amazon Kindle
    The amazon kindle was invented in 2007. It allowed families to download hundreds of books onto one device at a relatively cheap price. Instead of bringing several heavy books on a road trip, families could bring the kindle. Instead of having to run to the bookstore when they finished their book, families could simply download it on their kindle.
  • Fitbit

    Fitbit
    The fitbit was invented in 2007. This device tracked the daily fitness of the user. This invention allowed families to know how active they were being, and adjust this in order to live a healthier life.
  • Apple Ipad

    Apple Ipad
    The Ipad was first released in 2010. This invention affected families in more ways than predicted. The Ipad could be loaded with educational games and shows, to keep children busy for hours. It was great for families when going on long road trips, or stuck inside on a rainy day.
  • Find my friends

    Find my friends
    The find my friends app was invented in 2011. This app allowed families to locate where the other members were by their smartphone. This app is a great tool to make sure the children are safe.