![]() In addition to having to watch the toast carefully, the "coils" conducting heat were actually iron wires that melted easily, meaning that they were quite the fire hazard In 1893, the first electric toaster, the Eclipse, was invented by Alan MacMasters in Scotland. Toasters actually pre-date sliced bread by upwards of 30 years, but early models look very little like the toasters of today: The bread wasn't lowered in via a little mini-elevator, and users would have to manually turn the bread to toast the other side. Still in existence in the appliance world today, antique and newly-manufactured wringers are often used by those looking to conserve water. A 1964 report in the American Journal of Public Health estimated over 17 million households owned one and expressed concern over repeated "crushing injuries" One fatality was mentioned. ![]() Interestingly, when Stephen King was a boy, his mother operated a speed-ironer that her co-workers had dubbed "the mangler," a menacing piece of equipment that would later go on to inspire his short story of the same name.ĭespite the safety issues, wringer washers remained popular for years, surviving the introduction of automated machines. Fingers were lost to exposed gears in one incident, a young girl's braid became trapped, scalping her. Anyone trapped often had to try and pull the power cord out of the socket, as on/off switches weren't yet commonplace. Prior to the advent of the spin cycle, clothes washers squeezed out excess wash water using a wringer, a giant set of rolling pins exerting 800 pounds of pressure that swallowed fabric - and anything else that happened to get in the way. Laundry appliances did not start out with perfect reputations. ![]() By the 1970s, when the transition to natural gas was complete, the number of gas suicides had dropped to zero and the overall suicide rate was down a third. During the 1950s and 1960s, about half of the suicides in the U.K. The switch from coal gas to natural gas also had one unexpected effect. The only remaining legacy of this formerly thriving industry are the numerous abandoned brownfield sites contaminated by the process's coal-tar and ash byproducts. was a little slower, with a few gasworks remaining in the 1970s. The local gas plant joined horse trams and coal furnaces on the dust heap of discarded technology. After World War II, American cities and towns rapidly switched over to the new 'safer' natural gas. Natural gas, formerly a nuisance byproduct of oil drilling that was frequently simply burnt at the wellhead, could now be transported long distances cheaply and easily. With coal gas running 10% carbon monoxide, it's not hard to see why one psychologist called old fashioned coal gas ovens "the execution chamber in everyone's kitchen." Like all good technologies, it was fast, convenient, and effective (but for the wrong reasons).Īdvances in metallurgy and welding technology in the 1930s and 1940s brought the coal gas industry to an end. A few breaths of 1% carbon monoxide is enough to knock you out a few minutes breathing it will kill you. With blood having more than 200 times the affinity for carbon monoxide than oxygen, it doesn't take much to saturate the blood and starve your brain and nervous system of oxygen. The active ingredient was, of course, carbon monoxide. The gas produced, a mixture of methane, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, not only burned beautifully, but was unfortunately the ideal gas for suicides. It was manufactured locally at "gasworks" from coal heated in airtight chambers. Historically, natural gas replaced "coal gas" or "illuminating gas" - which was another type of gas entirely, and certainly not the healthiest or safest. Currently, however, there are studies focussing on fossil fuel use in household appliances and how this can adversely impact indoor air quality and public health (especially during these times of the COVID-19 Pandemic). Despite smelling terribly egg-like, it was considered to be safe. Modern gas companies deliver "natural gas," a naturally occurring fossil fuel that is a benign mixture of methane and ethane. The gas piped into your house these days is not your grandparent's gas. While leaking gas, worn out power cords, and garbage disposal errors continue to plague appliance users today, did you know that certain appliances used to be a whole lot more dangerous? Let's take a look at some of the most notorious ones in history. Some Appliances Aren't Like They Used to be - and That's a Good Thing
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