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35 Fascinating Early Versions Of Inventions We Still Use Today
Have you ever wondered what your great-grandmother’s toaster looked like? Have you ever considered what kind of contraption you would have needed to mow your lawn over a century ago? Do you know how your great-grandparents made a fresh pot of coffee each morning?
The tools that past generations used look quite different from what our homes hold today, thanks to decades of innovation. But if you’d like to experience a blast from the past, we’ve got the perfect list for you. Bored Panda has scoured the internet for photos of early versions of the inventions we still use every day, so enjoy scrolling through this virtual museum and be sure to upvote the tools you’d happily purchase at an antique shop!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This Electric Toaster From 1920
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#2
The IBM 305 RAMAC, The First Computer With A Hard Drive: $10,000 Per Megabyte
Ace 3 years ago
That's actually the hard disk drive he's pointing to. A stack of 16 individual disks with heads between each pair, so multiple disks could be accessed simultaneously. The same principle was still very common on IBM mainframes well into the 1980s (and beyond), although much greater capacity was possible by then. Programmers used to allocate disk space by columns to minimise head movements and increase access speed.
#3
The First Lawn Mower, 1916
#4
Housewife Doing Laundry Using The First Electric Washing Machine - Eatonville WA (C. 1910)
Averysleepypanda 3 years ago
I think it was on bored panda where I read a person's comment about how their grandmother said that the washing machine was the greatest invention of all time because washing clothes by hand for a whole family waa extremely physically taxing and time consuming for her
#5
Electric Kettle, Designed By Peter Behrens. AEG, Berlin, 1909
The Original Bruno 3 years ago (edited)
See, back in those days, they didn't have microwaves. (Calm down, Brits... it's a joke.)
#6
One Of The First Osborne 1 Laptops, 1981
Fat Harry 3 years ago
There's a term we get from Osborne computers: The Osborne Effect. It's where a very good product doesn't sell because the manufacturer is already touting the benefits of its successor. Osborne released the above machine, the Osborne 1, but before its release they were already trying to sell its not-yet-manufactured successor. This led to people not buying the Osborne 1 in favour of waiting for the Osborne 2. Because the Osborne 2's development required money from Osborne 1 sales, the Osborne 2 was never produced.
#7
Pedal Roller Skates, 1910
#8
Michaux-Perreaux Steam-Vélocipède, 1869. It Is One Of Three Motorcycles Claimed To Be The First Motorcycle
#9
The First Computer Mouse (1964), Invented By Douglas Engelbart
#10
The 10-Pound Headphones
#11
The First Mass-Produced TV Set And Was Sold In 1946 And 1947
#12
James King Invented And Patented The First Washing Machine Using A Rotating Drum. The Drum Partially Filled With Water
#13
Hair Dryer (1920). The New Dryers Were Often Heavy, Weighing In At Approximately 2 Pounds (0.9 Kg), And Were Difficult To Use
#14
A Classic Emerson Transistor Radio, 1958
Downunderdude 3 years ago
Eight transistors. The new iphone (14) has the equivalent of...wait for it...16 billion.
#15
The Marchant Calculating Machine Company Was Founded In 1911 By Rodney And Alfred Marchant In Oakland, California
#16
Elias Howe's First Sewing Machine, 1860
Rachel Parker 3 years ago
Not the very first sewing machine, but the first to use the 'lock-stitch' and become a wide success.
#17
The First Refrigerator To See Widespread Use Was The General Electric "Monitor-Top" Refrigerator Introduced In 1927
#18
Gorgeous New Addition To The Collection. A 1950 Zenith "Lazy Bones", The First TV Remote Control - 17" Cord And All
Mycroft1967 3 years ago
No 1st TV remote was the kids. Go change the channel Billy and play with the antenna a little.
#19
In 1947, Raytheon Released The "Radarange" - The First Commercial Microwave Oven
Anne Jones 3 years ago
Percy Spencer noticed that a bar of chocolate in his pocket melted in seconds when he was standing near a radar tower, and yet it didn’t burn him. He realised there were some sort of “radio” waves that could create heat and invented the microwave. I think.
#20
On June 6, 1882, Henry W. Seely Of New York City Patented The Electric Iron, At The Time Called An Electric Flatiron
#21
Booth's Original Red Trolley British Vacuum Cleaner, 1905
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago
At that size, it should’ve been a Riding Vacuum Cleaner. Preferably a Zero Turn.
#22
Emile Berliner, With The Model Of The First Phonograph Machine Which He Invented
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 3 years ago
The big advantage here being that flat records can be stamped and produced quickly as opposed to Edison's cylinders.
#23
Electric Blender
The first electric blender was developed in 1922, specifically for making malts and milkshakes at soda fountains. In 1932 its inventor, Stephen J. Poplawski, received patents for a machine that would reduce fruits and vegetables to a liquid.
#24
An Actor Portraying Alexander Graham Bell Speaking Into An Early Model Of The Telephone For A 1926 Promotional Film By The American Telephone And Telegraph Company
Andy Saputo 3 years ago
American Telegraph and Telephone is known to Americans as AT&T and has been providing horrible customer service for almost a hundred years.
#25
The First ATM To Go Live On The Network
Eastendbird 3 years ago
The first ATM to be used was at a Barclay's Bank in Enfield in North London in 1967.
#26
Electric Waffle Iron, Ca. 1940
This deluxe Dominion waffle iron has twin grids that are controlled separately and have adjustable indicators for light or dark waffles. Companies advertised the cast aluminum grids as "fast heating" and "greaseless".
Laughing otter 3 years ago
My family had one of these when I was a kid. It was a big deal when my mom hauled this behemoth out.
#27
The First Video Recorder Was Invented By Charles Ginsberg
Fish Fingers 3 years ago
No it wasn't. Logie-Baird invented it about five minutes after the TV. The recorded items still exist, but we don't know how to play them.
#28
Experimenters Taking An X-Ray With An Early Crookes Tube Apparatus, From The Late 1800s
Frank Heidsick 3 years ago
I remember that a local shoe store back in the 70s had an X-ray device as a very modern take on making children’s shoes fit better. It was a simple box with absolutely nothing for protection for anyone. What might have been harmless for the customers certainly wasn’t for the sales persons.
#29
Electric Coffee Maker, Tray, Sugar And Creamer, Ca. 1940-1946
In 1940 this coffee maker sold singly for $16.00 or for $23.50 as part of a matched set. Its design was modern, one of many industrial designs by Alfonso Ianelli who was brought to Chicago in 1913 by Frank Lloyd Wright.
#30
Electric Fan
The electric desk fan has been around since 1882 when it was little more than a motor attached to two blades. This fan delivered "powerful breezes" in an arc around the room. It was turned on or off by a single switch, and the oscillator arm could be disconnected. Fans similar to this one were advertised as "economical to use" and of a "modern streamline design."
#31
The Brown Box Was The Prototype For The Commercial "Odyssey" Home Video Game Console
#32
The Patent Model For Daniel Hess's Carpet Sweeper Displayed At The Museum Of Clean In Pocatello, Idaho. The Only Known Model In Existence
#33
Electric Mixer, 1950
This Meal Maker mixer was purchased by Gerald and Shirley Berg of rural White Hall, Illinois. The Bergs butchered fifty chickens to raise the money necessary to buy it. The motor of this 1950 Meal Maker is adjustable to five speeds: mashing, mixing, beating, whipping, and "juice-grind." The juicer, which sits above the beaters, was designed with a long spout that allowed the juice to pour directly into the bowl. An attachment was also available for grinding meat.
#34
The Boston Toaster Circa 1909
The patent for this Simplex toaster was applied for in 1909, and manufactured by a Boston company, The Simplex Electric Heating Company. According to William F. George, author of Antique Electric Waffle Irons 1900-1960 A History of the Appliance Industry in 20th-Century America, it was a division of Simplex Wire & Cable Company that grew from The Simplex Electrical Company incorporated in 1895 and doing business on Franklin Street in Cambridge.
#35
Pop-Up Electric Toaster, 1939
The first pop-up toaster was introduced in 1926 by the McGraw Electric Company. The Toastmaster sold for $12.50 and promised: "Perfect toast every time without watching, without turning, without burning." Over the years many mechanisms were introduced to improve temperature control. In 1939 the model shown here was sold alone or as part of the "Toastmaster DeLuxe Hospitality Set," which included trays, glass relish dishes, and a toast-cutting board.
Nathan Pogorzala 3 years ago
They don't make Toastmaster De Luxe Hospitality Sets like they used to.
#36
This "Turnover" Toaster. Although Toasting One Side Of A Slice Of Bread At A Time, This Appliance Was Designed To Turn The Toast Over As The Doors Were Lowered
Such toasters, costing from $1.29 to $2.21 in 1939, were "on" as long as they were plugged in and had to be watched carefully.
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What do you think ?
Lauren Wilder 3 years ago (edited)
A few more notable invention: -Air conditioning unit invented by Frederick M. Jones July 12, 1949 -Almanac invented by Benjamin Banneker Approx 1791 -Auto cut-off switch invented by Granville T. Woods January 1, 1839 -Biscuit cutter invented by A.P. Ashbourne November 30, 1875 -Blood plasma bag invented by Charles Drew Approx. 1945 -Cellular phone invented by Henry T. Sampson July 6, 1971 -Chamber commode invented by T. Elkins January 3, 1897 -Clothes dryer invented by G. T. Sampson June 6, 1862 -Gas mask invented by Garrett Morgan October 13, 1914 -Golf tee invented by T. Grant December 12, 1899 -Guitar invented by Robert F. Flemming, Jr. March 3, 1886 -Hair brush invented by Lydia O. Newman November 15, 1898
David A Paterson 3 years ago
Guitar? That doesn't seem right. Acoustic guitars were earlier than that and electric guitars more recent.
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Lauren Wilder 3 years ago (edited)
A few more notable invention: -Air conditioning unit invented by Frederick M. Jones July 12, 1949 -Almanac invented by Benjamin Banneker Approx 1791 -Auto cut-off switch invented by Granville T. Woods January 1, 1839 -Biscuit cutter invented by A.P. Ashbourne November 30, 1875 -Blood plasma bag invented by Charles Drew Approx. 1945 -Cellular phone invented by Henry T. Sampson July 6, 1971 -Chamber commode invented by T. Elkins January 3, 1897 -Clothes dryer invented by G. T. Sampson June 6, 1862 -Gas mask invented by Garrett Morgan October 13, 1914 -Golf tee invented by T. Grant December 12, 1899 -Guitar invented by Robert F. Flemming, Jr. March 3, 1886 -Hair brush invented by Lydia O. Newman November 15, 1898
David A Paterson 3 years ago
Guitar? That doesn't seem right. Acoustic guitars were earlier than that and electric guitars more recent.
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