History of household appliances
199 inventions by year: what each evolved from and what it led to.
How the inventions are connected
| Year | Invention | What it is | Evolved from | Led to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29000 BC | Oven | A closed chamber for cooking with heat. | ||
| 12000 BC | Bread | A baked product made from flour. | ||
| 12000 BC | Food drying | Preserving food by removing water. | Freeze-drying | |
| 10000 BC | Basket | A woven container. | Broom | |
| 10000 BC | Smoking | Treating food with smoke. | ||
| 5000 BC | Comb | A comb for hair. | ||
| 5000 BC | Yogurt | A fermented milk product. | ||
| 4500 BC | Oil lamp | A lamp with a wick in oil. | Incandescent light bulb, Kerosene lamp | |
| 4500 BC | Wick | A cord that feeds fuel to the flame by capillary action. | ||
| 3500 BC | Board game | Games on a board (senet, go). | Video game | |
| 3500 BC | Spinning top | A toy kept stable by its rotation. | ||
| 3000 BC | Dice | Cubes for random numbers. | Probability theory | |
| 3000 BC | Whistle | A sound signal made by a stream of air. | ||
| 3000 BC | Tandoor | A clay jar-shaped oven. | ||
| 3000 BC | Hairpin | A hair clip. | ||
| 2000 BC | Doll | A toy figure of a person. | ||
| 2000 BC | Saucepan | A vessel for boiling. | Pottery | |
| 2000 BC | Butter churn | Churning butter from cream. | ||
| 2000 BC | Cheese press | Pressing whey out of curd. | ||
| 2000 BC | Salting | Preserving food with salt. | ||
| 1780 BC | Ice house | A store of natural ice for keeping food cold. | Refrigerator | |
| 1600 BC | Ball | Rubber balls of the Mesoamericans; leather balls in Europe. | ||
| 1500 BC | Scissors | Two blades on a pivot — a pair of levers. | ||
| 1500 BC | Glass bottle | A glass vessel; machine production — Owens, 1903. | Plastic bottle | |
| 1200 BC | Chopsticks | Two sticks — a third-class lever. | ||
| 1000 BC | Broom | A bundle of twigs for sweeping. | Basket | Mop |
| 1000 BC | Kettle | A vessel for boiling water. | Electric kettle | |
| 1000 BC | Umbrella | A folding canopy on ribs. | ||
| 1000 BC | Cutlery | Spoons, forks, knives. | ||
| 1000 BC | Sponge | A porous material (synthetic ones since the 1930s). | ||
| 500 BC | Yo-yo | A disc on a string. | ||
| 500 BC | Dumbbell | A piece of exercise equipment. | ||
| 500 BC | Stilts | Poles with foot rests. | ||
| 500 BC | Candle | A wick in solid fuel. | ||
| 350 BC | Barrel | A wooden container of staves bound with hoops. | ||
| 200 BC | Wok | A Chinese round-bottomed pan. | ||
| 100 BC | Hypocaust | Roman underfloor heating with hot air. | Central heating | |
| 600 | Chess | A strategy board game. | ||
| 900 | Playing cards | Cards printed by woodblock. | ||
| 1000 | Fork | A piece of cutlery with tines. | ||
| 1470 | Billiards | A table with balls and a cue. | ||
| 1500 | Towel | Terry cloth. | ||
| 1500 | Heating stove | A stove for warming a home; the Russian stove, the Franklin stove. | ||
| 1596 | Flush toilet | A toilet with a flush (Harington; Cumming’s S-trap, 1775). | ||
| 1600 | Wallet | A case for money. | ||
| 1600 | Rocking horse | A toy on curved rockers. | ||
| 1679 | Pressure cooker | Papin’s steam digester for cooking under pressure. | Newcomen engine | |
| 1700 | Cast-iron pan | A frying pan made of cast iron. | Non-stick pan | |
| 1700 | Wood-fired oven | A dome-shaped oven. | ||
| 1766 | Jigsaw puzzle John Spilsbury | A picture made of pieces (Spilsbury). | ||
| 1767 | Shower François Merry Delabost | Water supplied from above. | ||
| 1767 | Carbonated water | Water charged with CO₂ (Priestley). | ||
| 1770 | Kitchen scale | Scales for food. | ||
| 1778 | Samovar | A vessel for boiling water with an internal firebox. | ||
| 1780 | Toothbrush | A brush for cleaning teeth. | Electric toothbrush | |
| 1787 | Alarm clock | A clock with a signal (Hutchins). | Smartphone | |
| 1795 | Corkscrew | A spiral screw for corks. | ||
| 1796 | Exercise bike | A stationary bicycle. | ||
| 1804 | Water filter | Purifying water by filtering it through sand and charcoal. | ||
| 1807 | Gas lamp | Street lighting with coal gas. | Incandescent light bulb, Street light | |
| 1809 | Canning | Sterilizing food in sealed containers (Appert). | ||
| 1810 | Tin can | A tinplate can for storing food (Durand). | Aluminium can | |
| 1816 | Kaleidoscope David Brewster | A tube with mirrors (Brewster). | ||
| 1818 | Fire extinguisher | A portable means of putting out fires (Manby). | ||
| 1823 | Lighter | A device for making fire (Döbereiner; flint lighters came later). | Fire making | |
| 1826 | Match | Phosphorus matches, then safety matches. | Fire making | |
| 1826 | Gas stove | A stove running on gas. | ||
| 1829 | Soda siphon | A vessel with a valve under pressure. | ||
| 1830 | Central heating | Heating a building from one boiler through radiators. | Hypocaust | |
| 1830 | Lawn mower | Budding’s machine with rotating blades. | Sickle, Scythe | |
| 1831 | Electric bell | A bell driven by an electromagnet (Henry). | ||
| 1835 | Wall mirror | A glass mirror with silvering (Liebig). | ||
| 1837 | Mop | A cloth on a stick. | Broom | |
| 1843 | Ice cream maker | A hand-cranked machine for ice cream (Johnson). | ||
| 1845 | Tap | A valve for water. | ||
| 1845 | Meat grinder | An auger feeds meat to a blade (Drais). | ||
| 1847 | Chocolate | Solid chocolate (Fry); conching — Lindt, 1879. | ||
| 1850 | Mangle | Rollers for wringing laundry. | Washing machine | |
| 1850 | School bell | An electric bell rung on a schedule. | ||
| 1850 | Grill | Cooking on a grate. | ||
| 1851 | Ice machine | A machine for making ice (Gorrie). | Refrigerator | |
| 1853 | Burglar alarm | Pope’s alarm built on electromagnets. | ||
| 1853 | Clothes peg | A peg with a spring. | ||
| 1853 | Kerosene lamp | A lamp burning kerosene (Łukasiewicz). | Oil lamp | |
| 1855 | Can opener | A tool for opening cans. | ||
| 1856 | Egg beater | A hand whisk with gears. | Mixer | |
| 1857 | Toilet paper | Paper in rolls (Gayetty). | ||
| 1859 | Spray bottle | A hand sprayer. | ||
| 1859 | Baseball bat | A wooden bat. | ||
| 1860 | Carousel John Joseph Merlin | A rotating platform with seats. | ||
| 1863 | Football | A ball with an inflatable bladder. | ||
| 1864 | Pasteurization Louis Pasteur | Heating to kill microbes (Pasteur). | ||
| 1869 | Margarine Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès | A butter substitute (Mège-Mouriès). | ||
| 1871 | Paper bag Margaret E. Knight | A flat-bottomed bag (Margaret Knight). | Plastic bag | |
| 1871 | Spring mattress | A mattress with steel springs. | ||
| 1873 | Toothpaste | A paste for cleaning teeth (Colgate); fluoride paste in the 1950s. | ||
| 1874 | Tennis racket | A racket with strings. | ||
| 1875 | Treadmill | An exercise machine with a moving belt. | ||
| 1876 | Carpet sweeper | A mechanical sweeper (Bissell). | Vacuum cleaner | |
| 1880 | Bobsleigh | A steerable sled. | Sledge | |
| 1882 | Electric fan | A fan with an electric motor. | ||
| 1882 | Electric iron | An iron with a heating element. | ||
| 1883 | Thermostat Warren Seymour Johnson | Keeps a set temperature (bimetal, electronics). | ||
| 1884 | Light switch | Opens and closes a circuit. | ||
| 1884 | Roller coaster | Cars on inclined rails. | ||
| 1884 | Espresso machine Angelo Moriondo | Making coffee with steam under pressure (Moriondo). | ||
| 1884 | Lipstick | Lip colour in a case. | ||
| 1886 | Dishwasher Josephine Cochrane | Josephine Cochrane’s machine. | ||
| 1888 | Deodorant | A product against the smell of sweat. | ||
| 1889 | Water heater | Heats water for the home. | ||
| 1890 | Heating element | A high-resistance conductor that turns current into heat. | ||
| 1890 | Matryoshka Vasily Zvyozdochkin | A wooden nesting doll (Zvyozdochkin, Malyutin). | ||
| 1890 | Cardboard box | Corrugated board (Gair). | ||
| 1891 | Basketball hoop James Naismith | Naismith’s basket. | ||
| 1891 | Electric kettle | An appliance that boils water with a heating element. | Kettle | |
| 1891 | Model railway | A model of a railway (Märklin). | ||
| 1892 | Ironing board | A folding board for ironing. | ||
| 1892 | Crown cap | A metal bottle cap (Painter). | ||
| 1892 | Vacuum flask | A Dewar vessel with a vacuum layer. | Dewar flask | |
| 1892 | Electric stove | A stove with heating elements. | ||
| 1893 | Toaster | An appliance that toasts bread with a red-hot coil. It became practical once durable nichrome wire appeared. | ||
| 1894 | Intercom | A door entry phone. | ||
| 1896 | Darts | A target for darts. | Bow and arrow | |
| 1898 | Golf ball | A ball with a rubber-thread core and dimples (Haskell). | ||
| 1899 | Torch (flashlight) | A battery-powered lamp. | ||
| 1900 | Surfboard | A board for riding waves. | Snowboard | |
| 1900 | Carbide lamp | A miner’s lamp burning acetylene. | Davy lamp | |
| 1901 | Vacuum cleaner Hubert Cecil Booth | Cleaning by sucking up dust (Booth; the electric one — Spangler). | Carpet sweeper | Robot vacuum |
| 1901 | Metal construction set | The Meccano set (Hornby). | LEGO bricks | |
| 1901 | Safety razor | A razor with a replaceable blade (Gillette). | ||
| 1901 | Instant coffee | Dried coffee extract. | ||
| 1902 | Air conditioner | Carrier’s unit for cooling and drying air. | ||
| 1902 | Teddy bear | A soft toy (Steiff, Michtom). | ||
| 1903 | Clothes hanger | A wire hanger (Parkhouse). | ||
| 1904 | Power socket | A connector for plugging in appliances. | ||
| 1906 | Freeze-drying | Drying a frozen product in a vacuum. | Food drying | |
| 1908 | Washing machine | An electric machine for washing clothes. | Mangle | |
| 1908 | Mixer | Whisking with beaters driven by a motor. | Egg beater | |
| 1908 | Paper coffee filter Melitta Bentz | Melitta Bentz’s filter. | ||
| 1908 | Tea bag | A single serving of tea in a pouch. | ||
| 1910 | Aluminium foil | Thinly rolled aluminium. | ||
| 1910 | Carabiner | A steel ring with a gate. | ||
| 1911 | Hair dryer | A fan with a heater. | ||
| 1913 | Refrigerator | A household refrigerator with a compressor. | Ice house, Ice machine | |
| 1916 | Supermarket | A self-service store (Piggly Wiggly). | ||
| 1921 | Whistling kettle | Steam passes through a whistle. | ||
| 1922 | Blender | An electric motor with blades. | Food processor | |
| 1924 | Paper tissues | Facial tissues (Kleenex). | ||
| 1924 | Quick freezing | Freezing food rapidly (Birdseye). | ||
| 1927 | Aerosol can | A pressurized can with a sprayer (Rotheim). | ||
| 1929 | Sunglasses | Glasses with tinted lenses. | Glasses | |
| 1929 | French press | A coffee maker with a mesh plunger. | ||
| 1930 | Adhesive tape | Drew’s transparent tape (3M). | ||
| 1931 | Pinball | A machine with a ball and flippers. | Arcade machine | |
| 1933 | Moka pot | Bialetti’s coffee maker. | ||
| 1936 | Trampoline | A net on springs (Nissen). | ||
| 1937 | Shopping trolley | A supermarket trolley (Goldman). | ||
| 1938 | Tumble dryer | A drum dryer. | ||
| 1938 | Sunscreen | Protecting skin from ultraviolet. | ||
| 1940 | Freezer | A deep-freeze compartment. | ||
| 1942 | Security camera | A video surveillance system (CCTV). | ||
| 1943 | Diving regulator | A regulator that supplies air on inhalation. | ||
| 1943 | Aqualung Jacques Cousteau | A self-contained breathing apparatus (Cousteau, Gagnan). | Diving suit | |
| 1945 | Convection oven | An oven with a fan. | Air fryer | |
| 1945 | Climbing rope | A dynamic nylon rope. | Rope | |
| 1947 | Coffee vending machine | A machine for drinks. | ||
| 1947 | Microwave oven Percy Spencer | Heating food with microwaves (Spencer). | Radar | |
| 1948 | Disposable nappy | A nappy with a superabsorbent. | ||
| 1949 | Cling film | A thin polymer film. | ||
| 1950 | Remote control Nikola Tesla, Robert Adler | Operating a device from a distance; infrared remotes date from the 1980s. | ||
| 1950 | Motion sensor | A passive infrared presence sensor. | ||
| 1952 | Tetra Pak | A laminated carton package. | ||
| 1952 | Bowling pinsetter | Automatic setting of pins. | ||
| 1954 | Electric toothbrush | A toothbrush with a small motor. | Toothbrush | |
| 1954 | Non-stick pan | A frying pan with a Teflon coating (Tefal). | Cast-iron pan | |
| 1955 | Rice cooker | Automatic rice cooking (Toshiba). | Multicooker | |
| 1957 | Wet wipes | Impregnated non-woven wipes. | ||
| 1958 | LEGO bricks Ole Kirk Christiansen | A construction toy of moulded plastic. | Metal construction set | |
| 1959 | Aluminium can | A can for drinks. | Tin can | |
| 1963 | Vacuum sealer | Pumps the air out of a bag. | ||
| 1965 | Snowboard | A board for riding down snow. | Surfboard, Skis | |
| 1965 | Smoke detector | A sensor for smoke. | ||
| 1965 | Plastic bag | A polyethylene bag (Thulin). | Paper bag | |
| 1970 | Wheeled suitcase | A suitcase with wheels (Sadow). | ||
| 1970 | Electronic scales | Scales with a strain gauge. | Balance scale | |
| 1971 | Multicooker Irving Naxon | A pot with a heater and programs. | Rice cooker | |
| 1971 | Food processor | A multifunction kitchen machine. | Blender | |
| 1973 | Induction hob | A hob that heats cookware with eddy currents. | ||
| 1973 | Plastic bottle | A bottle made of PET (Wyeth). | Glass bottle | |
| 1974 | Rubik’s Cube Ernő Rubik | A mechanical puzzle. | ||
| 1974 | Sous vide Benjamin Thompson | Cooking in a vacuum bag at a precise temperature. | ||
| 1986 | Bread machine | Automatic bread baking. | ||
| 1992 | Self-checkout | A till where shoppers scan the goods themselves. | Cash register | |
| 2000 | Smart home | A network of controllable household devices. | ||
| 2002 | Robot vacuum | An autonomous vacuum cleaner (Roomba). | Vacuum cleaner | |
| 2008 | LED lamp | A lamp built on white LEDs. | Incandescent light bulb | |
| 2010 | Air fryer | A mini convection oven. | Convection oven | |
| 2013 | Smart lock | A lock controlled from a smartphone. | Lock and key | |
| 2014 | Smart speaker | A speaker with a voice assistant. |