Everyday Household Inventions
Instructions: Trace the surprising origins of the can opener, microwave, zipper, and other clever gadgets that forever changed life at home.
- 1.
The microwave oven was invented by accident. What was Percy Spencer doing when he noticed microwaves had cooked something in his pocket?
ATesting radar equipmentBRepairing a kitchen stoveCExperimenting with radio antennasDWorking on a television set - 2.
Canned food was invented in the early 1800s, but the can opener didn't come along until about 50 years later. How did people open cans before the can opener was invented?
AWith a hammer and chiselBBy heating the can over a flameCWith a special key supplied with each canDCans had pull-tab lids from the start - 3.
The zipper was invented in the late 1800s, but it took decades to catch on for clothing. What was it originally designed to fasten?
AShoes and bootsBJackets and coatsCLuggage and bagsDMilitary uniforms - 4.
Before mechanical refrigerators reached homes, what insulated kitchen cabinet kept food cool using a block of natural ice?
AThe refrigeratorBThe freezerCThe ice boxDThe electric fan - 5.
Post-it Notes were invented at 3M in the 1970s using a glue that was considered a failure. Why was the adhesive originally thought to be useless?
AIt wasn't sticky enough to hold permanentlyBIt dried out too quickly in warm weatherCIt left a permanent stain on paperDIt only worked on metal surfaces - 6.
The vacuum cleaner was first demonstrated in 1901 by Hubert Cecil Booth. What method had most people used to clean rugs and carpets before the vacuum cleaner?
ABeating them outdoors with a stick or paddleBScrubbing them with a stiff brush and waterCSprinkling them with sawdust and sweepingDHanging them in sunlight to air out - 7.
Scotch tape (transparent adhesive tape) was invented in 1930 by 3M engineer Richard Drew. What problem was it originally created to solve?
AHelping auto painters create clean two-tone paint lines on carsBSealing food packages in grocery storesCMending torn book pages in librariesDPatching holes in rubber boots - 8.
Velcro was invented in 1941 by Swiss engineer George de Mestral. What gave him the idea for the hook-and-loop fastener?
ABurr seeds that clung to his dog's fur and his wool trousersBWatching how spider webs caught insectsCStudying the way barnacles grip a boat hullDObserving how Velvet fabric sticks to other fabrics - 9.
The electric toaster became a popular home appliance after one key invention made it safe to use. What was that important development?
ASliced bread, which created a standard size that fit the slotsBA timer that automatically turned the toaster offCA heat-resistant cord that wouldn't catch fireDA pop-up mechanism that ejected the toast - 10.
Before electric washing machines, what device did most households rely on to clean laundry by hand?
AA washboardBA mangle pressCA wooden paddleDA hand-cranked barrel - 11.
Which country invented the flush toilet, and in roughly what century did it first appear in homes there?
AEngland, in the late 1500sBFrance, in the early 1700sCUnited States, in the mid-1800sDAncient Rome, around 100 AD - 12.
Non-stick cookware coated with Teflon was introduced in the 1960s. Teflon (PTFE) was itself discovered completely by accident in 1938. Who discovered it?
AA DuPont chemist experimenting with refrigerant gasesBA French engineer testing new paint coatingsCAn American cook looking for a better frying panDA NASA scientist developing heat shields - 13.
The first practical dishwasher suitable for home use was invented in 1886 by Josephine Cochrane. What was her main reason for inventing it?
AHer servants were chipping her fine china while washing it by handBShe wanted to help poor families save time on choresCShe was a hotel owner trying to speed up serviceDShe had injured her hands and could no longer wash dishes herself - 14.
Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes. What did they originally intend it to be?
ATextured wallpaper for modern home decorBA lightweight insulation material for greenhousesCA cushioned floor mat for children's playroomsDPadding inside car door panels - 15.
The smoke detector we know today became common in homes during which decade?
AThe 1970sBThe 1950sCThe 1990sDThe 1960s
Answer Key
In 1945, engineer Percy Spencer was testing a magnetron for radar use at Raytheon when he noticed a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. His accidental discovery led to the first commercial microwave oven in 1947.
Early cans had very thick iron walls and came with instructions to use a hammer and chisel to open them. The first practical can opener wasn't patented until 1858, roughly 45 years after canning was widely used.
Whitcomb Judson patented his 'clasp locker' in 1893 primarily as a fastener for boots and shoes, to save people from the chore of doing up many small buttons. Clothing zippers didn't become fashionable until the 1930s.
The icebox, a well-insulated wooden cabinet cooled by a block of natural ice, kept food fresh in 19th-century households. American inventor Thomas Moore patented an early version in 1802. Mechanical refrigerators gradually replaced iceboxes in homes during the 1920s and 1930s.
Dr. Spencer Silver developed the repositionable adhesive in 1968 but it was initially dismissed because it wouldn't bond permanently. Years later, colleague Art Fry realized it was perfect for a removable bookmark, leading to the Post-it Note in 1980.
Before vacuum cleaners, the standard method was to hang rugs over a fence or clothesline and beat the dust out with a carpet beater — a paddle or wicker tool. This was a regular and quite strenuous household chore.
Richard Drew first invented masking tape in 1925 after noticing auto body painters struggling to create neat two-tone paint borders. He then developed transparent cellophane tape in 1930, which quickly became popular for home and office use.
After a walk in the Alps, de Mestral examined the cocklebur seeds stuck to his dog and his trousers under a microscope and saw tiny hooks gripping loops of fabric. It took him nearly a decade to recreate the effect artificially, patenting Velcro in 1955.
Pre-sliced bread was introduced by the Chillicothe Baking Company in 1928, and sales of electric toasters surged almost immediately because consumers now had bread cut to a uniform size. The phrase 'the greatest thing since sliced bread' was born from this enthusiasm.
The washboard — a corrugated board of wood, metal, or glass set in a wooden frame — was the standard scrubbing tool in most homes from the mid-1800s until electric washing machines became affordable in the 1930s. Clothes were rubbed back and forth across the ridged surface to loosen dirt.
Sir John Harington designed a flush toilet for Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1596, though it didn't catch on widely until the 1800s. Thomas Crapper later improved and popularized the design, giving rise to the common but incorrect belief that he invented it.
Roy Plunkett, a chemist at DuPont, stumbled upon polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in 1938 while experimenting with tetrafluoroethylene gas as a new refrigerant. The slippery, heat-resistant substance eventually became the Teflon coating used in non-stick pans.
Josephine Cochrane, a wealthy socialite in Illinois, was frustrated that her beautiful china dishes kept getting chipped by careless servants. She designed a machine that held dishes in wire racks and sprayed hot soapy water over them, patenting it in 1886.
Fielding and Chavannes actually created bubble wrap by sealing two shower curtains together, trapping air bubbles, and hoping to market it as trendy three-dimensional wallpaper. That idea flopped, but IBM soon discovered it was perfect for protecting fragile computers during shipping.
Although battery-powered home smoke detectors were first developed in the late 1960s, affordable models only became widely available and heavily promoted starting in the early 1970s. By the end of the decade, millions of American homes had them installed.