U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for October 26: Washing Machines

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

WASHING MACHINES

Profile America — Monday, October 26^th. Doing laundry was a wearying, time-consuming chore for many centuries. The industrial revolution and American inventiveness attacked the ancient chore on this date in 1858, when Hamilton Smith patented a rotary washing machine. It was hand-driven, with a crank turning a perforated shell within a wooden tub. This was scarcely a labor saving invention. People continued to use the tub and washboard, even after the first electric washer came along in 1908. A few years later, the agitator-type machine appeared and gained immediate popularity. Finally, in the late 1930s, the fully automatic washer with a spin cycle went on sale. Today, over 85 percent of the nation's households have a washing machine. You can find more facts about America's people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at www.census.gov.

Sources:
Kane's Famous First Facts, 4270
Development of washing machines: http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/washingmachines.htm 
First fully automatic machine: http://esporta.ca/evolution-of-washing-technology/ 
Household data: http://www.census.gov/hhes/well-being/publications/extended-11.html

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

Related Links

http://www.census.gov