Who Invented the Iron?

  • If there was no one who invented the iron, you could probably imagine how everyone’s clothes would look like after being washed and hanged on the clothesline to dry before using. Most probably, it would look really horrid with all its wrinkles and creases.

    That is why much gratitude should be extended to the person who invented the iron even though you may probably think that it was designed more as a simpler model than the ones on the market today.

    To Answer the Needs of Many Housewives
    Before the emergence of the iron in stores everywhere, many housewives in the early years had a hard time making their clothes look presentable and wrinkle-free. The early procedures included hand pressing, using steam or heat, or rolling procedures just to get things right.

    Those were the normal situations of the past – that may have seem a bit chaotic in many households – before a New Yorker named Henry W. Seely invented and patented the electric pressing iron on the 6th of June in the year 1882. This invention was named as the “electric flatiron.”

    Learning More about the Inventor
    Born in Richville, Kentucky, in July 2, 1854, Henry W. Seely had really gone a long way. Aside from inventions such as creating the first iron device, this inventor also had witnessed a number of patents. If you would do a research, you would see Seely’s name in more than a hundred patents for certain inventions in history. This includes the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison.

    The Early Usage of the First Model
    Unlike most of the current models, the first few irons that were manufactured years ago were known to use carbon arc. This was used to create the heat needed to help press the clothes neatly. But this was later learned to be an unsafe method of pressing clothes.

    Other Early Inventions in the Market
    Since there were questions on the safety of the early iron devices that came out, the Crompton and Co. introduced another model with the collaboration of the General Electric Company. These newer models of hand irons that came out in 1892 used electrical resistance to help produce heat.

    After a few years, another version was introduced. The electric steam irons came into existence in the early 1950s.

    All these iron products that we now enjoy and use in many households and Laundromats everywhere in the world wouldn’t have existed if not for Seely, the person who invented the iron who shared this invention to the world.