A Brief History of the Clothes Iron

Category: Other

Updated: 25 Nov 2017

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Created byJoseph Liang

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Hazel Candia

Development of having clothes iron and hair iron

17 Nov 2020

Hazel Candia

Development of having iron clothes and iron on hair

17 Nov 2020

Grouping

These events and occurences were largely unrelated, as they occured in vastly separated regions of the globe. This meant that there was little relation between the development of each object/artifact, and that almost no linkage can be traced between them, other than in their function. Their purposes were all the same, however - to press or flatten clothes, eliminate wrinkles, create fashionable creases and decorations, and to disinfect and clean clothing using heat.

Periods

1st century BC: People in Ancient China start using heated pans to remove wrinkles from their clothing.4th century BC: Ancient Greeks begin to use rods heated over the fire, called goffering irons, to create ornamental creases in fabric.10th century AD: Scandinavians have begun to use a glass iron to press out and ornament their clothes.

Early manual irons - flatirons and sadirons

Events

Year 1870: Mary Florence Potts, from the US, patents a new, easier to use version of the sadiron.

Periods

14th century AD: Medieval European groups begin using triangular metal plates called flatirons to press clothes.15th century AD: Improvements are made to the popular flatiron, resulting in the similar, but cleaner hot-box iron.Early - Middle 19th century AD: Cast iron irons, called sadirons, are developed in Europe, along with simpler, cleaner heating methods.

Fueled irons - gas, oil, paraffin

Events

Year 1874: Earliest fueled irons that run on gas or other propellants, like oil or alcohol, are patented.

Electric irons

Events

June 6, 1882: Inventor Henry W. Seeley from the US patents one of the first irons to run on electricity.Year 1903: Electric iron with a long cord, and continual heating is patented.Somewhere 1903 to 1906? Power companies, particularly in the US, begin running full time, instead of just at night 1920s: Inventor Joseph Myers develops the first reliable thermostat and temperature controller for an electric iron.

Steam irons

Events

Year 1926: The first steam irons become commercially available Year 1938: Improvements are made to the electric steam iron base plate to prevent rust.1940s: Steam irons become more widely commercialized and accepted into the ironing market.1950s: 'Multiple setting' irons are introduced into the market.Year 1984: Automatic shutoff is developed on irons 1990s: Nonstick coatings begin to be applied to the bottoms of irons.