Ron the Yarn Spinner

 

Just Suck it Up

 

 So how does it work, a vacuum cleaner?

Inside an electric motor turns a fan causing it  to spin rapidly. The movement of the fan blades pushes air out of the vacuum cleaner, creating a low-pressure area inside the machine. Since the pressure inside the vacuum cleaner is lower than the pressure outside, air from the environment rushes into the vacuum cleaner to equalize the pressure.  Simple right? Yes, but it took a while before this housework helper evolved into the machine in your hall closet. Earlier versions required the machine to be parked in front of your house and not in it – like the Stanley Steemer truck cleaning your duct work. These early machines…you know, “sucked,”  

John Thurman’s gasoline-powered pneumatic carpet renovator was  a large, one horse-drawn contraption that traveled from house to house. In 1899 Thurman charged $4 per visit, a considerable sum at the time.

A few years later, Cecil Booth, a British engineer watched a demo of a device that blew dust off chairs, leading him to think about suction as a more effective method. Booth's developed a similar but also big gasoline-powered machine that remained outside the building while hoses were fed through windows to clean the interiors. The Queen of England used one (well not personally) to spiff up the carpets in Westminster Abbey. Booth called his machine Puffing Billy.  No one knows why.

In one of Plato's works, "The Republic," he talks about how basic needs drive the creation of tools and improved ways of doing things, leading to the  continued development of a society. While the exact phrase we use today may not be directly found in his writings, the concept is clearly present in his writings on the origins and growth of human ingenuity in response to needs and challenges. Today we say, “Necessity is the mother of Invention.” Here’s proof.

Jim Spangler was a janitor who lived in Canton, Ohio in 1907. Canton, like many major cities of that time, experienced significant dust and pollution issues. In 1907, Canton was a growing industrial center with a strong manufacturing base, including steel mills, foundries, and other factories. These industries, combined with unpaved roads and poor sanitation systems, contributed to high levels of dust and pollution. And the widespread use of coal for heating and to power factories  added to the soot and dust. Canton, Ohio, was indeed a dusty place to live in 1907.  And poor Jim suffered severely from asthma.

Jim struggled to find a way to make life easier (and healthier) for himself and reduce the amount of dust that was choking him on the job. Spangler gathered a tin soap box, an electric fan, a sateen pillowcase and a broom handle, and assembled an odd-looking, cumbersome contraption that managed to pull the dust away from the air he breathed. Spangler’s design included a rotating brush and a cloth filter bag. It’s the blueprint for today’s modern vacuums.

Spangler quickly realized that this "suction sweeper," as he called it, had enormous sales potential, and he began seeking financial backing.. Unfortunately, he could not find any investors willing to help further develop his machine and market it, but he  did get a patent which he sold for $1500, or about $50 K in 2024 dollars. Not bad for a janitor when the average hourly wage of an unskilled worker was 15 cents.

 Spangler sold the patent to his cousin who manufactured and sold the device under his own name, but Jim remained a partner in the company and received royalties on future sales of the vacuum cleaner, providing him with an ongoing source of income. My guess is that Spangler quit his janitor  job and was able to breathe a little easier since the  company did well. You might recognize it : Hoover.

Meme:

Space:

Vacuum cleaners used in space are specially designed to function in microgravity. They are compact, lightweight, and have attachments suitable for cleaning various surfaces and crevices within the station. These devices help astronauts keep the living and working areas free from dust, crumbs, and other particles that can accumulate over time. Regular cleaning is part of the crew's routine aboard the ISS.