- Condensed Milk
- Sleeping Car
- Toilet Paper
- Washing Machine
Condensed Milk
Gail Borden’s wife died of yellow fever in 1844, and on a trip to London after her death, Gail saw children die from drinking milk from a cow infected with the same disease his wife died of. Borden was determined to invent a way to preserve milk so that it could be stored on a ship, and prevent the cow from having to go aboard. Milk could not yet be stored for more than a few hours, as this was before refrigerators were common. Borden’s condensed milk would solve this. Condensed milk is about 50% milk 50% sugar. It would be canned and sent to the army’s post, and the soldiers would love it. When/if they got home, they told their wives/families about it. Word spread quickly because of that. It is now very common.
Sleeping Car
George Pullman was raised in New York State along the Eerie Canal, and had experience moving and lifting houses. He moved to the town of Chicago (for at that time it was not a city) and began helping to move houses up out of the swamp by raising them a few feet. He earned money there that he would later use to invent the sleeping car. The sleeping car was a compact train car, with fold-down beds that turned into seats. Pullman hired freed African American slaves to be his “Pullman Porters”. The porters were servants to middle class passengers if they paid the price. The African Americans liked their job, got good wages, and gave rise to the black middle class.
Toilet Paper
Joseph Gayetty invented toilet paper in 1857, for you-know-what. Other people had invented toilet paper with POISON AS A PART OF IT, and Gayetty told the public about it. He promised that his paper would not have these effects. And so toilet paper became the most common way to clean your rear.
Washing Machine
Hamilton Smith invented the first washing machine in 1858. It was hand powered. You put the clothes, soap, and water in the top, and turn the crank. The crank circulates the water and washes off the dirt. Then you swap the water out and rinse. They could be spun by electric motors when those came available. By 1930, they were being sold widespread. Women that had formerly spent a whole day washing could now have that day free, it taking only a few minutes to start a load, and a few more to hang them up.