Inventions of the 1920s Still Used Today



The boom of the 1920s saw many new items on the market to make life more convenient and offer more leisure time. Many of the new inventions of the 1920s when your grandparents or parents lived are still used by you today. They may look different today and be more efficient but they began in the 1920s.

Having frozen food such as a frozen bag of vegetables made by Clarence Birdseye was produced in the 1920s. Many of the types of food such as a slice of fish were quick-frozen and held up very well when cooked and eaten.

A household time-saving vacuum cleaner in 1920 by Air-Way Sanitizer in Ohio had an efficient machine that also had a disposable bag to empty easier. In 1926 the Hoover Company developed a positive agitation system that increased the dirt removal more efficiently. Cleaning carpets and rugs were greatly improved with a Hoover in the 1920s.

For recreation in 1922, Ralph Samuelson created water skiing. Samuelson first used a pair of boards as skis and a clothesline as a towrope. He tried his idea on Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minnesota, where his brother pulled him in a boat that reached 20 mph. It took him a bit of practice to perfect the best position for skimming the water, but once he did, he never looked back! People loved this new sport. Samuelson spent the next 15 years performing water skiing shows and teaching other people the skill. Check with your family relatives and see when they tried water skiing.

A Johnson and Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, created the first adhesive bandage for small wounds in 1920. Dickson invented the special bandage for his wife, Josephine, who seemed to cut and burn herself regularly while cooking. Now, she could easily dress a wound herself. The mass-produced machine-made Band-Aids were marketed by Johnson and Johnson in 1924. They have been in every household since then.

It was 1922 when the first electric blender was produced. The inventor was Stephen J. Poplawski who made them for making milkshakes and malts. By 1932 he had a patent for his blender that also used fruits and vegetables. Many companies worked with the patent hold, Poplawski, to manufactured the electric blender for the public.

Photo: 1920s J & J Band-Aid advertisement.

Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:

Prices in the 1920s

Get Rich Scams of the 1920s

Ladies of the 1920s Look Back at Colonial Times

< Return To Blog

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.