The History of Vacuum Cleaners

Vacuum cleaners have come a long way since they were invented in 1901. The first vacuum cleaner was called the “Puffing Billy” and was so large it had to be pulled from place to place by a horse! While the Puffing Billy was great for commercial buildings, regular people still had to clean their rugs by using a mechanical carpet cleaner or simply taking them outside and beating them with a paddle to remove dust and debris. It was James Murray Spangler, a department store janitor who suffered from asthma, who invented the first vacuum cleaner that was practical for home use. His cousin Susan Hoover told her husband William about the “suction sweeper” and the first Hoover vacuum was born!