The First Electric Iron
Although an iron may be a little-used appliance in many households today, ironing was once a major time-consuming chore for homemakers and the people who did domestic tasks for them. Early irons were heated in open fires, and later ones were metal boxes filled with hot objects like coals or bricks.
In 1882, a New Yorker named Henry W. Seely received a patent for a revolutionary iron. It used this new-fangled thing called electricity. In fact, electricity was so new that Thomas Edison had not yet opened the first central power plant in the world, although he would a few months later in—where else?—Manhattan.
Working with an electric iron promised to be a lot cleaner and a lot cooler than other ironing methods in use at the time. But Seely’s invention had several drawbacks. For one thing, most homes did not yet have electricity. The iron was quite heavy, almost fifteen pounds. In addition, it had to be used while plugged into the power source—not necessarily the most convenient way to work.
One of Seely’s business partners was Richard N. Dyer, a patent attorney. The year after the debut of the first electric iron, they patented an improved version. This one rested on a stand that was heated by electricity. The iron could be used without being connected to an electric outlet, making it more convenient.
In the early twentieth century, while more homes were becoming wired for electricity, other inventors introduced ever better electric irons. The iron became a standard appliance in every household. But a century later, as a variety of no-iron, wrinkle-free fabrics became popular, the iron headed on the road to obsolescence. It has not yet gone the way of the buttonhook, however.