Earliest inventions
Devices for cleaning floors and houses actually originate long ago. The first one was known as a “carpet sweeper.” It was invented by Daniel Hess in 1860 and used mechanical power from a rotating brush to suck away dirt. 9 years later in 1869, an improved version called the “Whirlwind” was created by Ives W. McGaffe. Instead of a rotating brush, it used a belt-driven fan that needed to be hand-powered.
Fast-forward to 1898, another cleaner was invented by John S. Thurman. It cleaned using gasoline power, but it was too enormous that it needed to be horse-drawn, and was undoubtedly very different from the handy vacuum cleaner known today.