The history of the appearance and development of the iron - from coal to modern

The history of the creation of such devices as iron, has its roots in the depths of centuries. Constantly being improved, this device over the years has changed its appearance. The invention and the subsequent introduction of irons into everyday life has come a significant way: from models that are extremely dangerous to use because of the coals to extremely cumbersome products made of cast iron, from alcohol appliances to working on electricity. Nowadays, iron is considered quite commonplace and already banal device, and hundreds of years ago it was considered a luxury item and even served as decoration for any home.

Experts believe that the word "iron" came to us from the ancient Turkic language, where the word "duck" consists of 2 essentials: "ut" - "fire", "yuk" - "put".

The iron is an economic device for ironing linen and various items of clothing. It consists of a heated metal case, a smooth bottom surface and a comfortable top handle. The principle of operation and the structure of this device are not the most complex: with the help of an electric current, the helix is ​​heated to a certain temperature and transfers the resulting heat to a metal plate, which is called the sole. Modern advanced models of ironing devices are equipped with various systems: for example, preventing the occurrence of scale, all sorts of electronic elements and complex regulators, whose presence can, on the one hand, complicate the whole structure, and on the other - make it more convenient to use.

From the earliest times, all people dreamed of carrying out high-quality care for their clothes, so that even after a long wash they looked without bruises and ugly folds. Therefore, for these purposes, most likely, the iron was invented in its time, which for hundreds of years overcame all periods of its own evolution - from a polished warm stone to an improved form of a wireless unit with a steam function and power that can be adjusted.

The most ancient prototypes of such devices as irons, archeologists consider flat, specially polished and rather heavy stones. On their leveled surface, the clothes that were wet after washing were laid out, another stone was put on top of it and all the elements of “ironing” were left in this position until they were completely dry. That is how the ancient Aztecs “ironed” their clothes. As a result, in part, many of the folds of clothing really disappeared.

The inhabitants of ancient Rome "ran down" their crumpled tunics with a rather heavy metal hammer: all existing folds on togas were “knocked out” by multiple blows with this sledge hammer. In the Russian lands, ironing was carried out for quite a long time, using 2 devices at once: a medium-sized stick with a round section, which was called a “roll” or “rolling pin”, and a wooden plate with a grooved surface, which had many names - for example, “rubel”, "Rib", as well as "pralnik."

In the IV century BC, the ancient Greeks used a heated metal rod to iron their clothes. Much later, mechanical methods of smoothing linen are replaced by ironing, where hot metals are used. Before the occurrence of electricity, it was still very far away, for this reason people used the most interesting designs.In the Middle Ages, something like a frying pan was used in which hot, burning coals were put and stroked with their help. Of course, this method was extremely uncomfortable and even unsafe, besides the sparks flying in all directions could leave holes on the linen that was ironed. With the help of such methods, humanity realized the most important thing: to iron clothes most effectively, using some kind of hot metal surface.

No one will surely tell when and who invented the device, which is now called “iron” and in which particular country of the world it first appeared. The first analogue of the iron, as the researchers believe, was born when people created the first woven clothes. Although some eminent archaeologists are completely confident that primitive people smoothed the skins of animals, most likely, with the bones of a mammoth, and this may mean that the name of the creator of the first analogue for ironing will always be hidden from us.

But it is known how the iron was gradually improved. Even in rather old times, people quickly invented and implemented various ways of ironing clothes, so that crumpled things look stylish after any washing and are not too crumpled. One of the simplest and most ancient methods, which the most ancient people actively used, is still used by many women in the world - just to stretch a damp cloth on a stone under the scorching rays of the sun. Then most of the washed things will look dumb.

The very first recorded evidence that devices such as irons were actively used in everyday life has a date of February 10, 1636, although according to specialists, the iron appeared in the homes of average people much earlier than this date and today we can safely assume that it is already more than 2 , 5 thousand years. That is the age of those devices that, in their functional features, resemble the familiar iron now, that is, their origin can be dated to approximately 500 BC. er

The very first mention of the device for ironing clothes in Russia is found in the middle of the XVII century. In 1636, Queen Evdokia first mentioned the word "iron" in her notes.

In making them, they were decorated with luxurious ornaments, they could even be inherited, which already testifies to what valuable objects in the dwelling were these still primitive devices. The presence of this device in the house was considered a sign of family well-being, since these devices were then extremely expensive. Often the iron was placed on a napkin next to a hot samovar as an additional decoration of the tea drinking process, or was installed in the most prominent place at home and was proudly shown to the guests.

For the most famous inhabitants, irons of the most incredible types could be produced. - for example, in the form of a rooster or even with a pipe. It was often possible to see on copper irons even copper inlay on an iron-based device, and even silver ornaments on the irons in the homes of wealthy ordinary people. The handles for these devices were most often made of wood and were mostly smooth, but they could be figured depending on the preferences of the owners of the house. In addition, they produced even very small irons, which helped smooth out complex laces and other tiny details on clothes without any problems.

A little later there is a device made of cast iron. It was necessary to heat it up before use on a fire or in a furnace. This ironing device was heated up long enough, to work with it, it was necessary to put mittens on my hands, as the handle became too hot.Soon it was slightly improved and the opportunity to remove the handle appeared - it was possible to iron one base, the second one would heat up at the same time. The cast-iron product was very heavy and rather massive, for this reason they could only qualitatively stroke very coarse fabrics. For ironing delicate materials chose a small iron.

In Germany, an alcohol device first appears 150 years ago. Advertising of such an iron could be read even in the journals of the 1913 edition. The principle of operation of the device was similar to the well-known design of a kerosene lamp: alcohol was simply poured into the device, it was set on fire, thanks to which the heat needed to heat the iron was extracted. Such an old device had a small weight, was heated rather quickly, was mobile. But he had one huge minus - its cost was high and therefore it was used only in rich houses.

One hundred years ago, coal or brass devices were quite popular. They looked like mini-stoves: inside the appliances there were red flaming coals. To provide traction, special holes were drilled in the side of the structure. Sometimes the iron on the coals even had a separate pipe for smoke. In order to re-ignite the already slightly cooled coals, the holes were strenuously blowing or actively swinging the iron itself, although it was not so light.

At the end of the 19th century, the production of "gas" irons began. Such a device is really heated with gas. Inside the device was placed a tube made of a special metal, not afraid of heat exposure, its second end was placed in a gas cylinder, and the pump was placed on top. This was the way gas was distributed inside the device, heating its sole during operation. But irons of this kind were almost the most dangerous: gas leaks became a real disaster, because of them there were often fires and even explosions occurred.

It is worth remembering one more rather old look of the sought-after design for smoothing clothes - these are cast irons from cast iron that were heated right on the fire or in the stove. For the first time they began to be used in the XVIII century and were produced in Russia until the 60s of the XX century. And although it was possible to buy an electric appliance for a long time, cast irons continued to be popular, because far from all houses in those years there were sockets.

The earliest devices working on electricity, were quite capricious during operation, so in 1892, two companies just slightly altered the electrical appliance, inserting into it a special spiral for heating the sole. The spiral was completely isolated and placed in the body of the product just above the sole. After this innovation, irons could be considered practically harmless. This kind of device is still in use today, only minor design elements change in its structure and very convenient functions are added.

So, in the 30s of the 20th century, one of the main elements appeared in the structure of an electric device - this is a thermostat that should control the set temperature and turn off the spiral in time when the desired level of heating of the iron base is reached.

In the 70s, the ironing bases of the devices changed significantly: they were no longer made of metal, as they began to produce soles from glass ceramics.The use of new materials significantly reduced the coefficient of friction of the sole of the iron on any fabric. For this reason, nowadays all modern appliances slide on fabrics, which makes the process of ironing much easier for hostesses.

To further facilitate the use of irons, the devices are complemented by humidifiers. The first designs of these interesting devices were very creative. At the end of the 20th century, 2 German women received a patent for a device, to the spout of which a device was attached with a small cup, filled to the brim with water. At the bottom of this cup was a hole that covered the cork with an elongated handle. It was necessary to gently press on this handle, and the cork immediately opened, while the water instantly squirted on a dry cloth, facilitating the process of ironing. B. Kratz came up with an even more interesting device: he fastened a rubber ball with small holes on the handle of the device. The pear was filled with water and, if necessary, squeezed by hand - the water was actively splashing onto the fabric, making the ironing process more comfortable.

In 1868, a patent for a musical iron was obtained - this unique device made funny sounds at the time of ironing. This strange at first glance, the invention allowed to turn the tedious work of the ironers into a much more fun action. Handles and body of this kind of products were often decorated with enamel of different colors, with an openwork carving and beautifully painted. And this elegant design of the iron was extremely fashionable, so the irons with music were produced up to the 20s of the XX century.

Recently, progress has inevitably expanded the philistine horizons. Touched these new trends and all the familiar irons. One of the most interesting inventions in this area was a unique system called “Laurastar”. Briefly, you can describe it this way: it supplies steam immediately to a special ironing board that works simultaneously with the iron.

This principle is completely safe for any type of fabric, besides the latest technology allows you to remove not only the existing folds, but even smells, and, most surprisingly, it removes stains. Using it, you can remove the shiny areas from the fabric, as well as dry the laundry, since the board itself will also be heated during ironing.

More about the history of irons, you can see in the next video.