An old model of washing machine. William Blackstone's is dated 1874
The washing machine has a long history (see https://www.pilloledistoria.it/9460/storia-contemporanea/lantenata-della-lavatrice), but we can consider the American merchant William Blackstone the first manufacturer of these useful appliances.
On the occasion of his wife's birthday in 1874 in fact, the man gave her a machine that she invented to wash clothes more easily.
It was a wooden barrel to be filled with hot soapy water.
The cloths were arranged inside and an axis equipped with pegs, to be moved manually up and down, shook them to clean them.
Although it may seem rudimentary to us, this washing machine ante litteram made it easier to clean clothes than in the past.
For this reason, success was immediate and William Blackstone began selling his revolutionary machine at a price of $ 2.50 per piece.
Later, the man founded his own company in New York and we can consider him the first real manufacturer of washing machines in memory.
Of all modern appliances, the laundry machine is the one that has most changed people's daily habits.
If for centuries washing clothes has taken away a lot of time and energy, especially from women, thanks to the washing machine it has no longer been like this ( Photo from :trovaprezzo.it).