Mike Moore, age 9, of Overland Park, Ran., for his question:
WHO INVENTED THE WASHING MACHINE?
An inventor from Philadelphia named Hamilton Smith came up with the idea for the first mechanical washing machine in 1858. The first machine had revolving paddles in a boxlike tub. When a crank was turned at the side of the tub, paddles turned inside the tub, pushing the clothes through the water to force out the dirt.
But this first machine, and others that followed for a time, required tiresome hand operation. Also, they were often very hard on the clothes.
For thousands of years, one of the most tiresome of household tasks was the washing of clothes and linens. In early times, women often washed clothes on smooth stones at the edge of running streams. The clothes had to be pounded and rubbed by hand to get them clean. In some primitive parts of the world, women still use this method.
Even the eventual discovery of the washboard, wringer and tubs didn't do much to get rid of the backbreaking labor involved in doing the laundry.
In 1910, an electrically powered washing machine was finally developed. Hand work was no longer necessary. This new machine was invented by a man named Alva Fisher and it was manufactured by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago.
Since inventor Fisher's time, electric washing machines have been improved constantly and many conveniences have been added. Today, many homes in the United States and Canada are equipped with this work saver.
The electric washing machine has a tub or tank and an electric motor. The device in the center of the tub that does the actual washing is called an agitator or turbulator. The agitator does the work of human hands by constantly swishing the clothes around in the soapy water until the dirt has been removed.
There are different types of agitators. Most of them are fixed to a rod or shaft in the center of the tub.
In some washing machines, the rod may move up and down in the tub at the same time that it turns from side to side. The agitator attached to it thus moves in two directions at the same time. It moves the clothes with it and causes the water to circulate through them.
Some tubs have no agitator, but have an inner tub with many small holes through which the water runs back and forth between the two tubs. This increases the action of the water and makes for faster washing.
Some types of electric washing machines have the agitator or washing device attached to the lid of the tub. In others, the tub revolves to supply the agitation.
Automatic washing machines have a complete set of controls that regulate the washing and rinsing time, the water temperature and the amount of agitation. They connect to the hot and cold water pipes.
Automatic washers usually have an inner and outer tub. The washing takes place in the inner tub, which spins around rapidly after the clothes have been washed or rinsed. The spinning throws the water up and out of the inner tub into the outer tub. The water is then pumped out. The clothes are now partially dry, and ready for hanging on a line or drying by machine.