This Day in History: On this day (June 8) in 1824, Noah Cushing of Quebec patented his washing machine invention, thereby becoming the first Canadian to be awarded a patent. Cushing's washing machine still required manual operation via a hand crank, but it was still a labor-saving device.
The invention of the washing machine may be the greatest invention of all time. Cambridge University economist Ha Joon Chang in his book 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism stated that the washing machine has influenced the world more than the internet. Hans Rosling called washing machines the greatest invention of the industrial revolution. It freed women from the chore of laundry – or at least from spending one full Monday every week doing it. "Doing the laundry didn’t only take up time, it also required considerable physical strength. With the risk of catching waterborne diseases or trapping fingers in a mangle; doing laundry could be dangerous too." (https://helpwiththewashing.co.uk/blog/washing-machine-changed-our-world/) The washing machines Whirlpool built in 1900 were imprinted with the phrase: "Saves Women's Lives."
Now that women didn't have to spend an entire day washing clothes on a washboard, they had more freedoms to pursue other activities, even to join the workforce. The spread of the washing machine has been seen to be a force behind the improvement of women's position in society. Irish feminist Mary Frances McDonald described washing machines as the single most life-changing invention for women.
Heinz Schmitz
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