Season 1 (1988)

The Secret Life of the Vacuum Cleaner
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November 15, 1988

Before the invention of the vacuum cleaner, carpets and upholstery were taken outside and beaten once a year to get the dust out (...Read more

The Secret Life of the Washing Machine
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November 22, 1988

The earliest form of automatic washing was the nautical practice of towing clothes behind the ship. The combination of agitation a...Read more

The Secret Life of the Sewing Machine
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November 29, 1988

The first patent for a sewing machine was taken out by an English cabinetmaker called Thomas Saint in 1790. It's doubtful whether ...Read more

The Secret Life of the Refrigerator
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December 6, 1988

Commercial refrigeration equipment was first developed in Australia, where the winters weren't cold enough to produce much natural...Read more

The Secret Life of the Central Heating System
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December 13, 1988

At first Roman houses simply had a fire in the middle of the room (the Latin for hearth is focus). But they probably had trouble w...Read more

The Secret Life of the Television Set
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December 20, 1988

John Logie Baird, the Scottish inventor, developed an electromechanical TV system in the 1920s and gave frequent public demonstrat...Read more