What was the greatest invention of the industrial revolution? Hans Rosling makes the case for the washing machine. With newly designed graphics from Gapminder, Rosling shows us the magic that pops up when economic growth and electricity turn a boring wash day into an intellectual day of reading.
Sadly, Hans Rosling passed away on February 7, 2017...
This video reminded me of how Mom had to do laundry, by heating the water, in a large copper kettle and with a thick wooden stick, pushing the whites into the hot and soapy substance.
They got then rinsed inside the long tub, with cold water and wringing out by hand.
Sheets hanging over her shoulder and making her wet... cold/wet that is!
As I have helped her as a young girl; I've felt it myself.
Dearest Sami, It is hard to imagine that e.g. my Grandmothers with 10+ children each, managed to do without a washing machine... We never ought to complain! Also in Indonesia, we've seen the women do laundry by hand, using water from the stream. I felt embarrassed for having in 1990 my German Bauknecht Eco WA 8310 WS Rupiah 1,850.000 and a Bauknecht TRA 860 CD Rupiah 1,150.000 or US $ 1,585... But beside my 6-day job I was not willing to do without! Hugs, Mariette Mariette
When I was very young, Mom had a wringer washer. I used to be fascinated by it, would watch her feed the clothes and sheets through it. :-)
Yes, we've come a long way in a short span of human history. My own washer is about 21 years old, last of the GOOD mechanical line, nothing computerized. I will be sad when I have to replace it; nothing purchased today will last 20+ years.
Dearest Kim, Yes, my Mom used to have such a wooden Rondo wringer washer as well. Only when I was 14 she got her very first Miele washer and she's had only two of them. One quit working, but my Pieter overhauled it and it ran again for years. In fact, my brother is still using her last one as my Dad did his own laundry up until a couple of months before his death! You are so right about the GOOD appliances being made; that is over with. NO ONE seems to complain about that huge dump into the garbage because of inferior mass production just for the $$$$... Hugs, Mariette
Fortunately, washing machines have been invented, and many other devices that make everyday life easier. However, everything useless has also been invented. My grandmother and mom have washed the laundry in the river, summer and winter.
Dearest Anne, Yes, that is a huge blessing to many women, worldwide! You are so right about so many useless things having been invented, only for creating more TRASH! What a harsh way of doing laundry in your very cold climate of Finland... Your Mom and Grandmother, and all others who did so, ought to be respected for having done so! We all have nothing to complain in comparison with previous generations. Hugs, Mariette
Hello Mariette, I have old photos of washing day being set up out doors, with fireplaces, huge kettles for boiling clothes, pounding them, etc. Even making the soap was another major outdoor project. And even after the laundry was all washed and line-dried, came the enormous task of ironing without electric irons, especially considering all the pleated and fancy clothing of the old days! --Jim
Dearest Jim, Talking about enormous tasks, indeed they all were and Mom would also after rinsing spread out the white linens on the lawn for having them sun-bleached. Of course not in winter... Ironing was yet another task indeed, they used sprinklers to dampen whatever needed ironing. Even I did learn that while I was in Highschool, we had to go on Wednesday afternoons to the school for economics, mainly aimed at cooking, laundry and cleaning. So we had to roll those sprinkled pieces and then iron them. Being a bit moist surely helps. Those are women to be admired for being so brave and making do with very little! Hugs, Mariette
I wonder what is the greatest invention in the world. Is it sliced bread? Or the whoopee cushion? Some say that the world's greatest ever invention was the wheel; but I do not agree. Perhaps the greatest invention was the second wheel, because then you had a bicycle.
Dearest Victor, Ask that question to any woman and I'm guessing that none of them would want to give up their washing machine; period. One can break bread and enjoy it still and of course, way back when indeed the wheel got invented, that was a tremendous help in transporting things! Hugs, Mariette
La lavadora ha sido un gran invento, como el frigorífico y otra serie de electrodomésticos....me imagino como sería la vida, antes de que apareciera la lavadora.
Querida Antónia, ¡Todos estamos tan mimados en comparación con las generaciones anteriores! Refrigerador y congelador también son convenientes, ya que podemos preparar comidas en grandes cantidades y congelar las porciones para cenas fáciles. Tantas comodidades que tenemos... Abrazos, Mariette
Dear Mariette - I for one am very grateful that I do not have to do the washing in the way that our mothers did. However, even that was better than having to hand pummel the cloths on rocks by a stream, which in many third world countries today they still do.
Dearest Rosemary, Indeed, compared to our mothers and most certainly to our grandmothers, we are spoiled in many ways! Oh, we both have seen the hand pummeling in India and also in Indonesia and they probably still have quite a number of them doing it at present. Hugs, Mariette
Dearest Jo-Anne, Guess what we have accomplished thus far gives us tremendous support in running a household, compared to one or two generations back. Hugs, Mariette
Except for the toilet, I think I appreciate the invention of the washing machine more than any other, Mariette. May we all be thankful for the conveniences we enjoy in this day and age. Blessings!
Dearest Martha Jane, Oh sure, the flushing toilet is also a great invention and no doubt the washing maching ranks at the very top! We indeed have lots of luxuries, compared to others that don't, for being grateful for. Hugs, Mariette
Life really is so much easier for women today than it was even in our mothers time. Although will we ever be satisfied, if you ask many these days they will say the dishwasher is the best invention ever, personally I have never had one and never will. Even after a party and everyone has gone home my husband and I quite enjoy doing the dishes together discussing the evenings events 😉
Dearest Grace, It definitely is a lot easier today. The dishwasher is not at the top, we have done the fine crystal and better china also by hand like you describe and wouldn't mind doing that. But laundry is different. Hugs, Mariette
There's been so much progress in technology in the last 40 or so years it's amazing. So glad we now have washing machines and dishwashers...
ReplyDeleteDearest Sami,
DeleteIt is hard to imagine that e.g. my Grandmothers with 10+ children each, managed to do without a washing machine... We never ought to complain!
Also in Indonesia, we've seen the women do laundry by hand, using water from the stream. I felt embarrassed for having in 1990 my German Bauknecht Eco WA 8310 WS Rupiah 1,850.000 and a Bauknecht TRA 860 CD Rupiah 1,150.000 or US $ 1,585... But beside my 6-day job I was not willing to do without!
Hugs,
Mariette
Mariette
When I was very young, Mom had a wringer washer. I used to be fascinated by it, would watch her feed the clothes and sheets through it. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, we've come a long way in a short span of human history. My own washer is about 21 years old, last of the GOOD mechanical line, nothing computerized. I will be sad when I have to replace it; nothing purchased today will last 20+ years.
Dearest Kim,
DeleteYes, my Mom used to have such a wooden Rondo wringer washer as well. Only when I was 14 she got her very first Miele washer and she's had only two of them. One quit working, but my Pieter overhauled it and it ran again for years. In fact, my brother is still using her last one as my Dad did his own laundry up until a couple of months before his death!
You are so right about the GOOD appliances being made; that is over with. NO ONE seems to complain about that huge dump into the garbage because of inferior mass production just for the $$$$...
Hugs,
Mariette
Fortunately, washing machines have been invented, and many other devices that make everyday life easier. However, everything useless has also been invented. My grandmother and mom have washed the laundry in the river, summer and winter.
ReplyDeleteDearest Anne,
DeleteYes, that is a huge blessing to many women, worldwide!
You are so right about so many useless things having been invented, only for creating more TRASH!
What a harsh way of doing laundry in your very cold climate of Finland... Your Mom and Grandmother, and all others who did so, ought to be respected for having done so!
We all have nothing to complain in comparison with previous generations.
Hugs,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, I have old photos of washing day being set up out doors, with fireplaces, huge kettles for boiling clothes, pounding them, etc. Even making the soap was another major outdoor project. And even after the laundry was all washed and line-dried, came the enormous task of ironing without electric irons, especially considering all the pleated and fancy clothing of the old days!
ReplyDelete--Jim
Dearest Jim,
DeleteTalking about enormous tasks, indeed they all were and Mom would also after rinsing spread out the white linens on the lawn for having them sun-bleached. Of course not in winter...
Ironing was yet another task indeed, they used sprinklers to dampen whatever needed ironing. Even I did learn that while I was in Highschool, we had to go on Wednesday afternoons to the school for economics, mainly aimed at cooking, laundry and cleaning. So we had to roll those sprinkled pieces and then iron them. Being a bit moist surely helps. Those are women to be admired for being so brave and making do with very little!
Hugs,
Mariette
I wonder what is the greatest invention in the world. Is it sliced bread? Or the whoopee cushion? Some say that the world's greatest ever invention was the wheel; but I do not agree. Perhaps the greatest invention was the second wheel, because then you had a bicycle.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Dearest Victor,
DeleteAsk that question to any woman and I'm guessing that none of them would want to give up their washing machine; period. One can break bread and enjoy it still and of course, way back when indeed the wheel got invented, that was a tremendous help in transporting things!
Hugs,
Mariette
La lavadora ha sido un gran invento, como el frigorífico y otra serie de electrodomésticos....me imagino como sería la vida, antes de que apareciera la lavadora.
ReplyDeleteBesos
Querida Antónia,
Delete¡Todos estamos tan mimados en comparación con las generaciones anteriores! Refrigerador y congelador también son convenientes, ya que podemos preparar comidas en grandes cantidades y congelar las porciones para cenas fáciles. Tantas comodidades que tenemos...
Abrazos,
Mariette
Dear Mariette - I for one am very grateful that I do not have to do the washing in the way that our mothers did. However, even that was better than having to hand pummel the cloths on rocks by a stream, which in many third world countries today they still do.
ReplyDeleteDearest Rosemary,
DeleteIndeed, compared to our mothers and most certainly to our grandmothers, we are spoiled in many ways! Oh, we both have seen the hand pummeling in India and also in Indonesia and they probably still have quite a number of them doing it at present.
Hugs,
Mariette
We have come so far and still have a long way to go
ReplyDeleteDearest Jo-Anne,
DeleteGuess what we have accomplished thus far gives us tremendous support in running a household, compared to one or two generations back.
Hugs,
Mariette
Except for the toilet, I think I appreciate the invention of the washing machine more than any other, Mariette. May we all be thankful for the conveniences we enjoy in this day and age.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Dearest Martha Jane,
DeleteOh sure, the flushing toilet is also a great invention and no doubt the washing maching ranks at the very top!
We indeed have lots of luxuries, compared to others that don't, for being grateful for.
Hugs,
Mariette
thank you to who invent washing machine....
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day
Dearest Tanza,
DeleteIndeed, the development of the washing machine as we all are used to now, was a wonderful invention!
Hugs,
Mariette
Life really is so much easier for women today than it was even in our mothers time. Although will we ever be satisfied, if you ask many these days they will say the dishwasher is the best invention ever, personally I have never had one and never will. Even after a party and everyone has gone home my husband and I quite enjoy doing the dishes together discussing the evenings events 😉
ReplyDeleteDearest Grace,
DeleteIt definitely is a lot easier today. The dishwasher is not at the top, we have done the fine crystal and better china also by hand like you describe and wouldn't mind doing that. But laundry is different.
Hugs,
Mariette