Toasters Through Time
READ:
Have you ever toasted your own bread? Do you have an idea how easy or hard it is to make toast? Today, it is easy to make toast with a toaster, but that hasn’t always been true. For over 200 years people have tried different methods to toast bread. Inventors built on one another’s ideas to continue to improve how we make toast. In 2020 approximately 17.4 million toasters will be sold in the United States. Discover the
amazing history of toast through a timeline challenge. Then, share your own ideas for improving the toaster.
DO:
• Look at the Toaster: Then and Now diagram. Write what you notice about each toaster underneath the photo. Write what they have in common in the middle. If you have a toaster at home use that instead of the photograph!
• Cut out the Toaster Timeline entries. Read them over and then arrange them in order from the earliest to the most recent Check your answers and rearrange if you need to.
• Make your timeline into a banner you can hang up! Tape or glue the entries to a ribbon or string.
• Update the toaster! Use the blank box to draw or write how you would improve the toaster for the future. Make it the last entry on your timeline.
SHARE:
• Talk about toaster history with your family. Which timeline entry is most important to you? Why? Do you think the toaster is a great invention? Why or why not?
• Hang your timeline banner at home for all to see!
• Post a picture of your Toaster: Then and Now diagram, timeline, and updated toaster on social media with the hashtag #CHMatHomeFamilies!
Approx. Time: 30—45 minutes Materials:
Toaster: Then and Now
Toaster Timeline
Scissors
Tape or glue (optional)
Ribbon or string (optional)
Sunbeam Toaster Ad ICHi-173754
Toaster: Then and Now Diagram
Now Circa 1920
Take a close look at the picture of each toaster. Write down the details you notice in the circles underneath the pictures. In the middle, write down what they have in common.
Now Circa 1920s
Both
Toaster: Then and Now Timeline
In the 1970s toasters are available in more varieties of colors, so people could buy toasters to match their kitchens. Some were sold that could even toast images of famous movie characters, like Darth Vader from
Star Wars, right into the bread!
In 1905 a new metal coil was invented by Albert Marsh, which solved the heating problem.
Customers wanted to be able to easily toast thicker bread items such as bagels, so during the 1980‘s toasters were made with wider slots.
A toaster with a glass “see through” window in the middle was sold in 2010.
The company General Electric built the first line of electric toasters for use in the home in 1909.
The Coleman Electric Stove Company made a toaster that had an automatic bread turner in 1913.
The toaster oven first introduced in 1914, may have taken up more space in the kitchen, but it could toast bigger things.
The first pop-up toaster was invented in 1919, by a Minnesota mechanic named Charles Strite. He originally made his toaster for restaurants, not home use.
Cut out the timeline entries on the dotted lines and organize them in time order. There are
two pages of entries.
Toaster: Then and Now Timeline Continued
The Continental Baking Company, which made Wonder Bread, began selling it sliced, instead of in solid loaves, around 1930. Now that pre-sliced bread with standard size slices was available all over the country,
toaster sales increased.
During the 1960s, toaster prices become more affordable and designs became smaller so that toasters didn‘t take up too much counter space.
2120. What features will the toaster have and what will it look like 100 years from now?
The first-ever electric toaster was invented by Alan MacMasters in 1893. It toasted only one side of the bread, so you had to flip the bread over. His model also had a problem with the heating coils.
In the 1850s open fire toasters started to be made of lighter weight kinds of metal. Design updates included models that folded over the bread and mesh grids that allowed people to see the bread as it toasted.
Early toasters of the 1800‘s were made of iron frames that held bread and had long handles. The handle allowed people to stand safely back while they put the toast over an open fire.
In 1926 Strite’s pop up toaster was re-designed for home use and sold under the name Toastmaster.
The first bread slicing machine was invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder and was used at a bakery in Chillicothe, Missouri in 1928.
SPOILERS Toaster: Then and Now Timeline
Early toas 1.
ters of t he 180 0‘s wer e ma de of iron fr ame s th at hel d b read and h ad lo ng hand les. Th
e
han dle allowed p eop le to stan d sa fely back w hile th ey p ut th e toa st ove r an o pen fire .
2.
In t he 1850 s open fire to aster s st arted to be made of lighter
w eight kin ds of me tal.
Design u pd ates
inclu ded m odels th at f old ed ove r th e b read an d mesh gri ds th at allo wed p eop le to see th e b read as
it t oast ed .
The 3.
first -ever el ectric toa ster w as in vented b y Alan M acM asters in 18 93. It toa sted on ly one side
of
th e b read , so you h ad to flip t he bre ad ove r. H is mo del also had a pro ble m w ith th e h eati ng coils.
4.
In 19 05 a n ew met al c oil w as in vented b y Alb ert Marsh , w hic h solve d t
he hea tin g p rob lem.
5.
The com pan y Gen eral Elect ric built t
he first lin e o f ele ctric toast ers
for u se in th e h ome in 19 09.
6.
The Col eman Ele ctric St ove Com pan y mad
e a toa ster th at had an au tom atic bre ad t urn er in 1 913.
The 7.
toa ster ove n first in tro du ced in 1 914, may have tak en u p mo re space in th e ki tch en, b ut it c ould
toa st b igger t hin gs.
The 8.
first p op -u p t oast er w as in vented in 19 19, by a Min neso ta mechan
ic n amed C harle s St rite.
He
origin ally mad
e h is toa ster for re stau ran ts, not h ome use.
9.
In 19 26 S tri te
’s pop u p t oaster w as re-d esign ed for home use a nd sold u nd er th e n ame Toast master.
10.
The first b read slic ing mach ine was in vented b y Ott o Fre der ick Rohw edd er and w as u sed at a bak ery
in C hillic oth e, M issou ri in 19 28.
SPOILERS Toaster: Then and Now Timeline
11.
The Co nti nen tal Bak ing Com pan y, w hic h ma de Won der Bre ad, b egan s
ellin g it slic ed, in stea d of in
solid loa ves, arou nd 1 930.
Now th at pre -slic ed b rea d w ith st and ard siz e sli ces was available
all ove r
th e c oun try, toa ster sal es incre ased .
Du 12.
rin g th e 19 60s, toa ster prices becom e mo re affor dab le an d d esigns
bec ame smalle r so
th at
toa sters did n‘t tak e u p t oo mu ch counter sp
ace.
13.
In t he 1970 s t oast ers are availab le in
mo re varieti es of colo
rs, so peo ple co uld b uy toa ster s to match
th eir k itch en s. So me w ere sold t hat cou ld eve n t oast image s of f
amou s m ovie ch aracters, like Dart h
Vad er f rom Star Wars, ri
ght in to th e b read
!
Cu 14.
stom ers wan ted to be able to easily toa st t hic ker b rea d it ems su ch as bagels, so d
uri ng th e 19 80‘s
toa sters wer e mad e w ith w ider slo ts.
15.
A toa ster w ith a glass “se
e th rou gh
” w ind ow in th e mid dle was sold in 20 10.
2120 . Wh at f eatu res will th e t oast er h ave an d w hat w ill it lo ok like 10
0 ye ars fro m n ow?
