Flatiron timeline

Ancient to Pre-Modern Periods

• 1st Century CE (China)
  ➤ Earliest known ironing tools: Metal pans filled with hot coals used to press and smooth fabric.
  ➤ These early devices were more like heated pressure tools than what we'd call irons today.

• Middle Ages (9th–15th Century, Europe)
  ➤ People used glass, stone, or wood "smoothers" to press clothes, especially linen.
  ➤ No heating involved — simply used pressure.

Early Flatirons

• 17th Century (Europe)
  ➤ Introduction of "flatirons" or "sad irons" ("sad" meaning solid or heavy).
  ➤ These irons were made of cast iron and heated on a stove or open flame.
  ➤ Multiple irons were used in rotation — one heated while the other was in use.

• 18th Century
  ➤ Box irons gained popularity — hollow irons filled with hot coals or a heated slug.
  ➤ More efficient than solid flatirons, but bulky and smoky.

Industrial Age Innovations

• Mid-19th Century
  ➤ Sad irons became more refined, with detachable handles and improved designs.
  ➤ Mary Florence Potts patented a reversible sad iron in 1870, with a detachable wooden handle and multiple bases that could be swapped as they cooled.

Invention of the Electric Iron

• 1882 (USA)
  ➤ Henry W. Seeley of New York patented the first electric iron.
  ➤ Known as the "electric flatiron," it used a carbon arc for heating.
  ➤ Heavy and slow to heat, but a major technological leap.

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