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The iron was the first electric appliance most Americans kept in their homes. As an incentive for consumers to use electricity, introduced in the late 19th Century, utility companies often gave away irons on a trial basis. At first, electricity was generated only at night for lighting; one utility company offered service all day Tuesday so women could do their ironing. The most popular iron was the Hotpoint, introduced in 1905. That iron came about after inventor Earl Richardson’s wife complained that his earlier version was too hot in the middle and not warm enough at the tip. Electric irons, which replaced heavy predecessors that had to be heated by coal or over an iron stove, became widely popular after World War I.
