When I saw the above image, I had NO idea what it was. However, when I asked my wife, she knew right away!
This is actually the Hercules vacuum cleaner, which was popular back in the 1930s! Notice that it is made partly of crocodile skin. Who would have thought that this could be used to make a vacuum?!
The image has since gone viral, with social media users talking about their own experiences with the vacuum.
“My nana had one. Hard as hell to manuver around the house,” one user wrote.
“I had a couple of them. Super good cleaners!!” another added.
It truly is amazing to see what household appliances were like back in the day. It’s definitely a reminder of just how much appliances change with the passage of time. Vacuums especially have come a long way since they were invented in the 1800s. Back then, people used manual vacuums that you had to pump by hand! The image below is an example of a hand pumped vacuum. I wouldn’t even know where to begin in trying to figure out how to use that!

Powered vacuum cleaners did not come about until 1898, when John S. Thurman submitted a patent for a “pneumatic carpet renovator” which blew dust into a receptacle. Over the 20th century, vacuums became more and more like the modern ones we have today. Every household needs a vacuum these days, and they are incredibly handy when it comes to cleaning around the house!
SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.