Funny holidays - Iron's birthday

The fabric was pleated using a thick metal rod, shaped vaguely like a modern rolling pin This device was previously heated To simply smooth the fabric, ordinary smooth cobblestones were used, also well heated Only a few centuries later special devices appeared - irons The first written mentions of these metal products, which were heated and used to smooth out wrinkles on clothing, date back to the 11th century They can be found in the works of the famous Turkic lexicographer In Rus', people did without irons at all Linen was mainly used to make clothes for ordinary peasants Linen fabric had to be thoroughly stretched after washing to make it pleasant to the body The Slavs came up with their own method - they wound the cloth on a rolling pin, and then rolled it through a special die with hard ribs The fibers of the fabric were thoroughly kneaded You can see similar devices in many Soviet historical films As it becomes clear, the iron and the devices that served as the basis for its design have been used for a very long time But the official “date of birth” of the invention is February 10, since it was on this day in 1636 that it was mentioned in documents The first irons also bore little resemblance to modern ones They only had a similar shape, but the operating principle was strikingly different Initially, irons were very massive and heavy - they were monolithic pieces of metal with handles that were placed in a hot oven for rapid heating It was very difficult to work with such a device It weighed a lot, was clumsy, and there was always a danger of “overexposing” the fabric and burning a hole in it, and fabric in those days was quite expensive Later the irons lost a significant part of their weight They began to make them hollow inside To heat such a unit, the stove was melted, then coals were taken from it and poured into the iron It was covered with a special lid on top They were made mainly from cast iron Special holes were made on the sides of the iron The coals gradually cooled over time Through the holes they could be inflated, raising the temperature When electricity appeared in the world, the time came to make new irons that worked from the network The first models were quite heavy They did not have a temperature control feature The iron simply heated up at maximum as long as the plug was plugged into the socket If there were a lot of things to iron, housewives had to periodically turn off the irons so that they cooled down a little Already in our century, the design of the iron is becoming more complex, its functionality is expanding, and its weight is becoming lighter - all for the convenience of the one who will use it First, it became possible to regulate the temperature When smoothing delicate fabrics, it can be reduced, which makes life much easier for housewives To combat stubborn folds, an additional function has appeared - steam treatment, which is supplied through special holes and makes the fabric more pliable to heat A special coating has appeared on the bottom of the iron, which ensures perfect smoothness and is easy to clean Some modern models can also serve as steamers, so they are even used for ironing outerwear