Inventors
The
Blender - History of the Kitchen Blender
 By
Mary
Bellis
In 1922, Stephen Poplawski invented the blender. For those of you who have never been in a kitchen or
a bar, a blender
is a small electric appliance (see picture left) that has a tall container
and blades that chop, grind and puree food and beverages. Stephen Poplawski
was the first to put a spinning blade at the bottom of a container. He
used his appliance to make
soda
fountain drinks. In 1935, Fred Osius improved on Poplawski's idea and
invented the famous Waring Blender.
In 1910 L.H. Hamilton, Chester Beach and Fred Osius formed the Hamilton
Beach Manufacturing Co that became well known for their kitchen appliances. Fred Osius
later began working on ways to improve the Poplawski blender
History of the Waring
Blender
Fred Waring,
a one-time Penn State architectural and engineering student, was always
fascinated by gadgets. He first achieved fame fronting the big band, Fred
Waring and the Pennsylvanians, but the blender made
Waring a household name.
Fred Waring was
the financial source and marketing force that thrust the Waring Blender
into the marketplace, however, Fred Osius invented and patented the famous blending
machine in 1933. Fred Osius knew that Fred Waring had a fondness for new inventions,
and Osius need money to make improvements to his blender. Talking his way into
Fred Waring's dressing
room following a live radio broadcast in New York’s Vanderbilt Theatre,
Osius pitched his idea and received a promise from Waring to back further research.
Six months
and $25,000 later, the blender still suffered technical difficulties. Undaunted,
Waring dumped Fred Osius and had the blender redesigned once again. In 1937, the
Waring-owned Miracle Mixer blender was introduced
to the public at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago retailing for $29.75.
In 1938, Fred Waring renamed his Miracle Mixer
Corporation as the Waring Corporation, and the mixer's name was changed to the Waring
Blender.
Fred Waring went
on a one-man marketing campaign that began with hotels and restaurants
he visited while touring with his band, and later spread to upscale stores
such as Bloomingdale’s and B. Altman’s. Waring once touted the Blender
to a St. Louis reporter saying, "…this mixer is going to revolutionize
American drinks." And it did.
The Waring Blender became an important tool in hospitals for the implementation of
specific diets, as well as a vital scientific research device. Dr. Jonas
Salk used it while developing the vaccine for
polio. In 1954, the millionth
Waring Blender was sold, and it is still as popular today.
Related Information
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