#13: The Electric Kettle
If you don’t have an electric kettle in your kitchen, you’re missing out. This invention is one of the easiest ways to boil water for coffee, tea, and so much more. Many of us think of the small, sleek kettles of today. But the first electric kettles looked much more elaborate. They were also a lot more dangerous.
According to the Museum of Modern Art, the first electric kettles of the 1890s were a lot less efficient than boiling water over a gas or wood fire. Early versions also had a problem with the whole water near live electricity bit. However, the company AEG was able to market their elaborate kettles designed by Peter Behrens in such a way that made them a hot commodity. This 1909 electric kettle is a pristine example of an early kettle that is beautiful yet slightly dangerous.