Thomas W. Stewart
Thomas W. Stewart
Black Inventors
Who, What, When, Where, Why?
Learn all about the mop by reading each part below (Chandler/White, 1986).Who?
Thomas Stewart invented the first mechanically clamping mop.What?
Stewart's mop was special because the head could be replaced by unclamping the old mop head and clamping on a new one. The clamping mechanism was very complex.When?
Thomas Stewart invented the mop in 1893. Conditions were not as clean and healthy then as they are now.Where?
The mop was invented in Detroit, Michigan, a very large city. In the 1800's, cities were growing and people lived in crowded areas. It was difficult to keep things clean and harder to keep people healthy.Why?
Thomas Stewart wanted to create an easier way for people to clean their floors so they would keep the floors cleaner and everyone could have better health.
Importance of the Mop in Life:
Back in the 1800's, when people wanted to clean their floors, they had to bend down on their hands and knees. This caused people to have aching backs and sore knees. Soap caused hands to be rough. Cleaning floors was a big deal. With Thomas W. Stewart's invention of the mop, cleaning floors became much easier. People could stand up to wash their floors, making it easier for more people to keep their floors more clean. With the replaceable mop head, the cloth part of the mop could be replaced when it became nasty and worn out. The people had better health because their houses and public buildings were cleaner.
Here is a drawing of Stewart's Mop.
Researched by Christina Donovan, North Carolina A&T State University.
Drawing by Dr. Vincent Childress.
Photo by Hemera Photo Objects [Clipart CD].
Reference:
Chandler/White Publishing Company, Inc. (1986). A Salute to Black Inventors.
Chicago: author. [A series of booklets on black inventors for elementary
school.] (312) 280-9451Last Update: 9-26-02