Early irons were made of cast iron and were in the shape of a bucket. Charcoal was burned inside the bucket, so it was called an "iron". In 1882, H.W. Seeley of the United States obtained the first electric iron patent. At the beginning of the 20th century, the electric iron invented by E. Richardson of the United States was put on the market and became popular. The widespread use of electric irons changed the tradition of providing electricity only at night and prompted other household appliances to be launched one after another. Therefore, it is believed that the American home appliance industry began with electric irons. Electric irons have a simple structure, are easy to manufacture, and are easy to use, so they develop rapidly. In 1984, the total output of electric irons in the world (excluding China) was 37.278 million units, of which the United States had the highest output, about 8.22 million units. China's output was only 70,000 units in 1949, but reached 12.242 million electric irons in 1987, and its products were developing towards temperature-adjustable types. There are two types of electric irons currently produced and used in my country: ordinary type and ordinary temperature-adjusting type. It mainly consists of a base plate, heating element, pressure iron, temperature regulating device, cover and other parts. The base plate is usually made of cast iron or aluminum alloy. Some electric heating elements are mica skeleton type. In recent years, PTC elements are used as heating elements, which can Saves electricity and can automatically adjust the temperature. The problem of unreliable temperature control quality of thermostats made of bimetallic sheets in old products has been avoided. New varieties of electric irons have also appeared in jet type, spray type, constant temperature type and electrolytic steam type. High power, light weight, automatic temperature adjustment, steam or spray, and pursuit of beautiful appearance are the development directions of the new generation of electric irons. The electric iron is a good example of an invention that comes early. Europeans have been ironing their own clothes since the 17th century. They ironed clothes using a heavy "flat iron" heated in a fire or on a hot metal plate. This caused various problems, such as the tendency to get the iron so hot that it would burn your clothes. Worry about this is also reflected in the fact that when you start trying to iron, the iron is not completely hot yet. Sometimes the iron handle also gets very hot. This means people often injure themselves while ironing. New York inventor Henry W. West changed all that. He invented the first practical electric iron in 1882. It houses a wire element. When an electric current passes through it, the wire heats up, the same principle as a traditional electric stove. The problem with the Seeley Iron was that when it appeared, very few homes had electricity. Therefore, many people continued to use "flat iron" well into the 20th century. The first steam iron appeared in New York in 1926, which produced a steam jet that moistened the fabric being ironed.