What was the first toaster? 2

The Full Story Behind the Appliance That Changed Breakfast Forever…

We use it nearly every morning without thinking. We drop in a slice of bread, push the lever, and wait for that familiar “pop” that signals our toast is ready. But have you ever stopped to ask: Where did the toaster come from? Who invented it? And how did it evolve into the appliance we rely on today?

The toaster’s story goes far deeper than you might expect — full of innovation, early missteps, misunderstood inventors, and even an internet hoax or two. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the history of the first toaster, the real people behind it, and how it became the kitchen staple we know and love today.

Long before electricity, before kitchens had counters or even walls, people were toasting bread. In fact, the concept of toasting dates back thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all toasted bread over open flames as a way to extend its shelf life and enhance the flavor.

The Latin word “tostum” — which means “to scorch” or “burn” — is the root of the word “toast.” Ancient Romans would hold bread over a fire using metal or wooden skewers. The goal wasn’t just flavor; it was preservation. Toasted bread lasted longer than fresh bread in warm climates with limited storage.

When the Romans expanded across Europe, they brought the practice of toasting with them, eventually making it a cultural norm throughout the Western world.

For centuries, toasting remained a manual, fire-based task. That changed in the early 20th century, when a series of scientific and technological breakthroughs finally made the electric toaster possible.

The biggest hurdle? Creating a heating element that could withstand high heat for repeated use without breaking or catching fire.

Enter Albert Marsh, an American metallurgist working with the Albert & Charles Company. In 1905, Marsh developed nichrome — an alloy made of nickel and chromium. It was durable, heated evenly, and, most importantly, didn’t melt or corrode easily, making it ideal for safe, consistent electric heating.

This seemingly simple invention changed everything.

With nichrome available, the race to build the first electric toaster was on.

In 1909, Frank Shailor, an engineer at General Electric, created the D-12 toaster — widely regarded as the first commercially successful electric toaster. It was a bulky, industrial-looking device with one open heating element that toasted only one side of a slice at a time. Users had to flip the bread manually and keep a close eye on the process to prevent burning.

There were no pop-up functions, no timers, and certainly no temperature settings. It was crude by today’s standards, but it worked — and it marked the official beginning of the electric toaster era.

At first, the D-12 was marketed mainly to restaurants and hotels, where kitchen staff could monitor it closely. It wasn’t quite ready for the average home cook.

Here’s where things get interesting — and a little strange.

For years, many believed that a Scottish man named Alan MacMasters invented the first electric toaster in the 1880s. This “fact” was even repeated in articles, books, and websites… but it turns out to be completely false.

The Alan MacMasters myth originated from a prank Wikipedia edit, made by a British student who wanted to show how unreliable online information could be. He created a fake biography, complete with a vintage-looking photo, and claimed MacMasters’ invention had even caused the first fatal electrical fire.

The story spiraled out of control. Even The London Times, BBC, and school textbooks picked it up. It wasn’t until 2022 that the hoax was fully exposed by a high school student who noticed inconsistencies and decided to investigate.

So no — Alan MacMasters did not invent the toaster, and no one died from it in the 1800s. The real pioneers were Marsh, Shailor, and a handful of engineers and entrepreneurs working in the early 1900s.

While the D-12 worked, it had a big flaw: it required constant supervision. Burnt toast was common, especially in fast-paced environments like restaurants.

Enter Charles Strite, a mechanic from Minnesota who, in 1921, patented a new design: the automatic pop-up toaster. This device used a timer and spring-loaded mechanism to eject the bread when toasting was complete — a huge innovation in both convenience and safety.

Strite founded the Waters-Genter Company, and by 1926, they released the Toastmaster Model 1-A-1, the first commercially available pop-up toaster for home use. It included adjustable browning controls and was fully enclosed — no more exposed wires or flipping bread mid-toast.

It was sleek, safe, and a huge hit. The modern toaster was officially born.

Just when the toaster was hitting its stride, another invention helped launch it into mainstream kitchens: pre-sliced bread.

In 1928, Otto Frederick Rohwedder perfected a bread slicing machine, and by 1930, companies like Continental Baking (maker of Wonder Bread) began selling factory-sliced loaves. Toasting became easier and more consistent — and toaster sales exploded.

By the 1930s, toasters were no longer a luxury item for the wealthy. They were becoming a standard household appliance, especially as models became cheaper to produce and more compact in size.

Early toasters still had their quirks — some lacked insulation, had sharp edges, or ran too hot. But over the next few decades, manufacturers began making safer, more reliable models with:

• Heat-resistant plastic housings

• Temperature sensors to prevent overheating

• Crumb trays for easier cleaning

• Dual-sided heating elements for even browning

In the 1970s, manufacturers started releasing designer toasters — colorful, stylish, and personalized to match kitchen decor. Suddenly, a toaster wasn’t just a tool — it was a statement piece.

Fast-forward to today, and we’re living in the age of smart appliances. Toasters now come with:

• Digital interfaces

• Touchscreens

• Defrost and reheat settings

• Bagel and pastry modes

• Bluetooth or app controls in high-end models

Some companies are even experimenting with artificial intelligence to monitor toast doneness with infrared sensors or smart cameras.

Who would’ve thought that toasting bread would one day involve algorithms?

Let’s sum it up:

• The act of toasting bread goes back to ancient civilizations.

• Electric toasting became possible in the early 1900s, thanks to nichrome wire.

• The first commercial electric toaster was the D-12, created by Frank Shailor at General Electric in 1909.

• The first pop-up toaster was invented by Charles Strite in 1921, and launched for home use in 1926 as the Toastmaster.

• Alan MacMasters did not invent the toaster — that was an elaborate internet hoax.

So, while there’s no single person who “invented the toaster” as we know it, these innovations — combined — brought us the breakfast companion we now can’t live without.

Toasters may seem simple, but their history is anything but. They reflect a broader story of innovation, trial and error, and the surprising complexity behind everyday objects.

Next time you make toast, remember: you’re using the result of over a century of design, material science, and a whole lot of breakfast problem-solving.

So, cheers to toast — and the toasters that make it golden.