How many times have you had an itch in the middle of your back that you just couldn’t reach? Without a back scratcher, you’re stuck trying to rub your back up against a wall, a chair, or the floor in order to find relief. This simple tool might seem like an unimportant invention in the overall scheme of things, but it does have a lot of value. Unfortunately there’s no definite inventor of the first back scratcher that can be found. Besides the wheel, it is sometimes considered one of the very first human inventions.
Since there aren’t any definite first back scratcher inventors, let’s take a look at some of the variations of this invention that have been patented over the years.
1. The Back Scratcher Shoe Horn
Patented in 1967 by Henry Wedermyer, this invention does exactly what the description says it will do. You could put on a pair of shoes that was difficult to get on with this product and when you were done doing that, you could scratch an itch in the small of your back. If you had shoe polish on your tight shoes and then used the back scratcher, however, there was no guarantee about what you’d actually put on your back… or your clothes.
2. The Brushing Back Scratcher
Patented in 2001 by Albin Chaplin, the goal of this back scratcher was to be able to provide more pressure and leverage on the back so that a better scratching experience could be received. The handle is thinner than in other back scratchers that can be found on other patents and the end of it looks like a giant toothbrush. As an extra benefit, you could take this particular back scratcher into the shower and soap your back with it too.
3. The Disinfecting Back Scratcher
It’s not just humans that need to have their back scratched, you know. The disinfecting back scratcher was designed to help dust animals so that flies, lice, mites, and all the other nasty bugs that tend to accumulate could be controlled. This helped to control the health of a livestock herd and improve farmer profits. As an extra benefit, cows that had this device used on them got a nice back scratching as well so that the dust could penetrate deeply, and as we all know, a happy cow is a good thing.
4. The Electrical Back Scratcher
Why do all of the work in scratching your back when you could have the machine do all of the work for you? Powered with a belt mechanism, sort of like how a vacuum cleaner spins its brush, the roller on this back scratcher was designed to “simulate human fingernails.” Patented in 1975 by Adey Garcia, an extra benefit to this particular invention is that it had two speeds that could be used. If those high powered itches can’t be solved by “fast,” however, you might have to go with another back scratching invention.
Strong proponent of individual liberty and free speech. My goal is to present information that expands our awareness of crucial issues and exposes the manufactured illusion of freedom that we are sold in America. Question everything because nothing is what it seems.
