Jim Kirby
Encyclopedia
James B. Kirby was a Scottish inventor who moved to America and is known mostly for inventing the Kirby
vacuum cleaner
.
His father was a Great Lakes
marine engineer. Kirby grew up in Cleveland's
southwest side on Marvin Avenue. He claims that he got his start early by attending electricity and magic classes at the Y.M.C.A. While attending Lincoln High School he worked as a lamplighter
where he walked up and down Scranton road and Denison avenue lighting and snuffing out the street lights for which he earned $16.50 a month. He would often also go to downtown Cleveland
and "stuff" newspapers for a dollar a night. He invented his first vacuum cleaner in 1914, which was a cumbersome machine that took two individuals to operate. This was the first vacuum to use water for filtration. Jim Kirby lived most of his adult life on his farm in Richfield, Ohio, about 28 miles south of Cleveland.
Kirby Company
The Kirby Company is a manufacturer of vacuum cleaners and home cleaning accessories, based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is a subsidiary of the Scott Fetzer Company which in turn is part of Berkshire Hathaway. Dealers are located in over 70 countries throughout the world...
vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
.
His father was a Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
marine engineer. Kirby grew up in Cleveland's
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
southwest side on Marvin Avenue. He claims that he got his start early by attending electricity and magic classes at the Y.M.C.A. While attending Lincoln High School he worked as a lamplighter
Lamplighter
A lamplighter, historically, was an employee of a town who lit street lights, generally by means of a wick on a long pole. At dawn, they would return and extinguish them using a small hook on the same pole. Early street lights were generally candles, oil, and similar consumable liquid or solid...
where he walked up and down Scranton road and Denison avenue lighting and snuffing out the street lights for which he earned $16.50 a month. He would often also go to downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
and "stuff" newspapers for a dollar a night. He invented his first vacuum cleaner in 1914, which was a cumbersome machine that took two individuals to operate. This was the first vacuum to use water for filtration. Jim Kirby lived most of his adult life on his farm in Richfield, Ohio, about 28 miles south of Cleveland.