Who Invented the Blender?
A Brief Blender History

Who invented the blender? This wonderful invention has made life easier for millions of people throughout the world. Find out a little blender history.

While the blender might seem like a simple device, it went through a considerable amount of revisions before it became the appliance that many people know and love today.

(Did you know that the British sometimes refer to the blender as a liquidizer, and that Australians call it a vitamiser?)

As with any modern invention, several breakthroughs were needed before the final product was created. The primary early invention that helped make the blender possible was the invention of the AC/DC current small motor in 1910 by Fred Osius and Chester Beach. (Later Beach would join with Louis Hamilton to form Hamilton-Beach Corporation, a popular manufacturer of many household products.) The new small motor launched a wave of domestic home appliance inventions, including the blender.

The first known blender actually hailed from the early 1900s; 1922, to be exact. Stephen Poplawski is the patent holder for the blender. He was the first person to stick sharp blades that could spin at the bottom of a jug type container. The blades would spin when connected to the AC/DC motor. Poplawski originally used his invention to mix up fountain drinks that were popular at soda joints during this time period. Poplawski's company was later bought by Hamilton Beach Manufacturing.

Fred Osius, co-inventor of the AC/DC small motor, was still in the game at this time as well, and saw some ways to improve upon Poplawski's blender. He filed a patent for what would become the Waring blender in 1935.

Osius' blender was the first of its kind, designed for home use, and it completely revolutionized the way that people were going to be able to enjoy drinks. Unfortunately at this time, the invention was still very new and not without its share of complications and mechanical difficulties. So it took several years for a perfected model to come about and be sold nationally.

Fred Waring Moves the Blender Forward

Osius needed funding to move forward with his invention so he approached Fred Waring, a wealthy entertainer, former engineering student, and angel investor. Waring headed up the big band group, Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, and would go on to produce over 100 record albums and host his own TV show on CBS for 6 years.

With Waring's backing Osius was able to work on perfecting his design, but after 6 months and $25,000 later he had failed to produce a bug-free blender. Waring, desperate for results, broke off his partnership with Osius and struck out on his own, hiring another firm for a redesign of Osius' blueprint. The result, in 1937, was the Waring Miracle Mixer blender, which was later shorted to just the Waring Blender. By this point though, many had lost a lot of faith in the concept of the blender. However, Waring knew that he had a great product on his hands.

Waring believed in his product so much that he went on record with a reporter at one point to say that his blender would completely revolutionize the way that Americans made and enjoyed drinks. His belief in his product allowed him to persevere as a one man selling unit. Since no one else was behind the blender at this point, Waring had to travel from city to city selling his blender to people and businesses across the country. It wasn't long before word started to get around about how much of a difference the blender was making for those who owned restaurants or served guests in their homes. Waring's hard work paid off. By the mid 1950's Waring had sold more than 1 million of his home blenders.

The blender continued to grow in popularity as the years marched on, and now a little more than 70 years later, the blender is still a staple of many kitchens and restaurants worldwide. Numerous other blender companies have sprung up over the years, most of which are listed on this site. They all offer unique features and new improvements each year, as inventors envision and create wonderful new blenders that make all of our lives easier.

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