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The chore of doing laundry has plagued households since recorded history.

American ingenuity was brought to bear on the problem on October 26, 1858, when Hamilton Smith patented a washing machine.

But it was hand-driven and proved to be hard on both the operator and clothes.

People continued to use the tub and washboard, even after the first electric washer came along in 1908.

A few years later, the agitator-type machine appeared and gained immediate popularity.

But people still had to feed clothes through a ringer by hand -- an often dangerous job.

Finally, in the late 1930s, the fully automatic washer went on sale.

Today, close to eight-out-of-10 homes across the country have a washing machine.