I sent this image to my mom and even she didn’t know what it was. So how am I supposed to know? It’s estimated that 99% of people on social media have no idea what this is (An exaggeration? Maybe) and that the 1% who do know are probably on the older side. Some may have seen it in their grandparents’ homes.

So, before you take your spot on the don’t-know train, take a close look at this image and try to figure out what it is, or what it could be. 

Okay, maybe that’s not going to work. If you don’t know what it is right away, you’re most likely not going to get it. If you look closely, you’d find that it’s partly made of crocodile skin. CROCODILE SKIN! (Yes, you read that correctly)

It’s called the Hercules Vacuum Cleaner, and it is said to have been very popular back in the 1930s [1]. It was a very popular vacuum cleaner in those days and one of the “most precious” home possessions anyone could have. Since it was sold during the Great Depression when so many people struggled to feed their families, it was very expensive and could be afforded only by the wealthy. The item features a large cylindrical tube with a hole on top where the suction pipe goes. It has sled-like boughs underneath so it can stand when not in use. It also comes with a leather handle and is partly made of crocodile skin.

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Vacuum cleaners have come a long way

Some people were able to identify what this weird-looking object is. “My nana had one. Hard as hell to maneuver around the house,” one user wrote. 

Apparently, a few people who used it then loved it some much that only one wasn’t enough. 

“I had a couple of them. Super good cleaners!!” another added.

There’s not a lot of information available online about the Hercules vacuum cleaner. However, it was a manually-operated machine that didn’t require electricity. Perhaps, the name “Hercules” promoted the idea that it could clean “the impossible”. People did say it was excellent at swiping dirt, albeit difficult to move around.

 Also, just like many older models of vacuum cleaners, this Hercules thing right here had to be hand-pumped. How does one even begin to use a hand-pumped vacuum cleaner? It appears more stressful than sweeping with a broom and I’m sure people only used these once in a while, perhaps to prepare their homes for special occasions.

Vacuum cleaners have been in use for as long as anyone alive today can remember. The first vacuum cleaner was invented by Daniel Hess of West Union, Iowa, in 1860 [2]. This early invention used a rotating brush to swirl up dirt. In 1869, Ives W. McGaffey came up with the ”Whirlwind”, a model that needed cranking before it could work. It featured a belt-driven fan and was an improvement from Hess’s invention. However, it was super-bulky and very inconvenient to use. The first powered vacuum cleaner debuted in 1898 and was invented by John S. Thurman. Since then, vacuum cleaners have become mass produced and ultra-modern, just like the ones we use at home today.

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