On August 30, 1901, Hubert Cecil Booth, a British engineer,  patented a motorized vacuum cleaner that he had named “Puffing Billy.”

Booth had been inspired by Thurman’s “pneumatic carpet renovator” after watching a demonstration in London.

Booth realized that reversing the air direction could improve its ability to clean. Vacuum cleaners should suck trash and debris towards themselves, not push it away.

This vacuum-cleaning monster was enormous…weighing four thousand pounds.

On cleaning days, “Puffing Billy” would arrive at the customer’s home or business in a horse-drawn carriage that had been painted red to resemble a 19th-century firetruck

Crowds would then watch as long hoses were run from the street and through the windows, reaching into all parts of the building.

As the loud engines roared, they stood amazed as they saw astonishing quantities of dust and debris being piled up inside the glass-walled receptacle.

In 1902, King Edward VII was coronated.

As part of the preparation for this coronation, Booth used the Puffing Billy to clean the blue “Coronation carpet” underneath the throne at Westminster Abbey.

This high-profile gig influenced other wealthy British households to hire Puffing Billy. As did the heads of state in France, Russia and Turkey. Noblemen who purchased Booth’s machine include Tzar Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.

Not only that…

Twenty-six tons of dust were removed from the girders of Crystal Palace during an outbreak of spotted fever during World War One.

Success of Booth’s horse-drawn vacuum led to wealthy families in London and New York installing their own gas-powered vacuum pumps inside their homes to be operated by the “help.”

By 1903, society hostesses everywhere were throwing “vacuum cleaner” parties so their friends could watch the machines in amazement.

Yet Booth found himself surrounded not only with a list of negative reviews and a string of court cases. Many people complained about the disruption that the machine caused on the streets, especially frightening horses.

However, Booth was able to finally convince both judge and jury that his powerful machine was the only vacuum cleaner at the time that actually worked.

Despite the drama and theatre of Booth’s machine, the basic technology and the suction principle was the same as in most vacuum cleaners today.

The Puffing Billy system is considered the first true suction-based vacuum cleaner – a significant leap in cleaning technology.