Herbert Cecil Booth

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Herbert Cecil Booth

1871-1955

British engineer who invented the vacuum cleaner. In 1900 he demonstrated the principle of removing dust from carpets by suction, and in 1901 he patented an electrically powered machine he called a "vacuum cleaner." The machine was mounted on a horse-drawn wagon and had a long tube to access buildings and houses. His Vacuum Cleaning Company was the first commercial cleaning company.