THE AMAZING STORY OF THE AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC KETTLE

Behind that simple electric kettle that automatically clicks off when the water boils lies a bizarre phenomenon of hundreds of homes burning down due to forgetfulness and an entire country's electrical system on the verge of collapse!

The heating spirals of the first electric kettles were located on the outside bottom of the vessel, taking nearly 40 minutes just to boil water. The biggest disaster was people leaving kettles plugged in and walking away. Once the water completely evaporated, the red-hot spiral melted the metal bottom of the kettle, resulting in devastating house fires.

In 1955, William Russell and Peter Hobbs, founders of "Russell Hobbs," invented the "K1"—the first automatic-shutoff electric kettle. The mechanism was based on a brilliant and simple physics principle: a small steam pipe built inside the kettle directed the boiling steam toward a bimetal blade beneath the handle. Due to two different metals expanding at different rates from the heat, the blade would bend, push the electrical switch, and turn off the device with that famous "click" sound.

Automatic kettles became so popular, especially in Britain, that it triggered a one-of-a-kind phenomenon known as the "TV Pickup." During commercial breaks of popular TV series or right after the final whistle of a World Cup match, over 1.5 million people would turn on their kettles to brew tea at the exact same time. Within seconds, a massive surge equivalent to the power of a giant nuclear power plant hit the electrical grid, forcing the government to urgently buy backup energy from France to prevent power stations from crashing.

Created to save forgetful people's homes from fires, this tiny bimetal blade has evolved into the most practical and safest everyday invention we use in our kitchens dozens of times a day.