User:FairyShrimp/Frances Gabe
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Frances Gabe (born Frances Grace Arnholtz, June 23, 1915 – December 26, 2016) was a feminist artist and inventor and most well known for designing and building the first "self-cleaning house"[1] in Newberg, Oregon. Disgusted with the nuisance of cleaning as a housewife in the 1970s Gabe invented a house that purported to clean itself. She received a patent for her invention in 1984 which included 68 separate inventions[2] for sprinklers and drying units that would wash and dry everything from the walls, the clothes, the dishes, etc. and channeled the waste water out of the house via a series of drains in the floor. Gabe and her invention were featured in People magazine in 1982 and in the The New York Times’ Home & Garden section in 2002,[3] as well as on Phil Donahue’s talk show and in several books, including Chuck Palahniuk’s Fugitives & Refugees (2003).[4][5] The model for the house was displayed in 2002-2003 at The Women's Museum in Dallas, Texas where it was a popular exhibit.[6] It is now part of the Hagley Museum and Library's collection.[7]
Frances Gabe | |
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Born | June 23, 1915 Idaho, USA |
Died | December 26, 2016 (age 101) Oregon, USA |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Inventor, artist |
Notable work | Self-Cleaning House |