Untold Story of Charles Baker | Kikis History

 Unveiling the untold story of Charles Baker, the American inventor behind the friction heater patent. Discover his ingenuity and the impact of his invention.

The friction heater was patented by American inventor Charles Baker. August 3, 1859, saw the birth of Baker into slavery in Savannah, Missouri. When he was three months old, his mother Betsy Mackay passed away, leaving him to be raised by his father Abraham Baker and his owner Sallie Mackay's wife. After the Civil War, Susie, Peter, Annie, and Ellen, his five siblings, were all set free. He was the youngest of them. Franklin College later served as Baker's educational institution. After Baker reached fifteen, he started working as his father's helper, an express agent. Because of his work with linchpins and wagons, Baker developed an interest in mechanical sciences. heating device that uses friction heating device that uses friction

Over the course of several decades, Baker worked on his invention, experimenting with a number of different methods of friction, such as mechanically rubbing two bricks together and using different kinds of metal. The idea was refined after twenty-three years and consisted of two metal cylinders nested inside one another, with a wood core rotating in the middle to provide friction. Along with a few other men, Baker launched a company to produce the heater. Baker served on the board of directors of the St. Joseph, Missouri-based Friction Heat & Boiler Company when it was founded in 1904. The business invested up to $136,00 in capital, which translates to around $6 million in 2022.

Baker claimed in his patent application that any kind of power, including wind, water, and fuel, could be used to create friction heat.
He claimed that his invention was the most affordable way to produce heat at the time, earning him titles like "King of Clean Energy" and "St. Joseph Negro Inventor." heating device that uses friction

According to Mr. Baker, it is not necessary to use a specific mode of power to create friction. It could come from the wind, the water, the gas, or any other energy source.
The inventor claims that his system will light or heat a house at roughly half the cost of currently used methods, which is the hardest of his claims to substantiate (The Draftsman, 1908).
His invention was almost flawless when it was first created, having undergone years of testing. Two metal cylinders, one placed into the other, comprised Baker's gadget. To create friction, a wooden spinning core was placed in the center.

Distinguished newsreels praised his creation. The New York Times classified Baker's creation as a "Clever Negro Invention" on March 27, 1904. His idea was expected to "revolutionize the then heating systems," according to a 1904 article published in several newspapers, including the Daily Gazette and News-Press.
Then, in 1904, Baker established The Friction Heat and Boiler Company in St. Joseph, where he served as the director's chairman.
His company had roughly $136,000 in capital stocks and 50 experienced and unskilled workers to make more radiators.

Because of his substantial capital stock at the time, Baker was well-regarded in his hometown as a prosperous and moral guy. His commitment to his staff allowed his company to grow despite racial discrimination, which occasionally threatened his financial stability.
Baker, the youngest of five children, married Carrie Carriger in 1880 when he was twenty-one years old. The couple produced a daughter named Lulu Belle Baker. He passed away in his daughter's St. Joseph, Missouri, house on May 5, 1926.
On May 5, 1926, Baker passed away in St. Joseph, Missouri, from pneumonia.