1975 Event Fastest Earth-bound object, 7200 kph, in vacuum centrifuge, England 1954 Event IBM announces vacuum tube "electronic" brain that could perform 10 million operations an hour 1907 Event 3-element vacuum tube patented by Dr. Lee De Forest 1906 Event Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrated his electrical vacuum tube (radio tube) 1901 Event Hubert Cecil Booth patents vacuum cleaner 1899 Event J. S. Thurman patents motor-driven vacuum cleaner 1898 Death James Wimshurst, British designer/inventor (vacuum pump), dies at 70 1873 Birthday Lee De Forest, Council Bluffs, inventor, Audion vacuum, radio, tube 1869 Event Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago patents 1st vacuum cleaner
