The Dark History of the Treadmill

Hi everyone,

We’ve all made that “exercise is torture! oh, noes!!1!11!” joke. However, did you know that treadmills were actually used in the 1800s in English prisons?

Back in the ye old timey days, English prisoners’ treatment was bad. If they were found guilty of a crime, they’d be deported, executed, or locked away in filthy cells for long periods of time.

Many prominent figures protested against this treatment, like the famous author Charles Dickens. They wanted to reform the prisoners in place of these cruel treatments. When the movement succeeded, entire prisons were remodeled with new forms of rehabilitation. One of those forms was the treadmill.

The treadmill was invented by English engineer Sir William Cubitt in 1818. Unlike today’s treadmills, the design for this treadmill was very different. Prisoners stepped on the spokes of a large paddle wheel. As the wheel turned, prisoners were forced to keep stepping or fall off. These treadmills also pumped water, crush grain, and even power mills (which is where the treadmill got its name). This was seen as a great way to whip prisoners up into shape, and also gave the added benefit of helping England recover from the Napoleonic Wars.

It was a win for everyone except the prisoners. It was estimated that on average, prisoners spent six to eight hours on these machines. That’s about halfway to the top of Mount Everest! Think about doing that five days a week with no food or water. Unsurprisingly, the stress of walking continuously with no food or water made prisoners suffer mental breakdowns.

Treadmills in England lasted until the late 19th century, where it was banned due to being excessively cruel under the Prison’s Act of 1898. However, the treadmills struck again- now targeting consumers. In 1911, a patent for a treadmill was registered in the U.S. Instead of the cylindrical design, it was replaced by the flat conveyor belt design we all know (and most of us probably don’t love, sorry treadmills) today.

I hope this gave you a bit of information on a topic we probably don’t know about! Goodbye!

– A Koi named Skoi ♪┏(・o・)┛♪

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