Hubert Booth, a civil engineer, invented the first successful powered vacuum cleaner in 1901. It was powered by a 5-horsepower engine and was mounted on a horse-drawn cart. One of its first uses was to clean up after the rehearsal for Edward VII's coronation. Its success led to two being bought for Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Small electric vacuum cleaners, using the same principles, followed just a few years later.
