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31/51
1900
Charles Brooks Mechanizes Street Sweeping
Newark, New Jersey
Charles B. Brooks invented the improved street sweeper truck to replace the manual labor it previously required with its self-propelled front-brush sweeper and a receiving-pan. Brooks also improved the design of the garbage truck to add a better refuse receptacle, wheel drive for automatic brushes, and a power-lifting mechanism for the scrapers. He also designed a ticket punch, which resembles the handheld hole punches we use today.
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