#17: The “Monitor Top” Fridge

Many history buffs will immediately recognize this machine as an early electric refrigerator. This is a photo of the General Electric Monitor Top Refrigerator. This early fridge became the first commercially available model that was actually affordable for upper and middle-class families in the 1920s. It was priced at $300, which equals about $5,300 today.

The GE Monitor Top hit the market in 1927 and featured a hermetically sealed door. GE eventually expanded to different styles that featured double doors and fun motor shapes like circular globes. Although a fridge like this was still considered a luxury item in the 1920s, it marked the beginning of the refrigerator becoming a common household item.