Irving Nachumsohn was born in New Jersey, 1902, his mother Mary, having immigrated to the U.S. from Russia. He would later grow up to study engineering, becoming Western Electric’s first Jewish engineer before forming his own company, Naxon Ultities Corp. Here he would invent an electric frying pan, an early version of the lava lamp, and an early version of the telesign.
This would intentionally lead to the invention of the Naxon Beanery cooker, that was given a patent on January, 1940, inspired by his desire to have a slow cooker that provided families with an option to cook during the summer without having to turn on the oven. You might also note the name change, as Nachumsohn changed his name to Naxon, due to his German descent during WW2. He would later retire in 1970, selling his business to Kansas City Rival Manufacturing for cash.
Rival would release a new version of Naxon’s slow cooker, the Crock Pot, at Chicago’s 1971 National Houseware Show. The invention sold very well, as it was advertised in 1975 as perfect for working women, due to more women starting to work at the time. Today the crock pot continues to be a powerhouse that makes alot of sales and is so popular, it caused the main character’s death in the show This Is Us.