Charles Strite, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, invented the toaster as we know it today. Inspired by the burned toast served in the cafeteria of his Stillwater, Minnesota, factory, he invented a toaster that toasted both sides of the bread at the same time, had a timer, and an automatic mechanism for popping-up the toast when it was sufficiently toasted. The patent was received October 18th, 1921, and was manufactured, with some adjustements, by the Toastmaster Company in 1925. By 1926, it was already available across the country, and was affordable enough to be present in almost every home.