Treadmills Were for Prisons

The Sports and Fitness Industry estimated that 53 million people use a treadmill at least once a year. While today’s treadmills are primarily used as an exercise device, their history stretches back further than you might think, and for thousands of years had nothing to do with exercise. Step back in time with the History Guy as he remembers the forgotten history of treadmills.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #treadmill

[@heartsmart3689]

My former cardiology partner always advised patients buy a treadmill with full side rails. That way they could hang up more laundry when they stopped using the machine for exercise.

[@teresacorrigan3076]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😁

[@104thDIVTimberwolf]

Only The History Guy could make treadmills interesting.

[@clcmidi3122]

I totally agree

[@justtime6736]

Damn right!

[@jojohnston4113]

Did pirates ever use treadmills?

[@mikediehl1468]

Right! Id rather just learn about their history than use them😜

[@natesmith3065]

The history of everyday or ordinary items is one of my favorite subjects on this channel. I always love to learn about how much there is behind often overlooked things.

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

The History Guy is on a personal mission to make everything interesting - pick a subject, and I'd bet that The History Guy could make an interesting 15 minute video.

[@andon_RT]

The History Guy could make an episode about Boredom interesting.

[@kevinlesch9656]

I find the variety perfect! Monday d-day, Wednesday treadmills, what will Friday bring? PIrates?

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

@@kevinlesch9656 The history of Pilates....with pirates.

[@richblantin1343]

I'm sure that he could make the history of earwax interesting 😂.

[@JarthenGreenmeadow]

@@ianmacfarlane1241 Pilates actually has an interesting story. It was invented by an Italian POW in WWI in order to exercise in a confined space. Definitely didnt have the same stigma as it does today given that it was marketed towards soldiers and not suburban women.

[@HM2SGT]

Listening to the history guy on my drive to work is the treat with which I reward myself for listening to the news!

[@stevedietrich8936]

Think of it as your favorite dessert after you ate all your broccolli.

[@TheCleric42]

Did Jane ever stop that crazy thing?

[@MultiPetercool]

While Astro looked on… 😜

[@robertpierce1981]

Isn’t it time for a live action Jetson’s movie?

[@MultiPetercool]

@@robertpierce1981 based on the Flintstones live action film I’m not sure I’d like that idea.

[@erikk77]

@@robertpierce1981 Heck yes !

[@goodun2974]

@@robertpierce1981 I vote no. Unless the movie producer does a promo where anyone who watches the film gets entered in a raffle to win a flying car....

[@kevinlesch9656]

A few years ago I was at a farm retirement auction. There was a horse treadmill there. When he got to it the auctioneer jumped up on it and said "I have been doing this for 25 years, I have sold cars, trucks, tractors, boats, and planes a lot of cattle, horses and other livestock. After all these years it's hard to say I have never sold one of these but today I can say I have never sold one of these so let's start the bidding at $1,000,000 ! " I believe it ended up selling for $1800 but the auctioneer is well known for his humor and I'll never forget that sale!

[@IzaakCha7]

The prisoner's were no longer idle, but they had legs so strong they could kick through iron bars

[@barrydysert2974]

And some truly magnificent buns!:-)🖖

[@lyndas2767]

And run like heck!

[@shawnr771]

I was thinking that when they were released the cops would not be able to catch them again.

[@stevebailey325]

Traveling to many countries for business, as I would sometimes see a treadmill on the curb with a sign in the language of the country, "free". It always made me chuckle, ubiquitous indeed. Lol

[@shawnr771]

I saw a billboard one time. Want to lose 75 ugly pounds? Had a picture of a Treadmill. Call Dallas Morning News Classified Ads

[@geoben1810]

And once again HG brings to light history that definitely deserves to be remembered. Thanks H.G Regards to Ms. H.G 👍✌

[@andrewcubbage1007]

I live on the Isle of Wight, on the South coast of England. The island's impressive fortress, Carisbrooke Castle has amongst its residents a number of donkeys who provide daily demonstrations working a 16th-century tread wheel to raise the water (49 metres or 161 feet) from the bottom of the castle well. Well worth a visit if you are ever visiting the island.

[@thegodemperorofmankind7yea704]

I see what you did there

[@nathanroberson]

I sold treadmills for years at a bicycle store. And we always called them torture devices.

[@theemmjay5130]

You were more right than you knew!

[@StephenWVass]

I will enjoy my next walk on my manual treadmill even more now. Thanks History Guy!

[@evensgrey]

Another use for treadmills was to turn spits for roasting meat in front of open kitchen fires. These were once so common in the houses of nobles in England that a now-extinct breed of dog was developed solely to power them.

[@dougjb7848]

I use my treadmill at least half an hour every evening. I find the sound it makes wonderfully soothing and a helpful aid for getting to sleep.

[@billbolton]

Along with a quote from the Newcastle Chronicle. Fantastic.

[@everintransit4240]

A treadmill is a very expensive sweater drying rack.

[@piltdownman2151]

Mine was a clothes hanger and towel dryer

[@dr.froghopper6711]

Indeed!

[@jackpavlik563]

I knew a product design who referred to these as “clothes racks”. He was not the only one…

[@Miklos82]

History Guy, thanks for telling me the origin of the Bruce Protocol. I'm am a retired AF cardio-pulmonary tech. During my career I was stationed @ Willford Hall USAF Medical Center. One of my jobs was in the treadmill room. I was the guy who prepared the patient for their test. The treadmill we used was an old model, I nicknamed 'the steam-roller'. At one point the cardiologist's I worked for decided they needed a newer model, so one was ordered. While waiting for the new one to arrive, I did a bit of investigating the old treadmill and was almost sure it was the same one that Dr. Cooper had used on his research into Aerobic's. Cooper was an Air Force physician @ WHMC. One of his side interest's was to develope a new fitness test for AF personnel. Prior to Aerobic's, the AF fitness test was basicly how many push-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups etc. a service member could do. Dr. Cooper convinced the AF that his aerobic's research was a better evaluation of a persons fitness, then promptly left when his tour was over. He moved to Dallas and opened The Cooper Institute and The Cooper Aerobics Center.

[@stevedietrich8936]

Good morning Lance. When I saw the title I was doubtful that it would be very interesting. By the end I had learned more interesting facts about treadmills than I ever thought possible.

[@williamevans5782]

Good Morning! Dr. Cooper's book became well worn in my book case during my 20's. Treadmills to build cathedrals! Who knew? You knew. Thanks!

[@allen_p]

Yes. Dr Kenneth Cooper was in the curriculum of many classes I took while obtaining Kinesiology degree.

[@patrickfreeman8257]

Many people don't realize that the proper way to purchase a treadmill that works best for you is to ascertain how much laundry it will hold. It's also important to find a model that has hard sharp corners so that you can kick them barefoot in the middle of the night, before selling it at a yard sale for pennies on the dollar.

[@michaelattick1231]

Wow! That's really cool. I never thought of a treadmill having much history, except for sitting in a corner taking up space and collecting dust. Thanks History Guy! Another great episode 👏 👌

[@fancyultrafresh3264]

My parents convinced me treadmills were purely decorative.

[@TacitusR]

The History Guy is so skillful at his craft that I am certain he could hold my attention throughout a dissertation on the history of pocket lint.

[@janetroberts4359]

It’s Dr. Robert Arthur Bruce. He practiced at the University of Washington Medical Center here in Seattle, where I put patients on treadmills every day.

[@ELCADAROSA]

You are eeeevil!!! ;)

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

A missed opportunity - we could have seen the History Guy narrate the video from a treadmill.

[@korbell1089]

another missed opportunity, he could have that lady at the beginning walking a treadmill instead of a bike.

[@quillmaurer6563]

This is The History Guy, not Tom Scott. That is something the latter would totally have done.

[@adreabrooks11]

This video addresses my greatest beef with treadmills: that they don't actually "mill" anything! If they had allowed me to grind my own grain, or had a dynamo with which to charge my devices, I might be induced to buy one.

[@estevan753]

unrelated...I've run into a number of young people who have never heard of Charles Lindbergh. Please put together a video. History deserves to be remembered.

[@AntCooke]

I’m in the UK and I had no idea about penal treadmills! So interesting.

[@detroitredneckdetroitredne6674]

Im 350 LB i get out and walk about 4 miles per week and i drive a semi truck i cut grass wack weeds an keep moving as much as i can the wife and kids never going to happen so i go at it alone an keep going great video brother thank you for what you do

[@richblantin1343]

Due to medical reasons , I can not use a treadmill . So I wasn't immediately interested in this video . But you are so good that I was riveted and watched it. You are VERY GOOD at what you do . 👍

[@frankgulla2335]

Nice story. Thank you.

[@amadeusamwater]

My treadmill sits in front of the TV. When I want to work out, all I have to do is decide what to watch. Note: I often walk 5 miles a day outside, never lose a pound. Walk 3 miles on the mill, sometimes drop a couple.

[@masterimbecile]

I left my treadmill in a corner of my living room, and it mysteriously grew clothes!

[@wills.9807]

Clothes will also sprout from stationary bicycles and rowing machines. As the old saying goes, 'give a man a shirt, and you've clothed him for a day, give a man a treadmill and you've clothed a man for a lifetime - or at least until he needs to move houses.'

[@rodneyferguson446]

LOL, I Know You're Right! I bought my Wife a Treadmill years ago and for for a couple of months she used it for it's intended purpose but after that, it was just a High Dollar clothes rack. Then last month, I decided to try to drop some weight. I'm 65 with a variety of physical issues (bad knees/back/etc...The "Usual) and so started off walking. I've never been a Fan of treadmills because it seemed that when walking on a treadmill, all you're doing is trying to keep up with the machine. When actually walking/jogging outside, you're having to move your own mass forward. Anyway, By the 3rd or 4th day, I was walking at 3.5MPH and stayed at it for 90 minutes. When I got off, My legs were burning, I was sweating heavily, and I could barely walk. I looked at the Display and it said the Calories I'd burned totaled about 30 or so potato chips! 😲 Granted, SOME exercise is better than no exercise at all but there are better ways. Years ago, I started using a riding lawn mower but now I've reacquired a push type lawn mower. This way, I get better exercise than a treadmill plus actually accomplish something although those that don't have a lawn really don't have that option.

[@craigalexp]

@@rodneyferguson446 resistance type exercise is the way to go and pushing a mower is good way of doing. running on a treadmill is overrated.

[@chrissherer2047]

I turned on my treadmill then saw this video and watched it instead of getting my walk on. I'm getting back to it now!

[@Maurice00PA]

Don't forget the capstan on early sailing ships was form of treadmill and was used for many things. Hoisting the anchor, raising supplies on or off the ships and raising and lowering sails.

[@kristensorensen2219]

Great lecture!!

[@SuperSasky]

Penal treadmills were employed on estates in the Caribbean during the years of slavery and apprenticeship as a means of punishing the enslaved and " apprentices". The expression " dancing the treadmill" was commonly used to describe the experience.

[@chiefpontiac1800]

Thanks HG, most informative. I will stick with my nice brisk daily walks around the neighborhood though. My walks have adjustable speeds too, especially when I am being chased by a loose dog!

[@ernestbywater411]

The best possible use of a treadmill is to connect it to a generator and use your exercise to power the audio and visual system you're using while on it.

[@goodun2974]

Actor Ed Begley Jr had an exercycle that spun a generator which was patched into his home's battery bank; every morning he would peddle the bicycle sufficiently to charge the batteries enough to power the toaster so he could have toast for breakfast.

[@ernestbywater411]

@@goodun2974 Smart man.

[@Cosigner22]

Here's to the best intro yet!

[@nilo70]

Another very interesting episode ! Thank you Lance .

[@lukesherwin4137]

Approaching 1M subscribers! Love the content! I’m a runner who hates treadmills and will run in 100 degree heat or -10 cold before getting on one (though I used one once last winter when we got 14 inches of snow the night before and I had some speedwork that day. More miserable by the fact I had to wear a mask in my apartment’s gym while doing so.). Thanks for making history even more fascinating than it already is! I love history documentaries but also have a short attention span so these videos are perfect lol.

[@dirtcop11]

I remember seeing a horse-driven treadmill in New Salem, IL. It is a restoration of Lincoln's 'hometown' in Illinois.

[@johnstevenson9956]

They didn't have that the last time I was there, which admittedly, was not that long after Lincoln left.

[@timwells637]

A Christmas Carol was the time i ever heard of treadmills in the working work

[@hoodagooboy5981]

I use to be a Fitness Equipment repairman. More times than not I would have to ask the owner to remove their cloths from the machine before I could work on it.

[@donaldoehl7690]

Making and selling treadmills is great racket; make it cheap, mark it up and offer good warranty. Since most are lightly or never used it's perfect.

[@goodun2974]

Best way to buy treadmills and exer-cycles is at an auction ---- they always sell cheaply.

[@edwardnino9896]

WooHoo, finally a haircut, now you look as sharp as your bow tie. Great video as always!!

[@raydunakin]

I learned from this that even in ancient times pumps were used for removing water from mines. I would have guessed that was a more recent development.

[@DawnOldham]

We are perhaps one of the few families that have actually used our treadmill for the 15 years we’ve owned it! Living in Florida, I used the treadmill as a way to get exercise in when the heat or rain was too extreme to go outside. I also used it as a way to keep my heart up in between sets of free weights. Now it’s our older children who use it in the same way. Oh, another use is when it was later at night and my daughters and I just felt safer exercising indoors!

[@tomasjones3755]

Through THG, I find out that 'The Jetsons' predicted the future; only to find out it was The Treadmill & not The Flying Car - or The Vacuum Tube People Mover

[@theemmjay5130]

I want the prediction of robot maids to come true, myself.

[@davechandler6884]

Another very informative episode, already ready for the next one !.

[@dsc4178]

We have a treadmill and a bike for winter. No fun in - 40˚C weather to go anywhere else to exercise. Treadmill gets used about 250 days a year, maybe more.

[@shawnr771]

Interesting story. To those who own treadmills and have children. There has been a significant rise in children being hurt by treadmills. Please keep your children safe.

[@hiiamelecktro4985]

Why studie for your history exams when you can learn about the history of treadmills?

[@leolasaucisse]

I'm watching this while jogging on a treadmill!

[@theldun1]

You sir are a national treasure!

[@briansmith9439]

A great follow-up would be on the 'vibrating belts' of the 1960s that would 'melt your fat away.' A neighbor owned one and it was constantly in use ... by all the neighborhood kids!! We'd 'strap in' and 'go for a ride' - no lines, no costs, just a lot of fun. In an ironic twist, the machines are back in a modified version; they are used to improve balance, increase bone density and muscle strength - three extremely important things to do with aging populations. Pretty soon, we'll all be strapping in and going for a ride ... again.

[@conrardyryan]

As a runner who loaths treadmills (but recognizes their usefulness), I am not surprised in the least that they used to be devices of punishment.

[@37adrianporter]

In the UK prison warden are referred to a “screws” from the days of the treadmills as to give more turning resistance as a punishing work load the wardens would turn the screw to tighten the brake.

[@rickbrandt9559]

Highway Wild Flowers, theme keeps me coming back for more "THG" Thanks

[@sherizaahd]

I always knew that treadmills were an inhumane torture device that's too vile for even convicts to use!

[@trevor311264]

In the UK treadmills that were not actually driving any equipment the resistance of the drums could be adjusted based on the number of people on it, this was done by turning a large screw brake on or off. Some prison officers were nasty types and tightened the screw a bit more than they should. Hence the term used by prisoners for prison officers as being "Screws" and the phrase "Turning the screw" to describe the action of making something more difficult..

[@seatedliberty]

Sadly, my Gadsden flag themed model didn't realize the sales I'd hoped for- something about "mixed messages". I am hopeful that my John Paul Jones "I have not yet begun to bike" exercise cycle will do better.

[@tobingallawa3322]

As a podiatrist, I discourage people from using treadmills. Walking on a trail or a sidewalk there is more variation in gait. If you have problems, this repetition will tend to aggravate them. A treadmill is probably inside too. Fresh air and sunshine seem to be a little less commonly enjoyed nowadays anyway

[@zerozero9085]

I KNEW those gym treadmills were cruel and unusual punishment! Thanks for confirming!

[@nickoliekeyov746]

Funny, I listen to your videos while using the treadmill at the gym!

[@michaelcerkez3895]

First a Bow-tie, now a vest, nice. I bet he has a top hat in that collection behind him.

[@MacoveiVlad]

Fun fact: The treadmill on the ISS is called Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill or COLBERT, after comedian Stephen Colbert urged the audience of The Colbert Report to vote for the Node 3 module of the ISS to be named after him. NASA was not amused and named the module Tranquility and gave the name to the treadmill instead.

[@darrinwright6758]

Now I know why I hate my treadmill so much. It does make you feel like a prison torture.

[@mikecalhoun8497]

You can tell how good a piece of exercise equipment is by the number of pieces of clothing you can hang on it at one time. LOLOL

[@stcroix949]

Funny, I have watched may of your videos over the last few years and it has always happened when walking on my treadmill. I guess I have never associated this exercise evolving out of a form of prison punishment. I learn something new every day on KZbin.

[@Valtrach]

Thank you for the quality of your work.

[@randyallen3052]

A little ironic, a treadmills were used to pump water and now water is pumped to power treadmills.

[@AveragePootis]

I want back the old intro with the familiar nice music with him saying "i have a degree in history"

[@doriWyo]

Wyoming's Territorial Prison, now part of a Territorial Park, did have a broom factory. Also, the prisoners cut blocks of ice for the ice house, from the Laramie River in winter. It was also, reputedly, the only prison Butch Cassidy ever did time in.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I have been there many times

[@doriWyo]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I figured as much. I added the comment for those who like to read the comments.

[@kennyhagan5781]

Your very best yet. The treadmills attached to a flywheel is a useful thing if you have no other power source.

[@jliller]

AOE2 Players: Oh, so that's why the tech upgrade is called Treadmill Crane.

[@AaronHahnStudios]

Truth of Treadmills... LIFE! If you don't keep up, you fall flat on your face.

[@trishthehomesteader9873]

Thanks THG.💜 Even though I still think of the treadmill as a torture device, I always feel better for having done it. 🙂

[@frogandspanner]

9:24 ff: Those patented treadmills look remarkably like the ones used earlier. But in the US you can patent a fart or, in the case of Edison, patent somebody else's fart.

[@The105ODST]

Perfect to watch while running on a treadmill at the gym today.

[@blueisnotgreen7258]

I love how I got two ads for exercise equipment and I'm just like no, thank you I just want to know about its past not get sweaty.

[@BrantAerials]

Treadmill: A horizontal surface for storage with handles for hanging things that won't lay flat.

[@shidandevries]

Treadmills are better than exercise bikes or rowing machines because they’re more convenient for staking boxes and other items upon due to their large flat surface. I can speak from experience.

[@bretmelton3823]

I have a treadmill which I use 3-4 times a week averaging about 3 miles a session. If I were not able to watch TV while I did so it would, indeed, be torture.

[@dawnreneegmail]

Very nice opener tunes🤗

[@tiffianytate7618]

History Guy your are the coolest 💥

[@kimberlybarker2897]

Love your show

[@magform]

The stationary bicycle next? I did spinning for many years at the Y, but doing it with a group, and doing it at home, are different things. Despite health concerns, I would rather pay the Y than some streaming service.

[@goodun2974]

From a song about an ex con: "Well I feel so good I'm gonna break somebody's heart tonight/ I feel so good I'm gonna take someone apart tonight/ they put me in jail for my deviant ways/ 2 years 7 months and 16 days/ now I'm back on the street in a purple haze/ and I feel so good...." Richard Thompson, "I feel So Good." PS, music buffs will enjoy his history of the British music scene from "68 to '76. "BeesWing"

[@jonniez62]

Nice to see nothing has changed. Still a inhumane device.🙃

[@waynefitzer4216]

Thanks again

[@georgemartin4963]

My Grandfather once told me of a tavern in New Holland Ohio that, many years ago, used dogs on a treadmill to power ceiling fans.

[@ChrisWakitsch]

Enjoyed this video as I walked on my treadmill 😎

[@korbell1089]

PrimeMinister:"So how are those treadmills working?" Commisioner for prison reform:"The men hate them but women love them." PM:"Hows that?" Commisioner:"We just convinced the women that it was a great way to get ready for swimsuit season!"

[@brandonsmith6675]

Happy million sub year THG. Coming up quick.

[@surajtakhellambam7662]

👍...

[@tonyk1584]

If ever there was a truly Sisyphean task in real life, the prison treadmill aptly fits the bill.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Thanks for the....Tread thru time.....!