"Automatic Beyond Belief"

It surely is. And so much great engineering went into such a simple appliance. In production from 1949 until 1997, with a brief reboot in Australia in the early 2000's.

The phrase, "they don't make 'em like they used to" is an understatement for this humble toaster.

People will think I'm weird for enthusing over the design of a toaster. But let them. Designed by the son of Czech immigrants, the Sunbeam T-20 is a marvel. You have to heat the bread, right? He harnessed that heating element to move the toast in and out of the machine. Then he used a thermostat so it toasted to a specified _temperature_, not a specified time (as modern ones do).

So simple that the only things which can go wrong have adjustments so you can correct them. Genius!

I've spent my day fixing an old toaster. The previous owner said it would not cycle - it was on whenever it was plugged in.

I tried to use the hive mind. Searched the web, video sites, etc. I eventually worked out what was wrong, and now it cycles just fine. The hive mind was wrong.

I see this often. Folks poke at things, sometimes it gets better, and they think that's "fixed". Then publish that.

I tell them "working" is not the same as "correct".

Here's a documentary which every American should watch. This is how to strike a blow against the Empire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9lr3-7EYHI