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Fact: The treadmill was originally designed as a way to occupy and employ prisoners.
By Claire Maldarelli
January is a rough time for staying in shape. In at least half the world, the days are as short as they are cold. But, at least for me, working out indoors can be even worse. Case in point: The treadmill. Some gym rats swear by the device, but I see the machine as pure torture. For me, the mental frustration of running in place is far worse than the numbing chill the cold air brings.
As it turns out, that psychological distress is not far from what the exercise machine was originally  designed for.
In 1818, a prominent civil engineer named William Cubitt was working as a millwright designing, building, and fixing mills. At that time, he apparently became increasingly interested in the “welfare” of prisoners. So, he took it upon himself to reconfigure a mill such that it required human movement to keep it going, which is how it got the name treadmill.
The devicewas essentially a giant hollow cylinder with an iron frame around it, with wooden steps built  around that frame—far more similar to today’s stairmasters. Forty prisoners at a time would climb up on the steps and as they did so, the mill would turn. The faster the wheel turned, the more rapidly the prisoners would have to keep climbing. It was mainly used to crush grains such as corn.
It was quickly adopted by all the major gallows in the United Kingdom and soon came to the United States as well. The U.S. abolished its use first, and Great Britain followed with the  Prisoner’s Act of 1898.
Fast forward to 1968, when aerobic exercise was quickly becoming recognized as the key ingredient to staying healthy.  (▪ ▪ ▪)

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