The first historical record of a stove being built, refers to a stove built in 1490, in Alsace, France. This stove was made entirely of brick and tile, including the flue.

Brief History of Cast Iron Stoves in America
Lots of good pictures accompanied by a small amount of text. Around 1728, cast iron stoves really began to be made in quantity. These first stoves of German design, are called Five-plate or Jamb stoves.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) invented the iron furnace stove or 'Franklin Stove'.

Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist designed the first sootless kerosene stove.

Jordan Mott invented the first practical coal stove in 1833. Mott's stove was called the baseburner. The stove had ventilation to burn the coal efficiently.

British inventor, James Sharp patented a gas stove in 1826, the first successful gas stove to appear on the market.

The Carpenter Electric Heating Manufacturing Co. invented an electric stove in 1891. On June 30, 1896, William Hadaway was issued the first patent for the electric stove. In 1910, William Hadaway went on to design the first toaster made by Westinghouse, a horizontal combination toaster-cooker.

• My range does not work at all.
  If your range/oven doesn't seem to work at all, check these: Fuse/circuit breaker Main wiring Range/oven wiring Fuse/circuit breaker Check to see if power is getting to the range/oven. Does anything turn on--even a light? If not, check for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker. Main wiring Often the main wiring connection from the house, at the range/oven, gets burned and so breaks the connection. Then you may have to replace the power cord to the range/oven, and the terminal block that the wire is attached to. Range/oven wiring there may be a broken or burned wire at the back of the range/oven. If you repair any of the wires, use only proper appliance-grade wire and wire connectors.

• My oven will not bake.
  Usually, when an oven won't bake, it's because the bake element is burned out. The bake element is the black, pencil- thick tube at the bottom of the oven. When the oven heats, the element glows red. This element has an expected life-span of several years. It may last for only one; it may last for many more. When the element burns out, you need to replace it.
• My oven doesn't bake well.
  Here are two instances of when food "bakes poorly:" When the food you're baking is done on top but not on the bottom--or when baking just takes far too long to finish--the bake element may be burned out. You may get fooled into thinking it's working, because the oven is hot inside. But many electric ovens use the broil element, too, during the preheat and bake cycles. So the food may be getting heated only by the broil element, which causes poor baking results. If the bake element is burned out, replacing it should solve the problem. Otherwise, you need to further troubleshoot the oven's electrical system to locate the defective wire or component. When the temperature is consistent but too high or too low, it could be one of several different things. First check to see if the thermostat sensing bulb has come loose from its holder. It could be lying on the floor of the oven or resting on the heating element. This would cause the oven to not heat correctly. If the thermostat bulb is not dislodged, it's likely that the thermostat or sensor is either miss-calibrated or defective. Electronic ovens with a digital display use a sensor to monitor oven temperature. To solve temperature problems for these models, you may need to replace the sensor. On some digital-display models, you can calibrate the temperature using the key pad. See your operator's manual for details. Ovens without a digital display often use a mechanical system for controlling temperature. On many of these units, you can remove the thermostat knob and adjust the knob itself to more accurately represent the actual setting of the thermostat. If, when you remove the knob, there's a screw on the back of it with a small calibration plate, you can loosen the screw, adjust the plate, and then tighten the screw again. If the knob isn't adjustable, and the oven temperature is off by more than 30 to 40 degrees, you need to replace the thermostat to solve the problem.
• My oven does not broil.
  Usually, when an oven won't broil, it's because the broiler element is burned out. The broiler element in an electric oven is the black, pencil-thick tube at the top of the oven. When the broiler is on, the element glows red. This element has an expected life-span of several years. It may last for only one; it may last for many more. When the element burns out, you need to replace it.
• My range surface element does not work.
  Heating elements eventually burn out. Sometimes, when an element burns out, you can see that the coil burns in two, or blisters and bubbles. When your heating element burns out, you have to replace it because they are not repairable. If, when the heating element burns out, the infinite switch that controls it also fails, you have to replace it too. Also see the "A burner works only intermittently" section, next.
• My range surface element works intermittently.
  If one of your burner heating elements works only intermittently, it's probably because of worn or bad contacts in the receptacle that the element plugs into. On most electric ranges, you can remove the element by lifting it up several inches and firmly pulling it away from its attachment (receptacle). Read your owner's manual to learn the correct technique for your range. If, after removing the element, you see that the ends of the element that were plugged in are pitted, corroded, burned, scarred, or rusted, replace both the element and the receptacle.
• My range surface element temperature stays on high when on low.
  If your burner always heats to "high" when it's on--regardless of how you set the burner knob--the switch contacts are shorted closed. Check the circuit for any other grounds, and then replace the switch.
• My oven does not bake or broil.
  If neither the bake nor the broiler heating elements heat, but the range burners still work, the clock may be set for a timed or self-cleaning cycle. Check to be sure the clock buttons and knobs are set properly. If your clock has a knob that says "push for manual", push the knob in and try the baking and broiling elements again. If it still does not operate properly, you probably have a defect in the thermostat, selector switch, or common wiring. If the oven does not have a separate bake/broil/etc. selector switch, the problem may be with the thermostat. But it's not easy to check the selector switch or thermostat for proper operation. If you suspect a problem in this area, call a qualified appliance repair technician.
• My range clock stopped.
  The non-electronic clocks on electric range/ovens often don't last long. That's a problem, because the clock is essential to the self-cleaning and timed-bake features. Clocks are rarely repairable--you usually just have to replace them. Electronic clocks have been more reliable. But, they're often integrated with several other features of the range/oven. So when the clock develops a defect, it often renders the entire oven and broiler inoperative. The electronic clock is usually integrated with a circuit board, and the touchpad that holds the buttons you press is often a separate component. If your electronic clock is defective, you may need to replace the touchpad, circuit board, or both. Although these may be expensive, they aren't usually very complicated to replace.
• My oven light does not work.
  The interior oven light in most ovens is a standard 40 watt appliance bulb. Often, to change the bulb, you first need to remove a shield or glass dome. If the bulb isn't burned out, the problem may be with the switch on the oven door frame. If the switch works poorly, intermittently, or not at all, you need to replace it.
• My oven is hot on the outside.
  It may be normal for your oven to become quite warm on the outside during baking, broiling, or self-cleaning. In some cases, the front door of an oven can become too hot to comfortably touch. Or, if the integrity of the door seal is poor, heat could escape from the oven and cause the overheating. Consult a qualified appliance repair technician. Note. If you suspect that any part of the oven is dangerously hot, turn the oven off immediately and consult a qualified appliance repair technician.
• My range has a F code on the clock display.
  See fault codes in the top menu.
• My gas Oven/Range won't ignite.
  Burner Won't Ignite Defective spark module. Check for proper 120v supply to igniter. Ensure valve switch is also sending 120v signal to begin ignition. If no clicking sounds heard anywhere in the range, spark module is defective. Grounded electrode wire. Ignition wire insulation is worn and the spark is jumping to ground before reaching the electrode. Bad valve switch. Test valve switch continuity. If ticking sound is intermittent or muffled or seems to alternate between burners, then the spark module is defective. Worn (leaky) ignition wire. The insulation on the ignition wire going to the electrode(s) can wear thin in spots causing the high voltage sparks to shunt to ground. This is usually accompanied by muffled ticking noises heard in odd places in the range. Inspect spark wire for wear spots in outer sheath. Stove electrical supply receptacle is reverse wired (hot side is neutral and neutral side is hot). Rewire receptacle observing correct polarity.