The first electric toaster was introduced by General Electric in 1909 using Nichrome wire for the heating element. Nichrome wire is what you see turn red hot inside your toaster. Many company's made toasters in the early days and by the late 1930's the toaster could do everything today's toasters can do. Todays toasters use electronics to control the operation of the toaster.

The Sunbeam Electric Toaster Line, made in the USA, was introduced in 1922 and continued until 1996. The Sunbeam "Radiant Control" toaster line was in production for almost 50 years and you will find many of them still in use today. Below is a list of the Sunbeam toasters with information about them.

When the bread's surface temperature reaches about 310 Degree F. or 154.4 degree C., a chemical change known as the Maillard reaction begins.

Sugars and starches start to caramelize - turn brown - and take on intense flavors. That's Toast.

With more heating, the sugars and underlying grain fibers start turning into carbon. That's Burnt Toast.

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Model	Circa	Type	Information
B earlier	1922 -	flat bed	1 slice - bread is placed in the toaster and manually turned over without touching the bread using the bakelite handles - 4 round pillar legs with round bakelite pads - no patent number just (patented & Jan 30, 1923) on electrical cover - has a detachable power cord - On/Off switch on power cord
B later	1923 -	flat bed	1 slice - bread is placed in the toaster and manually turned over without touching the bread using the bakelite handles - 4 round pillar legs with 6 sided bakelite pads - patent & patent number on electrical cover - metal frame has inlayed markings - has a detachable power cord - On/Off switch on power cord
B-4	1923 - late 1930's	flat bed	1 slice - bread is placed in the toaster and manually turned over without touching the bread using the bakelite handles - 4 angle legs with bakelite flat pads - no patent date just patent number on electrical cover - metal frame has inlayed markings - has a detachable power cord - On/Off switch on power cord - Shown as available in late 1930's advertisement
T-1		Silent Automatic	2 slice - press lever down to start toasting - unit turns off when toast is done, but does not pop-up - toast stays warm - raise lever manually to remove toast - has a jewel set on front side that glows while toaster is on - has a detachable power cord
T-1D	1936	Silent Automatic	same as T-1 with internal upgrades
T-1E	1937	Silent Automatic	same as T-1 with internal upgrades
T-7	1938 -	Silent Automatic	2 slice - new design style - has jewel set on front side - same operation as "T-1" - has a detachable power cord
T-9	1939 -	Silent Automatic	2 slice - new cosmetic & mechanical design, has rounded top & Worlds Fair logo on both sides - has jewel set on front side that glows while toaster is on - toaster has a knob on one end that can be set to "Pops Toast Up" or "Keeps Toast Warm" and will remain down until the lever is turned from keep toast warm to pops toast up.
T-10		Pop Up	2 slice - new plain design - no features
T-10A		Pop Up	same as T-10 with internal upgrades
T-10B		Pop Up	same as T-10 with internal upgrades
T-20	1949 -	Radiant Control	2 slice - first in a long line of "Radiant Control" toasters - self-lowering and raising using a bi-metallic, heat-sensitive device - only control knob is for light/dark toast and is located on toaster end, bread is placed in space as indicated on top of toaster for one slice - has Worlds Fair logo on both sides
T-20A	1950 -	Radiant Control	same as T-20 with some internal upgrades
T-20B	1952 -	Radiant Control	same as T-20 with some internal upgrades
T-20C	1957 -	Radiant Control	same as T-20 with some internal upgrades
T-35	1958 -	Radiant Control	same as T-20 with some internal upgrades
T-40		Radiant Control	2 slice - same design as T-20 - control knob moved from end to front lower edge of toaster as a slide control
VT-40	1962 -	Radiant Control	2 slice - "Vista" line of Sunbeam kitchen appliances, -same design as T-40
AT-A		Semi-Automatic	2 slice - decorator glass side panels ............
AT-B		Radiant Control	1 opening for 1 or 2 slices, inline - "Thinline Touch N' Toast" - inserting bread will not start the process - has a button on front to start the self lowering process
AT-W	- 1996	Radiant Control	2 slice- same style design as T-40 - several surface cosmetic changes over the years
20-20	1970's	Pop Up	2 slice - plain design - no features

If there is information that is not correct or information you can add to the above table, Please let us know.