No, Virginia, ovens were not always self-cleaning. And in 1965, this novel drawer-like device was the state of the art solution to the grimy chore. While it might have been an ergonomic improvement on the old way of doing things, I wonder [being a subscriber to the fewer-moving-parts-the-better school of thinking] what would happen if those ovens were jostled off their tracks or otherwise got stuck in the open position. Convenience turned into calamity!
Dirty Work
No, Virginia, ovens were not always self-cleaning. And in 1965, this novel drawer-like device was the state of the art solution to the grimy chore. While it might have been an ergonomic improvement on the old way of doing things, I wonder [being a subscriber to the fewer-moving-parts-the-better school of thinking] what would happen if those ovens were jostled off their tracks or otherwise got stuck in the open position. Convenience turned into calamity!