What's even MORE interesting, is that the article has a short story about the history of the "mop":
The mop was first patented in 1893 by Thomas Steward of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Links to the mop date as far back as Roman times. The mop patented in 1893 was made up of a clamping system that allowed the mop to be secured to the handle and released with a simple flip of the lever. Stewards mop in very close in style to the screw type mops we have today In 1950 the sponge mop was born making the everyday household chore a little easier. The quick action lever system allowed for easy wringing on the mop all done from a standing position. Peter Vosbikian the inventor of the mop used a sponge attached to a piece of metal connected to a lever. When the lever was pulled the sponge would be compressed by the two pieces of metal.
(Source: LuckyBogey's Blog)
