**The Fascinating Journey of the "Treadmill": From Torture Device to Fitness Essential**

If working out on a treadmill feels like torture, there’s a historical reason for it. Surprisingly, this staple of modern fitness equipment was originally invented as a device for punishment and labor. Designed in 1818 by British engineer Sir William Cubitt, the treadmill’s initial purpose was far from promoting physical health or burning calories. Instead, it was created as a tool to discipline prisoners.

Cubitt developed the treadmill after observing the idle behavior of inmates at the St. Edmunds prison. He proposed a device that would not only punish prisoners but also harness their physical effort for productive tasks. The first treadmill resembled a massive revolving wheel powered by human effort. Groups of prisoners were made to climb its steps continuously, forcing the wheel to turn. Unlike today’s flat-running treadmills, this mechanism mimicked an endless stair climb.

The energy generated by the prisoners’ movement was put to practical use, such as grinding grains, pumping water, or ventilating mines. To ensure prisoners kept moving, the device was designed to make them fall if they stopped. Inmates were forced to spend at least six hours a day on the treadmill, which equated to climbing 14,000 steps—akin to ascending Mount Everest.

By the mid-19th century, over 50 prisons in England used treadmills as a punitive measure. The practice even spread to the United States. The intense physical labor, coupled with inadequate nutrition and rest, caused severe exhaustion, injuries, and even fatalities among prisoners. Public audiences were sometimes allowed to witness the grueling punishment, intended as a deterrent for potential criminals.

Even famous individuals like Oscar Wilde were subjected to the treadmill during their imprisonment. For some inmates, the ordeal lasted up to 10 hours a day. The treadmill became a notorious symbol of the harsh conditions in 19th-century prisons. By 1898, prison reform regulations declared the practice inhumane, and the use of treadmills in correctional facilities was abolished.

Fast forward to 1911, the treadmill was patented in the United States, but it wasn’t until 1952 that it took on a new life. Dr. Robert Bruce, a physician, redesigned the treadmill for medical


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