![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MkjSgmyUdkJg30YwtNKRwhLAtLjo2K3zG8qqTI0AXzcr06GMm_VL63w-8xejG7jHwDyFTjZPhxTyvxO9FdhWzQF8z3bhbSE1ZOjHufVFcAzKBd65A15YBR7NCtHWW-ZZKrvCLkVMIeh4/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-30+at+2.46.21+PM.png)
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!