The first vacuum cleaner was called the "Pneumatic Carpet Renovator" or "Puffing Billy." It was invented by Ives W. McGaffey in 1869. While it was not a motorized vacuum cleaner as we know them today, it was a manually operated device. Users would crank a bellows-like contraption, creating suction to draw dust and dirt into a receptacle. This early vacuum cleaner was a significant step in the development of modern vacuuming technology. Over the years, various inventors and engineers further refined the concept, leading to the motorized vacuum cleaners we use today.