Faucet Inventor Dies

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/01/1997 at 12:00 AM EDT

Alfred Moen, 86, inventor of the single-handled faucet, died Tuesday in Destin, Fla., reports the Wall Street Journal. According to Moen Inc., he thought up his invention in 1937 after he turned on a two-handle faucet and burned his hands. His first single-handle faucet went on the market 10 years later. Today more than 70% of the kitchen faucets sold in the U.S. are single-handle.