Wooden rocking chair sound effect

While Benjamin Franklin's name is often linked to the rocking chair, its development relied more on the practical ingenuity of early American farmers and craftsmen. The first mass-produced design, the Boston Rocker, originated in New England in the 1840s. Its enduring popularity was cemented when President John F. Kennedy, advised by his physician Dr. Janet Travell, used a specially-made Appalachian 'Kennedy Rocker' to manage his severe back issues, keeping several in the White House. The Shaker