First time I ever even saw* one was when I was in my 30's and it was at a job I had. I saw a similar thread here on HN where some brits though it was old fashion and barbaric to use a kettle on the stovetop. Well, I grew up with those, though I don't own one myself. I just heat a cup of water in the microwave.
* - or conciously aware of seeing it. I might have seen it and it was just background noise.
You probably hadn't seen one. When my parents retired and began wintering in Arizona, they couldn't help noticing that their neighbours were fascinated by this strange something like a hot pot, but just for water thing they brought with them. It was just like a kettle, but you plugged it in! That was only twenty years ago. So at the very least, there were regions of the US in which the electric kettle was virtually unknown, while here in Canada one was at least as likely to have an electric kettle as, say, a pair of shoes.
* - or conciously aware of seeing it. I might have seen it and it was just background noise.