On September 10, 1846, Patent # 4750 was awarded to this man, Elias Howe:
The patent was for this device:
The first sewing machine. Although another American, Isaac Singer, was working on a similar device, it was Howe who got their first. Born in 1819 in Spencer, Massachusetts, Howe would go on to become a millionaire off of his invention before his untimely death at age 48.
He and Singer were involved in a patent infringement lawsuit, in which Howe ultimately prevailed. The key to his invention was the “lockstich” whereby the cloth could be moved under the needle and sewn together. It is another one of those inventions that make Americans exceptional.
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