nPostednon July 29, 2015
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nSomenpeople achieve fame and fortune when they invent something reallynuseful or popular.
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nButnWalter Hunt (born in New York on this date in 1796) invented a wholenlot of somethings and didn’t earn as much fame and fortune as,nperhaps, he ought to have.
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nFornexample, do you know who invented the sewing machine? If your answernis Elias Howe (as mine was), you might be interested to know thatnHunt invented a lockstitch sewing machine with a second threadn(bobbin) and an eye-pointed needle more than a decade before Howe.nHowever, Hunt feared that he would put seamstresses out of work, sonhe didn’t patent his sewing machine. Foolish, right? Because ofncourse someone else just re-invented it!
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nSomenother Hunt inventions include a repeating rifle, flax spinner, knifensharpener, streetcar bell, hard-coal-burning stove, street sweepingnmachine, velocipede (early bicycle), and ice plough. Oh! And anfountain pen, nail-making machine, swivel-cap stopper, inkstand… nand the biggie: the safety pin!
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Huntnwas a prolific inventor, but he didn’t always realize the importancenof his inventions. The invention of the safety pen is a good case innpoint:
Huntnwas a prolific inventor, but he didn’t always realize the importancenof his inventions. The invention of the safety pen is a good case innpoint:n
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nHuntnowed some guy fifteen dollars. So he sat down to invent somethingnuseful, and a couple of hours later he came up with an idea for ansafety pin. He patented his idea, but he didn’t realize how big thisninvention would be, and he sold his patent and all the rights to hisninvention for just $400.
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nNowadays,njust two companies in the U.S. make safety pins, with each factorynputting out over 3 million safety pins a day! The company that paidnHunt $400 for the rights to the safety pin made millions uponnmillions of dollars in profit from his invention!
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nFornmore about safety pins, check out this earlier post.
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nBynthe way…
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nWhennHowe patented a similar sewing machine to Hunt’s earlier invention,nHunt’s family prompted him to challenge Howe’s claim. He did so, butnthe patent office accepted Howe as the first to submit a patentnapplication for the invention.
However, Hunt was able to receivena patent for an improvement on the sewing machine – a machine thatnhad a fabric feed that would help move fabric through the machine atnan even rate and therefore minimize jams.
However, Hunt was able to receivena patent for an improvement on the sewing machine – a machine thatnhad a fabric feed that would help move fabric through the machine atnan even rate and therefore minimize jams.
In 1858 Isaac Singernagreed to pay Hunt $50,000 for his original design – but Hunt diednbefore this payment was made. I assume (and hope!) that Hunt’s familynreceived the money.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nRainnDay Festival in Waynesburg, PA
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nNationalnLasagna Day
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nOlsoknin Norway
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n(anothernpost here)
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nAnniversarynof the founding of the first newspaper west of the Alleghenies
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Plannahead:
Plannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nJulyn holidays
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nJulyn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in July
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nAugustn holidays
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nAugustn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in August
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