Bifocal eyeglasses were hardly Benjamin Franklin’s most renowned invention, though their significance weighs steady to this day. These glasses were designed to aid those suffering from presbyopia, an age-related condition that causes farsightedness in adults
On July 31, 1790, Samuel Hopkins was awarded the first ever U.S. patent for his invention of potash. Later renamed potassium carbonate, potash was a crucial ingredient in fertilizers, detergents, and soaps
Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin on March 14, 1794, transforming the cotton industry by significantly speeding up the process of separating cotton fibers from seeds. Whitney’s design featured a rotating cylinder with wire teeth that pulled the cotton through narrow slots in an iron grid
In 1798, Eli Whitney popularized the concept of interchangeable parts while manufacturing muskets for the U.S. government. This innovation revolutionized the production of goods by allowing identical components to be mass-produced and assembled with precision
On August 17, 1807, Robert Fulton’s steamboat, the Clermont, successfully navigated the Hudson River from New York City to Albany, marking the first successful commercial steamboat operation
While Samuel Colt discovered the first practical revolving handgun in 1831, it wasn’t until February 1836 that he received a patent for his invention. This was also the year of the Texas Revolution, in which the state sought territorial independence from Mexico
Vulcanization is the chemical alteration of natural rubber to enhance its physical properties to create a rubber that is more durable and resistant to heat, damage, and abrasion, with greater tensile strength. This process was discovered by Charles Goodyear in 1839, though he later received a patent for it in 1844
Elias Howe invented the modern lockstitch sewing machine in 1845 and received a patent for the machine in 1846. He proved in a public demonstration that his sewing machine worked five times faster than the fastest hand sewists
In 1845, Samuel M. Kier established the first pumped oil well in the nation and less than a decade later, invented a petroleum refinery in 1850. He developed a one-barrel still in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which used a heat source to separate kerosene from oil
The quest to lay out a transatlantic telegraph network took twelve years and much trial and error. Cyrus Field worked with Matthew Maury and Samuel Morse to lay the telegraph cable on the ocean floor between Newfoundland and Ireland. This process saw countless failed attempts and uncertainty from financers