Comments on: $78,800 Offered by Industries for Ideas (Jun, 1924) http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/09/24/78800-offered-by-industries-for-ideas/ Yesterday's tomorrow, today. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:39:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: KHarn http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/09/24/78800-offered-by-industries-for-ideas/comment-page-1/#comment-1047741 KHarn Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:44:08 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/09/24/78800-offered-by-industries-for-ideas/#comment-1047741 There is a letter in the Louisiana historical records dated 1779 when Whitney was SIX YEARS OLD that describes a cotton gin. Also, in Witney's own account, he said that his would jam untill a Southern woman positioned her hairbrush in the device to clean the "teeth"! There is a sewing machine in the British industrial mesueum from the 1790s and a Georgia doctor made SIX sewing machines for some local women four years before Howe pattented his design. So it seems that these two men DIDN'T invent those things, they just PATENTED them! There is a letter in the Louisiana historical records dated 1779 when Whitney was SIX YEARS OLD that describes a cotton gin. Also, in Witney’s own account, he said that his would jam untill a Southern woman positioned her hairbrush in the device to clean the “teeth”!
There is a sewing machine in the British industrial mesueum from the 1790s and a Georgia doctor made SIX sewing machines for some local women four years before Howe pattented his design.
So it seems that these two men DIDN’T invent those things, they just PATENTED them!

]]> By: Stannous http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/09/24/78800-offered-by-industries-for-ideas/comment-page-1/#comment-540201 Stannous Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:55:06 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/09/24/78800-offered-by-industries-for-ideas/#comment-540201 I think that all the inventors shown either developed their most famous creations after they were already well-known: Franklin, Whitney, Howe, Edison, or went from near-obscurity to sudden and huge success: Wright brothers, Morse, McCormick, Bell, Marconi. And I wonder if someone got $100 for suggesting using chamois scraps to apply car wax. I think that all the inventors shown either developed their most famous creations after they were already well-known: Franklin, Whitney, Howe, Edison, or went from near-obscurity to sudden and huge success: Wright brothers, Morse, McCormick, Bell, Marconi.

And I wonder if someone got $100 for suggesting using chamois scraps to apply car wax.

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