Historic Inventions
A patent is a legal document. It stops people from copying an inventor’s idea. The U.S. began giving out patents in 1790. Here are some inventions that have received patents.
Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney got a patent for the cotton gin in 1794. It was a machine that quickly cleaned cotton. This made it easier to create cloth.
Electric Lightbulb
Thomas Edison got a patent for an electric lightbulb in 1880. Edison got more than 1,000 patents for inventions.
Airplane
Wilbur and Orville Wright got a patent for a “flying machine” in 1906. They invented the first successful airplane.
iPhone
The first iPhone was released in 2007. In 2008, Apple Inc. got patents for its design.
More from History
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