When possible, try to contribute something that has never
appeared
online before, keeping copyright
issues in mind.
Cite your sources. Style isn't
important but please identify where you found the information.
As you research, concentrate on the inventor and think about the
following:
- how old were they when they invented their item?
- what kind of schooling or experience did they have? (most inventors
were "regular folks" with a clever idea!)
- why were they motivated to invent?
- did this invention impact their family in any way (become a legacy to
future generations, etc.)?
- did this invention impact their community by creating jobs, improving
the quality of life, etc.?
- what happened to the invention? Did they sell it? Manufacture it?
Forget about it?
- did they partner with anyone in the design, manufacture, etc.? And
were those individuals family members?
- are there any published endorsements, and who gave them — and how did
the inventor know the endorser?
- any kind of human interest story is good.
To see patents:
Go to the Patent Page and
type or copy/paste the numeric patent no. in bold
into the Query box.
Click the Search button
On the next page, click on the Images
button.
When the Patent appears, scroll thru the pages.
The number of pages of diagrams and other documents for each patent
appears at the top of the page (1 of 4, etc.).
Aledo - In 1864 - John Ramsay and John Thompson,
Aledo, Illinois
inventors, use a knotted wire rather than a chain to activate the
seeding mechanism. (Additional patents refining and improving check row
planting devices are later assigned to W.W. Hubbard, of Edinburg, IN
(1864); G.D. Haworth (1870); and Aldon Barnes, of Bloomington, IL (1872
& 1877). http://www.kinzemfg.com/company/plantrev/timeline.html
Aurora added
7/12/04
- trademark - American American Well Works deep-well
pumps, etc. - Reg. #89323, circa 1890
Belleville - added 7/12/04
- Baumgartner, Alexander Stalk and Cane Cutter Patent No. 318942
Bloomington
added 7/12/04 -
trademark -
Wishbone (became Thomas J. Lipton) J.
F. Humphreys & Company - Reg. #29592, circa February 23, 1897
Bloomington added 7/12/04
- trademark - Epicure Paul F. Beich Company - Reg.
#79547, circa 1910
Bloomington - assigned 7/7/04
jre Abe Lincoln was the only
U.S. president to be issued a patent for his 1849 design of a device to
help buoy vessels over shallow waters --- a device which was never
manufactured. On April 6, 1858, Lincoln gave his first lecture on
"Discoveries and Inventions" before the Young Men's Association of
Bloomington, Illinois. In 1859 he delivered it at Illinois College in
Jacksonville, Illinois. He repeated the lecture in Decatur,
Springfield, and Pontiac, but turned down future requests, saying, "I
am not a professional lecturer. Have never got up but one lecture; and
that I think, a rather poor one." His law partner, William H. Herndon,
recalled Lincoln's work on the project. "He began preparation in the
usual way by noting down ideas on stray pieces of paper, which found a
lodgment inside his hat, and finally brought forth in connected form a
lecture." But unlike his political speeches and courtroom
presentations, the lecture lacked life. Herndon said, "he delivered it
at several towns in the central part of the State, but it was so
commonplace, and met with such indifferent success, that he soon
dropped it altogether." (Read more at
http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/discoveries.htm)
Bloomington - assigned 7/7/04 jre E. R. Roe, Bloomington,
Ill. -- Received a patent for improvement in mechanism for operating
railroad car brakes. Granted the week ending August 11, 1857
Bloomington - assigned 7/7/04 jre Pennock's Patent Seed
Drills - Rock Island advertised in the Weekly Pantagraph in Bloomington
in 1857 (McLean County). This machine will plant wheat, rye, Indian
corn, oats, peas, beans, rutabagas, and turnips; and can be regulated
to drop any required quantity on an acre. The drills can be thrown in
or out of gear separately, so as to plant a field of any shape without
seeding any part twice. They are so arranged as to operate equally well
on all kinds of land—hilly and rough, as well as level and smooth. A
man, with two horses, can put in from 10 to 12 acres with wheat in a
day, and, with one horse, he can plant 20 acres with corn per day
Pennock & Co., Kennett Square, Chester Co., Penn.
Canton - completed
7/16/04 janine Another
skilled
blacksmith, William Parlin, at Canton,
Illinois, began making plows about 1842, which he loaded upon a wagon
and peddled through the country. Read more (with pictures!) here
Carbon Cliff - Letsch, William F. -
Potato-Digger - Patent No. 320369
Chicago - 1883: Oscar F. Mayer and his
brothers Gottfried and Max
started a meat market in Chicago. By 1906, Oscar Mayer� is one of the
first meatpackers to obtain the Federal Meat Inspection stamp of
approval. Business had become so good that, instead of hand-carrying
large orders to customers' homes in the neighborhood (as most meat
markets customarily did), the Mayer's made their deliveries by
horse-drawn wagons to all of Chicago - and its suburbs. In 1904, when
some of the largest packing houses were still selling their own meats
anonymously, the Mayer's took the bold step of affixing a brand name to
their products. In 1924, it introduced packaged sliced bacon, for which
it received a U.S. patent. And in 1929 (a year after Oscar F. Mayer was
elected Chairman of the Board of Directors and his son, Oscar G. Mayer,
named company President), Oscar Mayer & Co. began wrapping its
wieners with a yellow paper band. This made OSCAR MAYER� Wieners
recognizable at a time when most wieners were sold in bulk, without any
packaging, from a display box. The yellow band was applied by hand, and
bore the company name and U.S. government inspection stamp. In 1936,
"Little Oscar and the WIENERMOBILE" started the advertising campaign
for Oscar Mayer & Co. In 1963, the famous "wiener jingle" first
appeared in Oscar Mayer commercials. General Foods Corp. bought Oscar
Mayer & Co. in 1981. [Read more at this website:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/om/bn/c_News/news_History2.htm]
Chicago - a 1919 eggbeater made in Chicago
Chicago - Automatic Traffic System - Earnest Sirrine of Chicago,
Illinois patented (976,939) perhaps the first automatic street traffic
system in 1910. Sirrine's system used the non-illuminated words "stop"
and "proceed".
Chicago - added July 26, 2004 Briggs,
Orlando P. Machine for Uncoiling Wire Patent No. 315707
Chicago - added July 26, 2004 Bush,
Lewis, Jr. Saw-Sharpening Machine Patent No. 315715
Chicago - Bed Rack - Henrietta Mahim Bradberry of Chicago, Illinois
patented a bed rack, which was an attachment to the bed that permitted
air to pass through and refreshen worn clothes. Device operated
pneumatically and was adapted to discharge torpedoes under the water
surface. May 25, 1943 - Patent #2,320,027 [Source: African American
Women Inventors -
http://www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/women_inventors.html]
Chicago - Byrne, Joseph - Bottle-Stopper - Patent No. 320457
Chicago - Calumet Baking Soda - In 1888 at age thirty-seven,
salesman William Wright took his life savings of $3,500 and plunged it
into developing his own baking soda. After much experimentation to
differentiate his product from others, Wright tried adding egg white to
the formula. It worked. By the next year, the production and sale of
Calumet Baking Powder was a six-man operation....The company
incorporated in Illinois in 1892 (Excellent history about the Wright
Family, including their thoroughbred horses at
http://www.thoroughbredlegends.com/citation/chapter_one.html]
Chicago - Crosby, William F. and Huber, Jacob (of Ohio) - Wrench -
Patent No. 320357
Chicago - Cyrus McCormick of Virginia was responsible for
liberating farm workers from hours of back-breaking labor by
introducing the farmers to his newly invented mechanical reaper in
July, 1831. By 1847, Cyrus McCormick began the mass manufacture of his
reaper in a Chicago factory, founding what eventually became the
International Harvester Company. He is known as the "Father of Modern
Agriculture" [Read more at this website:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blmccormick.htm]
Chicago - added 7/12/04 - Bowbin,
John and Croker, Michael H. Device for Removing Window-Sash
From Frames Patent No. 318946
Chicago - - added 7/12/04
- Bush, Jr., Lewis and American Machinery Company Tool for
Dressing Emery-Wheels Patent No. 318952
Chicago - Dawson, William G. - Device for Converting Reciprocating
Into Rotary Motion - Patent No. 320338
Chicago - Durkee, George B. and Golding, John F. - Machine for
Making Slashed Metallic Screening - Patent No. 320241
Chicago - Durkee, George B. and Golding, John F. - Process of
Making Slashed Metallic Screening - Patent No. 320242
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blhome.htm
Chicago - Electric Starter - In 1910, Vincent Bendix patented the
Bendix drive for electric starters, an improvement to the hand cranked
starters of the time. The first automobile to use the Bendix starter
drive was the 1914 Chevrolet "Baby Grand". The Bendix starter became a
standard in all cars produced in the United States. [Source and more
info here:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_vincent_bendix.htm]
Chicago - Elisha Gray invented a number of telegraphic devices and
in 1869 was one of two partners who founded what became Western
Electric Company. Here's an extract from Elisha Gray's Patent Caveat
filed on February 14, 1876: To all whom it may concern: Be it known
that I, Elisha Gray, of Chicago, in the County of Cook, and State of
Illinois, have invented a new art of transmitting vocal sounds
telegraphically, of which the following is a specification: It is the
object of my invention to transmit the tones of the human voice through
a telegraphic circuit, and reproduce them at the receiving end of the
line, so that actual conversations can be carried on by persons at long
distances apart. ...... On February 14, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell's
telephone patent application was filed at the United States Patent
Office; Elisha Gray's attorney filed a caveat for a telephone just a
few hours later. Bell was awarded the patent. When Bell first
transmitted the sound of a human voice over a wire, he used a liquid
transmitter of the microphone type previously developed by Gray which
was unlike any described in Bell's patent applications to that date,
and an electromagnetic metal-diaphragm receiver of the kind built and
publicly used by Gray several months earlier. [Read more:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/peopleevents/pande02.html]
Chicago added 7/12/04 - Fentno,
John H. - Animal-Guard Patent No. 318973
Chicago - Folding Cabinet Bed - Sarah E. Goode was the first
African American women to receive a U.S. patent, #322,177, which was
issued on July 14, 1885. She was a business woman and inventor. Goode
invented the folding cabinet bed, a space-saver that folded up against
the wall into a cabinet. When folded up, it could be used as a desk,
complete with compartments for stationery and writing supplies. Goode
owned a furniture store in Chicago, Illinois, and invented the bed for
people living in small apartments. Goode's patent was the first one
obtained by an African-American woman inventor (patent #322,177,
approved on July 14, 1885) [Source:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1800b.shtml] View a picture
of the bed at http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blgoode.htm
Chicago - Food Preservation Processes - 1925 - An industrial food
chemist, Lloyd Augustus Hall revolutionized the meatpacking industry
with his development of curing salts for the processing and reserving
of meats. He developed a technique of "flash-driving" (evaporating) and
a technique of sterilization with ethylene oxide which is still used by
medical professionals today. Born in Elgin, Illinois on June 20, 1894,
and raised in Aurora, Illinois,. Hall invented new ways to preserve
food. In 1925, Hall was the chief chemist and director of research at
Griffith Laboratories and it was there that Hall invented his processes
for preserving meat using sodium chloride and nitrate and nitrite
crystals..... Hall also pioneered the use of antioxidants [Source:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bll_a_hall.htm
Read more
here: http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/hall2.html]
Chicago - Gates, Ryerson D. - Pulverizing Machine - Patent No. 320126
Chicago - Giles, Charles K. - Dust-Proof Case for Watches - Patent
No. 320127
Chicago - Golden, John F. - Process of Making Metallic Screening
Material - Patent No. 320240
Chicago - Golding, John F. and Durkee, George B. - Machine for
Making Slashed Metallic Screening - Patent No. 320241
Chicago - Golding, John F. and Durkee, George B. - Process of
Making Slashed Metallic Screening - Patent No. 320242
Chicago added
7/12/04 - Gross, Henry - Permutation-Lock Patent No. 318982
Chicago - Haggett, George W. (with Cook, John A. of Englewood,
Ill.) - Tag-Holder for Railroad-Cars - Patent No. 320355
Chicago - added 7/12/04 - Hubka,
Frank and Hubka, Anton Window-Screen Patent No. 318988
Chicago - In 1885 - The first skyscraper is constructed in Chicago
William LeBaron Jenney, architect, engineer, teacher, and landscape and
urban designer, is credited with the invention of the steel frame
building, making possible the skyscraper - the Home Insurance Building
in Chicago. It was completed in 1885, was 138 feet high, and 10 stories
tall and was the first tall building to be supported by a metal
skeleton of vertical columns and horizontal beams. It was demolished in
1931.
Chicago - Issued by Postmaster General John Wanamaker in 1893. The
controversial first commemorative stamps were the Columbian Exposition
Issue. issued to commemorate the World Columbian Exposition held in
Chicago, Illinois, from May 1 to October 30, 1893. The stamps
celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage to
the New World. [Read more:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blmailus7.htm]
Chicago - Kool-Aid - The powdered drink Kool-Aid was invented in
1927 by the chemist Edwin Perkins of Nebraska Omaha. Perkins started a
company in 1914 that sold perfume and calling cards; it was called the
Perkins Products Company. Originally located in Hendley, Nebraska, they
moved to Hastings, Nebraska (about 90 miles west of Lincoln) in 1920,
and expanded their product line to include spices, medicines, more
toilet preparations, and other household items. Kool-Aid was originally
a liquid called "Fruit Smack," and was sold in a 4-ounce bottles. It
was later renamed Kool-Ade (and later, Kool-Aid), and sold in powdered
form in packets. The seven original Kool-Aid flavors were: Cherry,
Lemon-Lime, Grape, Orange, Root Beer, Strawberry, and Raspberry. The
Kool-Aid factory later moved to Chicago, Illinois, and was bought by
General Foods Corporation in 1953.[source:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1900a.shtml
(Enchanted
Learning.com)]
Chicago - Lindle, Joseph - Combined water cooler and filter -
Patent No. 320483
Chicago - Lindle, Joseph - Water-Cooler and Refrigerator - Patent
No. 320484
Chicago - Mass-production of Cheese - In 1903, J.L. Kraft started a
wholesale cheese business in Chicago. By 1914, J.L. Kraft & Bros.
Co. opened their first cheese factory in Stockton, Illinois, within a
year they begin producing process cheese in tins. [Highlights and
History of Kraft Foods here:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blkraft.htm]
Chicago - added 7/12/04
- Mehring, George Fuel-Magazine for Steam-Generators Patent
No. 319005
Chicago - Outdoor Games Company -
Pinball - - ? - - In 1930 -
Chicago - Pedersen, Sigward and Sernendinger, Thomas (of
Pennsylvania) - Safety Device for Railway-Cars - Patent No. 320390
Chicago - Permanent Wave Machine - 1928 - (Chicago, Illinois)
Marjorie Joyner was granted a patent for a permanent wave machine which
could wave the hair of both white and African-American people. November
27,1928 Patent #1,693,515 [Source: African American Women Inventors -
http://www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/women_inventors.html]
Chicago - Thayer, John C. - Attachment for Lubricators - Patent No.
320312
Chicago - The first electric-powered washing machine (the Thor) was
introduced in 1908, by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois.
Alva J. Fisher was the inventor. The machine was a drum type with a
galvanized tub and an electric motor, for which a patent was issued on
Aug. 9, 1910 (US patent #966677 - see patent drawing HERE).
[Interesting history of washing machines at
http://www.borax.com/pioneer26.html]
Chicago - Valk, Henry - Window-Sash - Patent No. 320195
Chicago - Van DePoele, charlers J. - Electro-Magnetic Reciprocating
Engine - Patent No. 320515
Chicago - Whitcomb L. Judson, a Chicago inventor with dozens of
patents, invented the a metal zipper device with locking teeth in 1890.
Judson patented his "clasp-locker'' On August 29, 1893, Judson received
a patent for his "clasp-locker," a somewhat reliable hook and eye
fastener. Later in 1893, he exhibited this new invention at the Chicago
World's Fair. He never succeeded in marketing his new device. The
zipper was improved by the Swedish-American engineer, Gideon Sundbach,
and was named by the B.F. Goodrich company in 1923. Judson died in
1909, before his device became commonly used and well known. [Source:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1800b.shtml]
Chicago added 7/12/04
- Adcock, Edmund Fire Extension-Ladder Patent No. 319047
Chicago added 7/12/04 - Ross,
George P. - Glove Fastener Patent No. 319030
Chicago - Wrigley Juicy Fruit Gum - 1893 - Wrigley Juicy Fruit and
Spearmint brands introduced. In 1914, Wrigley Doublemint brand was
created. William Wrigley, Jr. and Henry Fleer were responsible for
adding the popular mint and fruit extracts to a chicle chewing gum.
[Read more about William Wrigley, Jr. at this website:
http://www.wrigley.com/wrigley/kids/kids_report_wm_wrigley_jr.asp]
Chicago added 7/12/04
- trademark -
Monarch Mixed Paint Senour Manufacturing
Company - Reg. #11408, circa June 16, 1884
Chicago added 7/12/04 - trademark -
Fairy Soap N. K. Fairbank & Company -
Reg. #12857, circa December 15, 1885
Chicago added 7/12/04
- trademark - Nelson Morris & Co Matchless Brand Extra
Sugar Cured Hams (became Armour) - Reg. #20175, circa July 30, 1891
Clinton -
R.W. MCCLELLAND, Clinton, running gear The Newton Press, Jasper County, Ill.,
July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Decatur added 7/12/04
- trademark - Cream A. E. Staley Manufacturing (starch
for food purposes) - Reg. #55577, circa 1st used 1878
Decatur added 7/12/04
- trademark - HM H. Mueller Manufacturing Company -
Reg. #30910, circa Nov 30, 1897
DeKalb -
BARBED WIRE. United States Patent #157,124 was granted to
Joseph Glidden of DeKalb, Illinois on November 24th, 1874 for improved
barbed wire fencing. Nine patents for improvements to wire fencing were
granted by the U.S. Patent Office to American inventors, beginning with
Michael Kelly in November 1868 and ending with Joseph Glidden in
November 1874. The new fencing not only simplified the work of the
rancher and farmer, but it significantly affected political, social,
and economic practices throughout the region. [Source and more info
here: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbarbed_wire.htm]
Downers Grove added 7/12/04
- trademark - Turtle Flexible Steel Lacing Co.
metallic belt-fasteners - Reg. #84224, circa 1910
Elgin added
7/12/04
- trademark - Black leaf Black Leaf Products Co. - Reg.
#47058, circa First used 1886
Elgin added 7/12/04
- trademark - Elgin National Watch Co. - Reg. #50094,
circa 1st used 1874
El Paso -
In 1870 - David A. Strother, resident of El Paso,
Illinois, becomes the first African American to Vote (Read more here
(slow loading))
Englewood - Cook, John A. (with Haggett,
George W. of Chicago) -
Tag-Holder for Railroad-Cars - Patent No. 320355
Englewood - Thomas BASON, Englewood, floor-latch The Newton Press, Jasper County, Ill.,
July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Eureka added 7/12/04
- trademark - Walnut canned vegs Dickinson & Co. -
Reg. #79903, circa first used October 7, 1900
Evanston - Charles Pajeau invented Tinkertoy
Construction Sets.
Pajeau was a stonemason from Evanston, Illinois who established The Toy
Tinkers company. Nearly one million sets were sold in the year
following the introduction of Tinkertoys at the 1913 American Toy Fair
in New York. Pajeau was inspired by watching children poke sticks into
the holes of thread spools. - Excellent History at this website:
http://www.hasbropreschool.com/tinkertoy/pl/page.history/dn/default.cfm
Freeport - an 1881 corn sheller made by S.C.
Schofield of Freeport
Galesburg
- done
7/16/04 janine
George
W. Brown corn
planter
Grand DeTour - John Deere was an
Illinois blacksmith and
manufacturer. In 1837, John Deere designed the first cast steel plow.
The large plows made for cutting the tough prairie ground were called
"grasshopper plows." The plow was made of wrought iron and had a steel
share that could cut through sticky soil without clogging. By 1855,
John Deere's factory was selling over 10,000 steel plows a year. In
1868, John Deere's business was incorporated as Deere & Company,
which is still in existence today. [Read more at this website:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldeere.htm]
.... Read
more about John Deere on our Rock Island website at
http://www.iltrails.org/rockisland/molinefolder/molinefamilies/johndeere.html
Harlem - Leo G. HAASE, Harlem, road-scraper The Newton Press, Jasper County, Ill.,
July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Harvard - A.J. BURBANK, Harvard,
hay-truck The Newton Press,
Jasper County, Ill., July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Hoopeston added 7/12/04
- trademark - Cream of the Prairie Sugar Corn
Illinois Canning Co. - Reg. #23463, circa April 10, 1893
Hoopeston added 7/12/04
- trademark - Baby Bunting canned corn Illinois
Canning Co. - Reg. #23464, circa April 10, 1893
Hoopeston added 7/12/04
- trademark - Pride of Illinois Sugar Corn Illinois
Canning Co. - Reg. #23481, circa April 10, 1893
Hudson -
ROBERT H. DEMENT, Hudson, car brake The Newton Press, Jasper County, Ill.,
July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Hutsonville - A.C. COON, Hutsonville,
wrench The Newton Press,
Jasper County, Ill., July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Jacksonville - Dr. Greene Vardiman Black
- Father of Modern
Dentistry - the first to use Nitrous Oxide while extracting teeth.
Invented a cord-driven dental engine, invented and patented a foot
motor; perfected the use of amalgram for fillings. Practiced in
Jacksonville, IL. Excellent article here
Jacksonville -The Hall Braille typewriter (also called a
Braillewriter or Brailler) was invented in 1892 by Frank Haven Hall,
who was the Superintendent of the Illinois Institution for the Blind.
The Hall Braille typewriter was manufactured by the Harrison &
Seifried company in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Hall introduced his
invention on May 27, 1892, at Jacksonville, Illinois. [Source:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1800b.shtml]
Jerseyville - Doughton, Andrew -
filtering-tank Patent No. 320545
Joliet - -
added 7/12/04 - Dice, Andrew F. - Barbed-Wire Spool Patent No. 318967
Kensington
- added 7/12/04 -
Peelman,
Albano F. Combined Saw-set and Nail -Punch Patent No. 319019
Kewanee - corn huskers made in Chicago and
Kewanee in the late
1800s/early 1900s
La Salle added 7/12/04
- trademark - Big Ben - Western Clock Mfg Co clocks
and watches - Reg. #72178, circa 1908
Lebanon -
Apparatus for holding Yarn Skeins - Patent #572,985
granted to Julia Terry Hammonds of Lebanon, Illinois on Dec.15, 1896.
Listed in the Offical Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office. vol.77 p. 1617
Lincoln - E, RANKIN, Jr., Lincoln, harrow The Newton Press, Jasper County, Ill.,
July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Lukin - Moore, Samuel M. - Animal Poke - Patent
No. 320492
Mackinaw
Brock, Levi M. Wheel-Plow 319059
Millersville - Miller, Sylvester J. -
Portable stacking-frame -
Patent No. 320153
Modesto - a device used to de-horn cattle
manufactured in Modesto
by J.M. Mills in 1892.
Moline added 7/12/04
- trademark - John Deere Deere & company Corporation
wagons - Reg. #30580, circa September 21, 1897
Monmouth - an 1880 dead duck decoy holder
made in Monmouth
Monmouth - Weir, William S. - Cultivator - Patent No. 320519
Mt. Carmel - J.W. RIGGS, Mount Carmel,
gate closer The Newton Press, Jasper
County, Ill., July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Mt. Vernon - Hill, William - Latch and
Lock Combined - Patent No. 320472
New
Windsor (Mercer Co.) Bachus, James
Washington Window-Screen 319168
Newton - J.B. JOHNSONS, Newton, plant-tray The Newton Press, Jasper County, Ill.,
July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Newton - J.B. JOHNSONS, Newton, plant-tray;
Normal - an 1867 washing machine manufactured
by John Warden of
Normal
Olney added 7/12/04 - Richey,
James I. Automatic valve for drinking-troughs Patent No. 319025
Palestine
Beam, Henry T. Car-Couupling 319174
Park Ridge - Born and died in Schuyler
County but company was in
Park Ridge, Illinois. All I have is that he started Encap Development
Company which developed the "Chia Pet".
Peoria -
Brown, DeLoss S. and Sipf, Louis - Combined beer and
spirit still - Patent No. 320535
Peoria - Charles E. and J. Frank Duryea, brothers, are known as the
"Fathers of the American Automobile Industry". They are the inventors
who are credited with being two of the originators of the automobile,
and also founders of the short lived Duryea Company (1897-1900) which
produced their horseless carriages. PEORIA, ILLINOIS USA - 1897 through
1900 Estimated production at this time - less than 20 cars View this
excellent website for more information: http://www.duryea-peoria.com/
Peoria - The "Ag Lab" in Peoria
has contributed many discoveries/inventions...their
main claim to fame is discovering a way to mass-produce penicillin in
1941. The "Ag Lab" in Peoria has contributed many
discoveries/inventions...their
main claim to fame is discovering a way to mass-produce penicillin in
1941.
This is an excerpt from the website: http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ihy000223.html
"The NCAUR, more commonly known to Peorians as
the
"Ag Lab," was first authorized by Congress as part of the Agricultural
Adjustment Act of 1938....
One of NCAUR's most renowned discoveries is
the
commercial production process of penicillin. In 1928 British scientist
Alexander
Fleming discovered a mold, identified later as penicillium notatum,
with
great bacteria-killing abilities. Scientists
soon realized that this wonder mold would be a promising antibiotic if
it
could be produced in quantity. In 1941 British scientists Howard Florey
and
Norman Heatley joined other researchers at the Peoria facility.
Scientists of NCAUR quickly started investigating the mold penicillium.
Andrew Moyer, an expert on molds, soon increased the yields of
penicillin tenfold with non-alcoholic
corn steep liquor. Still not satisfied, Moyer added milk sugar to
penicillium
and grew the mold in deep vats. Production doubled again. Although
results
were assuring, another breakthrough was needed. Not to be outdone, Mary
Hunt
discovered a superior strain of penicillium in a garbage can at a local
fruit
market. She found a beautiful moldy cantaloupe containing the superior
strain
of penicillium later named penicillium chrysogenum. By the end of its
research,
the NCAUR team had increased production of the mold by one hundred
times.
Called the cheapest antibiotic ever, penicillin was soon available to
treat
soldiers wounded in World War II battles. No longer did people die from
common
infections like bacterial pneumonia.
The process of growing penicillin developed by
Moyer
is now being used for growing many other antibiotics commercially.
Moyer
was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame joining other
distinguished
inventors, including the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison. The NCAUR
research
team received a plaque from the American Institute of the History of
Pharmacy
for their hard work. NCAUR's miracle drug has saved numerous lives and
has
since been discovering other pharmaceutical uses for agricultural
products."
There are more inventions of the Ag Lab at the "lib.niu.edu"
website...
:-)
(Contributor: Janine Crandell)
Peoria added
7/12/04 - Green, Andrew W. Tuning-Hammer Patent No.
318981
Peoria - Orchard, Henry and Venell, A. V. - Hay-Stacker - Patent
No. 320443
Peoria added 7/12/04
- trademark - Amole Mexican Amole Soap Co. - Reg.
#61635, circa 1st used 1883
Peoria added 7/12/04
- trademark - Blue Ribbon Brand Oakford & Fahnestock
Firm (canned veg & fruit) - Reg. #21340, circa June 21, 1892
Peoria added 7/12/04
- trademark - Keystone Keystone Fence Company - Reg.
#62025, circa first used 9/15/1889
Peoria added 7/12/04
- trademark - Square Deal wire fence Keystone Fence
Company - Reg. #58221, circa 1st used 1905
Perryton - Daxon, Samuel Richard - Machine for
measuring and
elevating grain - Patent No. 320465
Peru added
7/12/04 -
trademark - Monitor Western Clock Mfg Co clocks - Reg.
#79089, circa 1910
Princeton
added 7/12/04
- trademark - Hairilla Marshall M. Cusic (removal of
superfluous hair) - Reg. #48847, circa 1st used 9/15/1903
Quincy - Fisk, James - Wire-Fence Machine - Patent
No. 320121
Quincy - G. H. STAHL, , machine for loading cartridges The Newton Press, Jasper County, Ill.,
July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Quincy - added July 26, 2004 Cooper,
William H. Flue-Cleaner for Steam-Boiler Patent No. 315738
Rockford - a 1906 pencil sharpener
manufactured in Rockford
Rockford - Bergsten, Joseph - Towel-Rack - Patent No. 320211
Shelbyville - assigned 7/7/04 jre
The first dishwasher was
patented in 1850 by Joel Houghton; his machine was a hand-turned wheel
that splashed water on dishes - unfortunately, it wasn't very effective
at washing dishes. The first working automatic dishwasher was invented
by Mrs. Josephine Garis (W. A.) Cochran, of Shelbyville, Illinois, in
1889. Her dishwasher was a wooden tub with a wire basket in it. First,
she measured her dishes and then built wire compartments - each
specially designed to fit plates, cups, and saucers. The compartments
fit in a wheel that lay flat inside a copper boiler. A motor turned the
wheel, while hot soapy water squirted up from the boiler and rained
down on the dishes, cleaning them. She unveiled her invention at the
1893 World's Fair in Chicago, and won its highest award. Cochrane's
friends liked her dishwasher, and soon, Mrs. Cochrane was getting
orders for the machine from restaurants and hotels around Illinois. She
patented the design and went into production. (Her company is now the
well-known corporation KitchenAid.) [Source:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/1800b.shtml]
See also
http://www.ecolitgy.com/josephine/josephineCochran.html
and
http://www.ecolitgy.com/it/josephine.html
Springfield - A.T. WESTLAKE, Springfield,
dial figuring-machine The Newton
Press, Jasper County, Ill., July 27, 1887, submitted by K. Torp.
Springfield - an antique washboard manufactured by P.A. Wetzel of
Springfield
Springfield - In 1853 - The first Illinois State Fair is held.
St. Charles added 7/12/04
- trademark - Purity Condensed Milk St. Charles
Condensing Co. - Reg. #48942, circa first used 1/1/1895
Sterling added 7/12/04
- trademark - Black Silk Black Silk Stove Polish -
Reg. #62973, circa 1884
Sterling - Credit goes
to the Charter Gasoline Engine Company of
Sterling, Illinois, for first successfully using gasoline as fuel.
Charter's creation of a gasoline fueled engine in 1887 soon led to
early gasoline traction engines before the term "tractor" was coined by
others. Charter adapted its engine to a Rumley steam-traction-engine
chassis, and in 1889 produced six of the machines to become one of the
first working gasoline traction engines. [Source:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltractor.htm]
(Contributor: KimmySue Torp) See also http://www.iltrails.org/whiteside/businessmen.html
(Contributed by Christine Walters, Whiteside County Host)
Streator - Iwan, Henry and Iwan, Louis -
Tile-Ditching Hoe - Patent
No. 320136
Streator - Iwan, Louis and Iwan, Henry - Tile-Ditching Hoe - Patent
No. 320136
Taylorville added 7/12/04
- trademark - Marvel paper bags E-Z Opener Bag
Company - Reg. #73834, circa 1908
Taylorville added 7/12/04
- trademark - Hickory paper bags E-Z Opener Bag
Company - Reg. #73817, circa 1903
Tuscola -
Gurelle, Johnny - Raggedy Ann and Andy, created In 1880
Tylersville - George Brown (Tylersville,
Illinois) patents a series
of innovative planter patents starting in 1853, and into the 1860s :
“Furrows that open with edged runners; corn 'precisely placed’ under
the control of an operator; and a closing wheel that covers seeds
automatically and in check to allow for cultivating in both
directions.” Brown’s is the first successful horse-drawn, two-row
pull-type planter, with manual stick-type metering. (A hand lever and
seat on the front part of the machine allow a second operator to
mechanically drop the seed.) In 1858, Brown improves his planter by
adding a “shoe” or furrow opener to break open the ground for the seed;
he further improves it in 1860 by curving the shoes to better open the
furrow. Kinze History of Planting - [source:
http://www.kinzemfg.com/company/plantrev/timeline.html]
Utica - In 1911 - Starved Rock State Park
becomes the first state
park in Illinois.