The first U.S. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent" id="mwcA" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Patent">patent</a> is issued, to inventor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hopkins_(inventor)" id="mwcQ" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Samuel Hopkins (inventor)">Samuel Hopkins</a> for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potash" id="mwcg" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Potash">potash</a> process.