X-Patent
On July 31, 1790 inventor Samuel Hopkins of Pittsford, Vermont became the first person to be issued a patent in the United States. His patented invention was an improvement in the "making of Pot Ash by a new apparatus & process." The earliest patent law required that a working model of each invention be produced in miniature.
Nathan Stubblefield
Despite very limited finances, in his spare time Stubblefield worked on developing a series of inventions. His first patent, , was issued on November 3, 1885, for a tool for lighting coal oil lamps without having to remove the glass chimney.