Inventor and businessman Cyrus McCormick died on May 13, 1884, in Chicago, Illinois. He’s best known for his mechanical reaper, which increased productivity, and advanced the industrialization of agriculture in dozens of nations.
On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first words by telephone, to his assistant in another room. Bell had received his patent for the telephone three days earlier.
On November 23, 1889, the world’s first jukebox was displayed and used at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco, California.
Samuel Pierpont Langley was born on August 22, 1834, in Roxbury, Massachusetts. An aviation pioneer, he invented steam-powered aerodromes, which set flight records and inspired further advances in the field.
On July 7, 1928, sliced bread was sold for the first time in Chillicothe, Missouri. While many were initially skeptical, sliced bread soon became a staple in American homes.
On May 22, 1849, Abraham Lincoln became the only future US president to receive a patent. His invention was intended to help ships more easily move over difficult obstacles in shallow water.
On May 13, 1897, Guglielmo Marconi sent the world’s first wireless communication over open sea. For his pioneering work, Marconi later received the Nobel Prize in Physics.
On January 29, 1940, the US Post Office Department issued the first stamps in the Famous Americans Series. It honors 35 Americans from 7 professions based on recommendations submitted by the public.
William Thomas Piper was born on January 8, 1881, in Knapp Creek, New York. He developed the popular and inexpensive Piper Cub and became known as the “Henry Ford of Aviation.”