On this day in 1790, the first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins for an apparatus used to make pearlash and potash (types of ash used for soap, leavening, fertilizer, and industry). The patent was signed by both President George Washington and future president Thomas Jefferson. The U.S. Patent Office had been created earlier […]

On this day in 1790, the first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins for an apparatus used to make pearlash and potash (types of ash used for soap, leavening, fertilizer, and industry). The patent was signed by both President George Washington and future president Thomas Jefferson. The U.S. Patent Office had been created earlier […]