Biography of Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney was born in Westboro, Massachusetts on December 8, 1765 and died on January 8, 1825. He graduated from Yale College in 1792. By April 1793, Whitney had designed and blue printed the cotton gin, a machine that could separate cotton form its seeds.
Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin revolutionized the cotton industry in the United States. Whitney’s machine could generate up to fifty pounds of cleaned cotton daily. This helped them make a lot more money.
Eli Whitney and Phineas Miller, to manufacture cotton gins at New Haven, Connecticut. A disastrous factory fire prevented the partners from making enough gins to meet the demand, and manufacturers throughout the South began to copy the invention. Although Whitney and Miller received a patent on the gin in 1794, a decision protecting their patent was not rendered until 1807. In 1812, the Congress of the United States denied Whitney's petition for renewal of the patent. In all, he profited very little from his invention.
In 1798, Whitney turned to the large-scale manufacture of firearms. After signing a contract to supply the federal government with 10,000 military muskets, he built a factory near New Haven, at present-day Hamden, in which he experimented with a system of manufacturing standardized, interchangeable parts. He died in New Haven on January 8, 1825.
Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin revolutionized the cotton industry in the United States. Whitney’s machine could generate up to fifty pounds of cleaned cotton daily. This helped them make a lot more money.
Eli Whitney and Phineas Miller, to manufacture cotton gins at New Haven, Connecticut. A disastrous factory fire prevented the partners from making enough gins to meet the demand, and manufacturers throughout the South began to copy the invention. Although Whitney and Miller received a patent on the gin in 1794, a decision protecting their patent was not rendered until 1807. In 1812, the Congress of the United States denied Whitney's petition for renewal of the patent. In all, he profited very little from his invention.
In 1798, Whitney turned to the large-scale manufacture of firearms. After signing a contract to supply the federal government with 10,000 military muskets, he built a factory near New Haven, at present-day Hamden, in which he experimented with a system of manufacturing standardized, interchangeable parts. He died in New Haven on January 8, 1825.
