...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5447260 | Draw string puller A longitudinally elongated, transversely flexible pulling member, having a rounded leading end and a trailing end with a female connector for releasably capturing a leading tip end of a drawstring, whereby the leading end of the pulling member can be inse... | 09/05/1995 |
| 5353972 | Method and apparatus for inserting a drawstring A method and apparatus for inserting a drawstring into garments or articles having a hem or channel for receiving the drawstring. The apparatus includes a resilient, hollow tubular member which receives the drawstring in a secure fashion so that it can be... | 10/11/1994 |
| 4971235 | Curtain threader for a curtain rod having open rough ends A threader for curtain rod of the telescoping type having open ends of rough cut metal, to easily thread the curtain rod through the hem of the curtain. The structure has an insertible end of the spring resilient material to be inserted in the rod opening... | 11/20/1990 |
| 4671437 | Drawstring restringing system A drawstring restringing system comprises a notched flexible rod having a flexible end cap for securing a drawstring to the rod to facilitate restringing of the drawstring through a channel in a garment.... | 06/09/1987 |