...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 |
| 7197825 | Razors and shaving cartridges with guard A shaving blade unit includes a plastic housing having a front portion and a rear portion and two side surfaces extending from the front portion to the rear portion. The housing has a length extending from one side surface to the other side surface. Positioned betwe... | 04/03/2007 |
| 6526660 | Device for trimming and shaping a beard or moustache A device for trimming and shaping a moustache or beard has a handle having a shaving head with a blade assembly mounted on one end. The blade assembly carries one or more blades and is movable relative tot he handle so that in a first position the blade a... | 03/04/2003 |
| 4501067 | Razors and shaving units for razors A razor blade assembly, in the form of a razor or shaving unit, comprises a top cap 114, a razor blade 113 fixed relative to the top cap, and a guardbar 115 which is pivotally movable relative to the blade from a shaving position, in which the blade is ex... | 02/26/1985 |