Historic Inventions

A patent is a legal document. It stops people from copying an inventor’s idea. The U.S. began giving out patents in 1790. Here are some inventions that have received patents.
Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney got a patent for the cotton gin in 1794. It was a machine that quickly cleaned cotton. This made it easier to create cloth.
Electric Lightbulb

Thomas Edison got a patent for an electric lightbulb in 1880. Edison got more than 1,000 patents for inventions.
Airplane

Wilbur and Orville Wright got a patent for a “flying machine” in 1906. They invented the first successful airplane.
iPhone

The first iPhone was released in 2007. In 2008, Apple Inc. got patents for its design.