President's Day is not only a great time to catch up on extra sleep, but also an important moment to reflect on our nation's rich history.
It's easy to wax nostalgic about America's great forefathers — like with these photos that show the rapid aging of famous commanders-in-chief during their time in office. But their personal biographies are often filled to the brim with surprising accomplishments outside of their presidential legacies.
So when I saw that many of our American forefathers were also famous inventors, I had to learn more!
Not only was Thomas Jefferson one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, but in his spare time he invented a piece of furniture that is surprisingly found in every office space today.
Though we owe a great deal of respect and gratitude to these men for creating the political framework of our country and Constitution, we should also thank them for their unbelievable inventions still used in our modern era. I had no idea about any of these!
Did you know about these forefather inventions? Which of these took you by surprise? Let us know in the comments.
[H/T: Constitution Facts, Wikipedia]
Who Invented The Bifocal?
Not only was Benjamin Franklin a politician and Renaissance man, but he was also the brain behind bifocals. Being both near- and short-sighted, he set out to solve the problem himself.
He refused to patent his idea, however, as he believed that inventions should be free to be improved upon by committee.
Who Invented The Swivel Chair?
In addition to inventing both the macaroni press and the sod-plow, Thomas Jefferson also created the design for the first swivel chair.
He began by deconstructing a traditional Windsor seat and making modifications. By adding a central iron spindle, he invented a chair that could easily swivel on casters, while the base remained firmly in one place.
Who Invented The 16-Sided Threshing Barn?
George Washington is definitely most famous for being America's very first president, but he was also passionate about improving agricultural techniques.
In 1794, Washington invented the 16-sided threshing barn. This structure in particular allowed for greater efficiency, higher sanitary standards, and produced better quality grain.
Who Invented The Glass Harmonica?
While Benjamin Franklin was busy experimenting with lightning, he also found some time to invent a musical instrument. The Glass Harmonica uses a series of glass bowls or goblets in decreasing sizes to produce musical tones via friction.
Franklin worked with a London glassblower to create the right-sized glass framework and the instrument itself had its world premiere in early 1762.
Who Invented The Wheel Cipher?
Thomas Jefferson's laundry list of inventions continues with the Wheel Cipher, an encryption device way ahead of its time.
Patented in 1795 as a method of sending and receiving secret messages, the cipher was a more expedient alternative to hand-delivering messages, which was a rather slow process.
The cipher itself is composed of 26 cylindrical wooden pieces with the alphabet inscribed on the edge of each wheel in a random order.
Who Invented The Drill Plow?
George Washington was truly fanatical about farming — it was his favorite pastime outside of his military and political duties. Along with creating the 16-sided threshing barn, Washington also perfected the "drill plow."
The farming tool functioned as a wheeled plow with a barrel that turned as the plow was pushed forward. The revolving barrel had deep holes that also allowed seeds to be planted as the farmer moved.
Who Invented The Iron Bridge?
Thomas Paine was both the writer of Common Sense and an avid inventor in his downtime.
Paine was the first person to propose the idea of an iron-constructed bridge, despite the fact that he had little background in architecture.
Nonetheless, in 1788 he attempted a huge undertaking: to build an all-iron bridge in South Yorkshire. Though the project was never completed, it did earn him a patent.
Who Invented The Lightning Rod?
Of course, you can't talk about inventions dreamed up by America's forefathers without mentioning Benjamin Franklin's lightning rod. Though he did propose the idea that lightning was, in fact, electricity, he didn't prove it.
He did, however, invent the lightning rod: an invention still used today to protect tall buildings from powerful strikes.
America's forefathers helped shape our young country with their political moxie and incredible inventions.
Were you surprised by who created these famous inventions? Let us know in the comments.
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