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The first U.S. patent is issued, to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process.

Historical image related to The first U.S. patent is issued, to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process. from July 31, 1790

Patent

Type of legal protection for an invention

A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention. In most countries, patent rights fall…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Samuel Hopkins (inventor)

American inventor

Samuel Hopkins was an American inventor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, On July 31, 1790, he was granted the first U.S. patent, under the new U.S. patent statute just signed into law by President Washington on April 10, 1790. Hopkins had petitioned for a patent on an…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Potash

Salt mixture

The term potash includes mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. The term potash derives from pot ash, either plant ashes or wood ashes that were soaked in water in a pot, which was the primary means of manufacturing potash before the…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)