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| Read about Steven Spielberg's 2012 Movie Lincoln on Wikipedia. Click here. |
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| Read the Christian Science Monitor review of Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln. Click here. |
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| Quiz #376 Results |
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| Answer to Quiz #376 - November 25, 2012 |
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| 1. What is the invention? 2. The inventor was the only _____ who was granted a patent. Who was he? 3. Where can you find the scale model in Figure 2? |
| Figure 1. |
| Figure 2. |
| Tin Eye Alert! You can find this photograph on TinEye, but you will have more fun if you solve the puzzle on your own. |
| Submitted by Quizmaster Emeritus Mike Dalton. |
Presidents, especially the US ones, always attract a lot
of attention. But there are some facts that aren’t
commonly known. Well, that Barak Obama is the first
African-American US-president and that he received the
Nobel Peace Prize 2009 doesn´t sound new. But did you
know that John F. Kennedy was so far the only Catholic
American president and that he won a Purlitzer Prize.
And Abraham Lincoln? Do you know that he was the
only United States President to hold a patent?
On May 22, 1849, Abraham Lincoln received Patent No.
6469 for a device to lift boats over shoals, an invention
which was never manufactured. However, it did make
him the only U.S. president to hold a patent. Shown
here is his scale model at the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, D.C.
of attention. But there are some facts that aren’t
commonly known. Well, that Barak Obama is the first
African-American US-president and that he received the
Nobel Peace Prize 2009 doesn´t sound new. But did you
know that John F. Kennedy was so far the only Catholic
American president and that he won a Purlitzer Prize.
And Abraham Lincoln? Do you know that he was the
only United States President to hold a patent?
On May 22, 1849, Abraham Lincoln received Patent No.
6469 for a device to lift boats over shoals, an invention
which was never manufactured. However, it did make
him the only U.S. president to hold a patent. Shown
here is his scale model at the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington, D.C.
| Congratulations to Our Winners! Christine Walker Arthur Hartwell Carol Farrant Donna Jolley Angel Esparza Gary Rice Margaret Paxton Gus Marsh John Pero Shay Nelson Rebecca Bare Collier Smith Janice M. Sellers Joshua Kreitzer Peter Norton Frank Nollette Sally Garrison Dennis Brann Marcelle Comeau Tony Knapp Skip Murray Judy Pfaff Daniel Jolley Shay Nelson |
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| Abraham Lincoln's Patent showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/education/patent.htm blog.inpama.com/?cat=122 www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/object-oct06.html |
| Comment from Skip Murray The Quiz Makes a Difference! |
| OMG OMG OMG!!!! I'm so excited I'm gonna fall out of my chair! You did a quiz I know the answer to without doing research! Yee Haa! It wasn't too long ago, my young nephew was asking me about the family tree. We sat at the computer and I was showing him info on his ancestors and ways to find some of that info online. At first he was interested, then he got bored. He wanted to know if we had anybody famous, like a king or president or even Jesse James. Then he thought it would be cool if we had an inventor. None that I know of, but he really wanted to know. So, I gave him key surnames from his tree and he searched for inventors. Which lead him to searching patents. Science is his favorite subject, so the patent thing was pretty interesting to him. This lead to his normal behavior, which is 10,000 questions. Usually asked so fast you can't answer them! He wanted to know if he invented something, could he get a patent. Then he wanted to know who else could get one. Being as it's an election year, there were lots of political ads on the TV, and when he saw one for Obama, he asked if Mr. Obama had a patent. So, we searched it, and he doesn't. That lead to him asking if any presidents had one. And that is why I know that the invention is a thing to lift boats so they don't get stuck in low water and it was invented by President Lincoln and the model is at a museum, I think it's the Smithsonian if I remember right. Who would have ever thought that showing the family tree to a child would lead a person to gain enough knowledge to know the answer to a weekly quiz?? That is just so cool. I'm going to have to call my nephew when he gets home from school and tell him about this. Skip Murray |
| Click on thumbnail to read Abe's patent. |
As a young man he took a boatload of merchandise down the Mississippi River. At one
point the boat slid onto a dam and was set free only after heroic efforts. In later years,
while traveling on the Great Lakes, Lincoln’s ship ran afoul of a sandbar.
These two similar experiences led him to conceive his invention. In 1849 Abraham
Lincoln received a patent for “A Device for Buoying Vessels Over Shoals”. Abraham
Lincoln whittled the model for his patent application with his own hands out of wood.
It is on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History.
According to Paul Johnston, curator of maritime history at the National Museum of
American History (NMAH), Lincoln's eminence and the historical rarity of his patent
make the wooden model he submitted to the Patent Office "one of the half dozen or so
most valuable things in our collection."
Lincoln and River Navigation
Lincoln learned river navigation early in life and took a flatboat down the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers as a teenager. As he explained in his 1860 autobiography, "When he
was nineteen, still residing in Indiana, he made his first trip upon a flatboat to New
Orleans. He was a hired hand merely, and he and a son of the owner, without other
assistance, made the trip."
A few years later, Lincoln moved to Illinois and made a second flatboat trip to New
Orleans. He recalled, "Abraham, together with his stepmother's son, John D. Johnston,
point the boat slid onto a dam and was set free only after heroic efforts. In later years,
while traveling on the Great Lakes, Lincoln’s ship ran afoul of a sandbar.
These two similar experiences led him to conceive his invention. In 1849 Abraham
Lincoln received a patent for “A Device for Buoying Vessels Over Shoals”. Abraham
Lincoln whittled the model for his patent application with his own hands out of wood.
It is on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History.
According to Paul Johnston, curator of maritime history at the National Museum of
American History (NMAH), Lincoln's eminence and the historical rarity of his patent
make the wooden model he submitted to the Patent Office "one of the half dozen or so
most valuable things in our collection."
Lincoln and River Navigation
Lincoln learned river navigation early in life and took a flatboat down the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers as a teenager. As he explained in his 1860 autobiography, "When he
was nineteen, still residing in Indiana, he made his first trip upon a flatboat to New
Orleans. He was a hired hand merely, and he and a son of the owner, without other
assistance, made the trip."
A few years later, Lincoln moved to Illinois and made a second flatboat trip to New
Orleans. He recalled, "Abraham, together with his stepmother's son, John D. Johnston,
and John Hanks, yet residing in Macon
County, hired themselves to Denton
Offutt to take a flatboat from Beardstown,
Illinois, to New Orleans; and for that
purpose were to join him -- Offutt -- at
Springfield, Illinois, so soon as the snow
should go off. When it did go off, which
was about the first of March, 1831, the
county was so flooded as to make
traveling by land impracticable; to obviate
which difficulty they purchased a large
canoe, and came down the Sangamon
County, hired themselves to Denton
Offutt to take a flatboat from Beardstown,
Illinois, to New Orleans; and for that
purpose were to join him -- Offutt -- at
Springfield, Illinois, so soon as the snow
should go off. When it did go off, which
was about the first of March, 1831, the
county was so flooded as to make
traveling by land impracticable; to obviate
which difficulty they purchased a large
canoe, and came down the Sangamon
River in it. This is the time and the manner of Abraham's first entrance into Sangamon
County. They found Offutt at Springfield, but learned from him that he had failed in
getting a boat at Beardstown. This led to their hiring themselves to him for twelve
dollars per month each, and getting the timber out of the trees and building a boat at Old
Sangamon town on the Sangamon River, seven miles northwest of Springfield, which
boat they took to New Orleans, substantially upon the old contract."
What Lincoln omitted from this account was a story of his ingenuity. Before the
flatboat could get to the Illinois River, it became stranded on a milldam at New Salem, a
small pioneer settlement along the Sangamon. As the boat took on water, Lincoln
sprang to action. He had part of the cargo unloaded to right the boat, then secured an
auger from the village cooper shop. After drilling a hole in the bow, he let the water run
out. Then he plugged the hole, helped move the boat over the dam, and proceeded to
New Orleans.
In 1832, as a candidate for the Illinois General Assembly from Sangamon County,
Lincoln published his first political announcement, in which he stressed, not
surprisingly, the improvement of navigation on the Sangamon River.
Lincoln's Patent Idea
Lincoln started work on his invention between sessions of Congress in 1848. On his
way home to Illinois his boat became stranded on a sandbar. As Herndon told the story,
"The captain ordered the hands to collect all the loose planks, empty barrels and boxes
and force them under the sides of the boat. These empty casks were used to buoy it
up. After forcing enough of them under the vessel she lifted gradually and at last swung
clear of the opposing sand bar."
Herndon observed, "Lincoln had watched this operation very intently. It no doubt
carried him back to the days of his navigation on the turbulent Sangamon, when he and
County. They found Offutt at Springfield, but learned from him that he had failed in
getting a boat at Beardstown. This led to their hiring themselves to him for twelve
dollars per month each, and getting the timber out of the trees and building a boat at Old
Sangamon town on the Sangamon River, seven miles northwest of Springfield, which
boat they took to New Orleans, substantially upon the old contract."
What Lincoln omitted from this account was a story of his ingenuity. Before the
flatboat could get to the Illinois River, it became stranded on a milldam at New Salem, a
small pioneer settlement along the Sangamon. As the boat took on water, Lincoln
sprang to action. He had part of the cargo unloaded to right the boat, then secured an
auger from the village cooper shop. After drilling a hole in the bow, he let the water run
out. Then he plugged the hole, helped move the boat over the dam, and proceeded to
New Orleans.
In 1832, as a candidate for the Illinois General Assembly from Sangamon County,
Lincoln published his first political announcement, in which he stressed, not
surprisingly, the improvement of navigation on the Sangamon River.
Lincoln's Patent Idea
Lincoln started work on his invention between sessions of Congress in 1848. On his
way home to Illinois his boat became stranded on a sandbar. As Herndon told the story,
"The captain ordered the hands to collect all the loose planks, empty barrels and boxes
and force them under the sides of the boat. These empty casks were used to buoy it
up. After forcing enough of them under the vessel she lifted gradually and at last swung
clear of the opposing sand bar."
Herndon observed, "Lincoln had watched this operation very intently. It no doubt
carried him back to the days of his navigation on the turbulent Sangamon, when he and
John Hanks had rendered similar service
at New Salem dam to their employer the
volatile Offut. Continual thinking on the
subject of lifting vessels over sand bars
and other obstructions in the water
suggested to him the idea of inventing an
apparatus for this purpose."
Lincoln took the scale model with him to
Washington and hired attorney Z. C.
Robbins to apply for the patent. Part of
his application read, "Be it known that I,
at New Salem dam to their employer the
volatile Offut. Continual thinking on the
subject of lifting vessels over sand bars
and other obstructions in the water
suggested to him the idea of inventing an
apparatus for this purpose."
Lincoln took the scale model with him to
Washington and hired attorney Z. C.
Robbins to apply for the patent. Part of
his application read, "Be it known that I,
Abraham Lincoln, of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon, in the state of Illinois,
have invented a new and improved manner of combining adjustable buoyant air
chambers with a steam boat or other vessel for the purpose of enabling their draught of
water to be readily lessened to enable them to pass over bars, or through shallow water,
without discharging their cargoes..."
The precise source of the model of the flotation device is unclear, though there's no
doubt that the ingenuity behind it was Lincoln's. Herndon wrote about Lincoln bringing
the wooden boat model into the law office, "and while whittling on it would descant on
its merits and the revolution it was destined to work in steamboat navigation." A
Springfield mechanic, Walter Davis, was said to have helped with the model, which
was just over two feet long. But Johnston thinks it's possible that the detailed miniature
Lincoln submitted may have been made by a model maker in Washington who
specialized in aiding inventors. "The name engraved on top of the piece is 'Abram
Lincoln,'" Johnston says. "It doesn't seem likely that if Lincoln had actually made this
model, he'd have misspelled his own first name." Johnston says that the answer—yet
undetermined—may lie in whether the misspelled name is also engraved under the
original varnish, indicating the model to be a commission.
The patent application for the device has a similar mystery. Part of the U.S. Patent
Office collection, the document describes in detail how "by turning the main shaft or
shafts in one direction, the buoyant chambers will be forced downwards into the water
and at the same time expanded and filled with air." But it is missing the inventor's
signature. Someone, probably in the early 20th century, cut Abe's signature out of the
document—the autograph collector as vandal.
Since no one ever tried to put the invention to use, we can't know for sure if it would
have led to the revolution in steamboat navigation that Lincoln predicted. But "it likely
would not have been practical," says Johnston, "because you need a lot of force to get
the buoyant chambers even two feet
have invented a new and improved manner of combining adjustable buoyant air
chambers with a steam boat or other vessel for the purpose of enabling their draught of
water to be readily lessened to enable them to pass over bars, or through shallow water,
without discharging their cargoes..."
The precise source of the model of the flotation device is unclear, though there's no
doubt that the ingenuity behind it was Lincoln's. Herndon wrote about Lincoln bringing
the wooden boat model into the law office, "and while whittling on it would descant on
its merits and the revolution it was destined to work in steamboat navigation." A
Springfield mechanic, Walter Davis, was said to have helped with the model, which
was just over two feet long. But Johnston thinks it's possible that the detailed miniature
Lincoln submitted may have been made by a model maker in Washington who
specialized in aiding inventors. "The name engraved on top of the piece is 'Abram
Lincoln,'" Johnston says. "It doesn't seem likely that if Lincoln had actually made this
model, he'd have misspelled his own first name." Johnston says that the answer—yet
undetermined—may lie in whether the misspelled name is also engraved under the
original varnish, indicating the model to be a commission.
The patent application for the device has a similar mystery. Part of the U.S. Patent
Office collection, the document describes in detail how "by turning the main shaft or
shafts in one direction, the buoyant chambers will be forced downwards into the water
and at the same time expanded and filled with air." But it is missing the inventor's
signature. Someone, probably in the early 20th century, cut Abe's signature out of the
document—the autograph collector as vandal.
Since no one ever tried to put the invention to use, we can't know for sure if it would
have led to the revolution in steamboat navigation that Lincoln predicted. But "it likely
would not have been practical," says Johnston, "because you need a lot of force to get
the buoyant chambers even two feet
the buoyant Chamgers even two feet
down into the water. My gut feeling is
that it might have been made to work,
but Lincoln's considerable talents lay
elsewhere."
down into the water. My gut feeling is
that it might have been made to work,
but Lincoln's considerable talents lay
elsewhere."
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