On June 20, 1793, Eli Whitney, who had graduated from Yale the previous year, wrote to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, requesting a patent for his new invention, the cotton gin. The gin ...

The development of the cotton gin — patented in 1794 — involves an interesting lesson about solving engineering problems. Farmers in the southern United States had a big problem. Tobacco was a ...

click image for close-up In October of 1793, Eli Whitney sent a drawing of his new invention, the cotton gin, to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson in application for a patent. Jefferson replied ...

The development of the cotton gin — patented in 1794 — involves an interesting lesson about solving engineering problems. Farmers in the southern United States had a big problem. Tobacco was a ...