The need to pay a $15 debt sparked one of the most useful of inventions, patented on this date in 1849. Walter Hunt, a mechanic in New York, owed the debt. While he thought about how to raise the money, he fiddled with a small piece of wire. Finally, he bent the wire with a twist in the middle, creating a spring, and formed a clasp at the other end, to guard the point of the wire. He had invented the safety pin. Hunt called his device a “dress pin,” and sold his rights to it for $400, little realizing that its utility would be enduring and lucrative. Manufacturing pins, needles, buttons and other fasteners is an $840 million a year business for 135 manufacturers in the U.S., employing about 3,600 people. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
Saturday, April 11th. On this date in 1921, Iowa became the first state to enact a tax on cigarettes, rolling paper and associated paraphernalia. The tax was very modest, being just $1 per 1,000 cigarettes. Iowa today collects $1.36 per pack, ranking it about in the middle of states. The highest excise tax is levied by New York, a substantial $4.35. The lowest is found in Missouri — just 17 cents per pack. Since 1998, governments at all levels, including federal, have collected over a half-trillion dollars in tobacco taxes and fines. There are 29 cigarette manufacturers in the U.S., and some 142 cigarette brands on the market, with annual sales of over $31 billion. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, April 12th. On this date in 1892, the first U.S. patent for a truly portable typewriter was issued to George C. Blickensderfer of Stamford, Connecticut for a “type writing machine” on the principle of a revolving type wheel, a precursor to the type ball of 1970s typewriters. The wheel reduced the number of moving parts from 2,500 to 250, improving reliability and reducing the weight by one-fourth. The Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company eventually became one of the world’s largest typewriter manufacturers in a crowded field. In 1900, U.S. manufacturers shipped 145,000 typewriters. 1967 was the peak year with nearly 2 million produced. Today, what’s left of typewriter manufacturing has all moved overseas. Profile America is completing its 18th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.