US Patent Office Archives - Alan Rothschild

This is the How Christian F.T. Steinway’s Inventions Revolutionized the Piano Industry

December 26, 2016 by Alan Rothschild

Christian F. T. Steinway’s Invention for Capodastro Frames for Piano Fortes set the bar for piano design.

Steinway Pianos

In 1853, Steinway & Sons was formed. Operations began in a rental loft at 85 Varick Street in New York City. The Steinway business was a family affair, with father, Henry Engelhard Steinway, working as both a master cabinet maker and a master piano builder. Doretta, the eldest daughter, was the star salesperson, sometimes offering to give free piano lessons to prospective buyers in order to close a sale. Christian Friedrich Theodore Steinway was the eldest son of five boys and three girls.

This is the Reason the Civil War Changed the Field of Military Surgery

December 11, 2016 by Alan Rothschild

The Jewett Artificial Leg was the artificial leg that the state of North Carolina provided to its soldiers after the Civil War.

Excerpted from Inventing a Better Mousetrap: 200 Years of American History in the Amazing World of Patent Models

How The Civil War Changed Military Surgery and Orthopedics

The Civil War changed the fields of military surgery and orthopedics. The powerful, destructive and more accurate weapons of this conflict did more damage to the human body than ever before, resulting in not only more injuries, but injuries of a more critical nature. Wartime surgeons had little understanding of sterilization and post-surgical infection, so amputation was commonplace. Wounded soldiers taken from the battlefield were given whiskey, or when available, opium.

England’s First Woman of Technology and Why She Matters

December 5, 2016 by Alan Rothschild

England’s first woman of technology, Henrietta Vansittart, and how her invention revolutionized ship propeller design, excerpted from Inventing a Better Mousetrap: 200 Years of American History in the Amazing World of Patent Models

England’s First Woman Engineer

No woman epitomizes the idea of the new woman inventor more than Henrietta Vansittart (1833-1883) of Richmond, England. Henrietta is known as England’s first woman engineer, and her improvements in propeller design is probably the most important nautical invention by a woman of the 19^th century.

The Creation of the US Patent Office

September 19, 2016 by Alan Rothschild

The Creation of the US Patent Office

It is April 10, 1790. President George Washington has just signed a bill to create the United States Patent Office. For the first time in American history, the right of an inventor to profit from his or her invention is recognized by law. Previously, privileges granted to an inventor were dependent upon the prerogative of a monarch or upon a special act of a legislature.

The Constitution

The Constitution ( Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8) empowers Congress:
“Congress shall have the power to promote the Progress of Science and useful arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”