A fire breaks out at 3 a.m. in the US the Patent Office then located at Blodget's Hotel in Washington DC. The fire department was unable to contain the fire. All 9,957 patents issued starting in July 31 1790 and related patent models were lost. Ironically, the fire made it difficult to definitively determine the exact inventor of the fire hydrant and the precise date of the invention. Fewer than 3,000 of those patents have been recovered and re-issued with numbers that include an "X". The X distinguishes the patents from those issued after the fire, which began again with patent number 1.Before the Patent Act of 1836, patents were issued without numbers, only by name and date. These earlier patents became known as "X-patents".
The first US patent granted with the new numbering system was Patent No. 1, awarded to Senator John Ruggles on July 13, 1836. It was for a traction wheel for steam locomotives.
Before the Patent Act of 1836, patents were issued without numbers, only by name and date.
These earlier patents became known as "X-patents".
1790 - The first U.S. patent was granted to Samuel Hopkins for a process of making potash, an ingredient used in fertilizer on July 31. President George Washington signed the first patent.
1. Patent 1 was issued to
Ironically, the fire made it difficult to definitively determine the exact inventor of the fire hydrant and the precise date of the invention.
