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Martha Jones of Amelia County, Va., became the first black woman known to receive a United States patent on May 5, 1868 as her patent application for an “Improvement to the Corn Husker, Sheller” was granted. ( U.S. patent No. 77494) . The patent claimed her invention could husk, shell, cut up, and separate husks from corn in one operation, representing a significant step forward in the automation of agricultural processes. More