Uploaded February 2021 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago

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Most patents are not for new inventions, rather, they are for improvements to already existing patents. Although his improvements were revolutionary, that is the case for the elevator patent awarded to Alexander Miles. Most of the patents on this list are new inventions that today's inventors still have to reference in order to receive a patent.

The picture representing Thomas L. Jennings is also attributed to the Jamaican national hero, Paul Bogle.