It was on this day in 1851 that Isaac Singer was granted a patent for his sewing machine.
His was in fact not the first sewing machine to receive a patent. That was Charles Wiesenthal who received his patent in 1755. Others followed. In fact even Singer was in a neck and neck race, and some say John Fisher was the “true” inventor of what we would call the modern sewing machine. But Singer’s had the patent. And his not only took advantage of every advance since Charles Wiesenthal’s and, rather more, Singer’s machine was able to be adapted to home use. Something he saw as having astonishing possibilities. Singer offered his sewing machines on an easy installment payment plan. He become filthy rich. And, more importantly, the wondrous sewing machine became widely available.
Flat out: the sewing machine opened worlds for many people. Yes, those worlds were both good and ill.
But, on balance, I think we have to go with for good.
And so, something amazing happened on this day in 1851.
Worth noting.
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