On July 31, 1790, Samuel Hopkins of Pittsford, Vermont received the first U.S. patent for an improvement in “the making of Pot ash and Pearl ash by a new Apparatus and Process.” Pot Ash  is a  potassium carbonate used in the making soap and manufacturing of glass

Today this patent is known as 1X. The original document, which was found in 1955, is in the collections of the Chicago Historical Society. This was one of only three patents issued in 1790. Continue reading “Making History: Who Received the First Patent?” →