Facts about Eli Whitney

Eli Whitney died at 59 years old
Died: January 8, 1825
Best known as: Inventor of the cotton gin

     

Eli Whitney Biography

Eli Whitney went down in history as the inventor of the cotton gin, a machine made to extract seeds from cotton, patented in 1794.

Whitney spent a decade fighting patent infringements, and years of litigation left him nearly penniless by 1804.

Whether he was the sole inventor of the gin is still a matter of debate, yet Whitney clearly had a knack for manufacturing and business: after the cotton gin he went into the firearms business, using his mechanical skills to design a system for manufacturing identical and interchangeable parts for rifles.

Whitney operated a successful firearms factory near New Haven, Connecticut until he retired around 1820.


     

Something in Common with Eli Whitney