Facts About Eli Whitney

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Eli Whitney is a famous American inventor and credited for his work on the cotton gin or cotton-engine. With this invention, Eli Whitney was able to create a huge impact in the US cotton industry. Through his machine, cotton farmers had an easier time separating the seeds from the cotton fiber. Eli Whitney’s cotton gin invention basically revolutionized the cotton industry which eventually led to the mass production of cotton goods. The following are some facts about Eli Whitney and his cotton gin invention:

Fact 1: Cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney at the time of George Washington’s presidency. Washington became America’s 1st official President and it was during his term that the cotton industry was changed for the better by Eli Whitney.

Fact 2: Eli Whitney was a private tutor before becoming one of America’s great inventors. Needing some money to finance his education, the young Eli Whitney tutored the children of General Greene in their Georgia farm.

Fact 3: Eli Whitney had difficulty earning money for himself with his cotton gin invention. He may have helped the US cotton industry but due to various pirated versions of his machine, Eli Whitney had a hard time raising money for his contribution and invention.

Fact 4: The young Whitney grew up having a great affinity for tinkering with machines. His younger days were mostly spent in the farm but he was already creating small machines to create nails and other stuff during his younger years.

Fact 5: The invention of the cotton gin came out of need. Being exposed to farming, Eli Whitney realized that manual extraction of cotton fiber took so much time and this propelled him to creating a machine to make the process faster.

Fact 6: Eli Whitney also made guns for the US government. As a way to address his financial concerns, Eli Whitney was forced to offer the US government his services in the form of supplying small arms. He didn’t know anything about guns but was given a contract to supply thousands of small guns.

Fact 7: Eli Whitney is also credited to have started the manufacturing system or process. Through his cotton gin invention, Whitney was able to make the manufacturing process more efficient by way of using uniform parts and substituting manual labor with various machines.

Fact 8: Whitney wanted to be become a lawyer. As a student of Yale College, the young Eli Whitney initially wanted to take up law but had no financial means to do so. This led him to become a private tutor.

Fact 9: Many people in the US South became rich because of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin invention. The ironic thing is that while the plantation owners became rich because of increased cotton production, Whitney himself had difficulty raising money for his own because of pirated versions of his machine.

Fact 10: Eli Whitney got married at the age of 50. At this age, many people may have considered it quite late for marriage but Whitney was still able to father four children.

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