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Thomas Jefferson was the most accomplished inventor out of all the U.S. Presidents; however he did not hold a patent on any of his inventions! Only one President received a patent, one received a trademark, and many strived to be inventors. This month celebrate these inventive Presidents as we celebrate Presidents Day on February 19th!

Thomas Jefferson: He invented devices such as a macaroni machine that he invented in 1787, a swivel chair, the circular sundial, the moldboard plow and the cipher wheel, which allowed people to code messages. Several of Jefferson’s inventions are still used today and they mainly deal with agricultural and mechanical products. Jefferson was also responsible for introducing French fries into the United States!

* Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd President of the United States.

Did You Know? Jefferson was one of two Presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Abe Lincoln: President Lincoln found himself with a problem that led to his invention at age 19! When using his boat on the Mississippi River and on the Great Lakes, Lincoln was stuck in shallow waters called, shoals. He decided to come up with a solution to his problem. He invented a way to help him navigate his boat through shallow waters. The invention was a set of bellows attached to the boat just below the water line. When reaching the shallow place the bellows were filled with air that moved the vessel higher making it float higher. A wooden model of his invention which he made himself is in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History. He was issued patent # 6,469 in 1849.

* Abe Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States.

Did You Know? Lincoln was the first president to wear a beard while in office.

George Washington: President Washington was also a successful inventor. In 1722 he received a trademark (™) for his brand of flour. He sought to protect the mark "G. Washington" for use on flour. He is the only President to receive a trademark.

* George Washington was the 1st President of the United States.

Did You Know? Washington was the first President to appear on a postage stamp.

Theodore Roosevelt: President Roosevelt is the person responsible for giving the teddy bear his name. In 1902, Roosevelt was helping settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. During his spare time he attended a bear hunt in Mississippi. During the hunt, Roosevelt came upon a wounded young bear and ordered the mercy killing of the animal. The Washington Post ran an editorial cartoon showing the event. The cartoon was called "Drawing the Line in Mississippi" and showed both state line dispute and the bear hunt. At first the bear was drawn as a fierce animal. However the bear was redrawn to make it a cuddly cub. The cartoon and the story it told became popular and within a year, the cartoon bear became a toy for children called the teddy bear.

*Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States.

Did You Know? Roosevelt was a judo brown belt, a very noteworthy achievement at the time.

Alexander Graham Bell: Don’t be confused! Alexander Graham Bell was not a U.S. President! However besides his invention of the telephone he also in 1881 invented the first metal detector. As President James Garfield lay dying of an assassin's bullet, Alexander Graham Bell hurriedly invented a simple metal detector in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the fatal bullet. Bell's metal detector was an electromagnetic device he called the induction balance.

* James Garfield was the 20th President of the United States.

Did You Know? Garfield was the first ambidextrous president. He could simultaneously write in Latin with one hand, and Ancient Greek with the other.

 
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