On April 2, 1889, Charles M. Hall received U.S. Patent No. 400664 on a Process of Reducing Alumina from its Fluoride Salts by Electrolysis:

before Hall’s invention, aluminum was very expensive to produce — so much so that its price was near that of precious metals such as silver and gold. When the Washington Monument was completed at the capping ceremony of December 6, 1884, a pyramid of solid aluminum 22.6 cm high, 3.9 cm at its base, weighing 2.85 kg, and costing $225 was installed at the top, forming part of the monument’s lighting protection system.

Today’s patent of the day did not issue on April 1, but it is appropriate nonetheless. On February 16, 1932, Sam Adams (no, not that Sam Adams), actually Soren S. Adams, received U.S. Patent No, 1,845,735 on a Joke Buzzer:

Sam was born Søren Adam Sørensen in Denmark in 1879. His family emigrated to the US when he was two years old, settling in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. When he was 25, he was working as a salesman for a dye company when he noticed that one of the products he sold caused workers to sneeze. He isolated the sternutation-inducing ingredient, and called this new powder Cachoo, launching the Cachoo Sneezing Powder Company in Plainfield, New Jersey.

Within a few years, Sam began innovating new products, and changed the name of the company to S.S. Adams Co. to reflect that it was no longer a one-product company. The exploding cigarette box, the snake nut can, itching powder, the stink bomb, and the dribble glass all entered the Adams Company product line.

In 1928, Sam created the prototype of what was to become the joy buzzer, and had a tool and die maker in Germany make tooling to make the novelty buzzer. The joy buzzer as a success, allowing him to expand his operation in Neptune, New Jersey.

of the item allowed him to greatly increase his staff and purchase the former Symphonion music box factory building (constructed in 1893, demolished 2017) in Neptune, New Jersey, all during the Great Depression. Sam and S.S. Adams Company went on to create many more successful novelties including the bar bug in an ice cube, the money maker, the squirting nickel, the jumping coin, the laughing tissue as well as a line of magic tricks and puzzles. Sam claimed to have devised over 600 different items, and patented about 40 of them. He continued to lead S.S. Adams Company until his death in Asbury Park, New Jersey in 1963 at age 84.

An interesting side note to his novel career, in 1930, the JEM Rubber Co. approached him with the whoopee cushion, but rejected the idea because it “seemed too indelicate” and would never sell. JEM Rubber eventually found Johnson Smith & Company, and the whoopee cushion because a tremendous success. Sam later released his own version calling it the “Razzberry Cushion.”

On March 30, 1858, U.S. Patent No. 19,783, issued on a Pencil & Eraser:

Hymen L. Lipman was born March 20, 1817, and immigrated to the U.S. with his parents in 1829, arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was in the stationery business when he invented a pencil with an attached eraser. In 1862 he sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000, who then sued Faber for infringement. In 1875, the Supreme Court found the patent invalid because the invention was merely a combination of two preexisting components without any change in their function or operation.

On March 26, 1895, Henry Latimer Simmons received U.S. Patent No.536,360 ona Railroad Train that would allow on train to pass another on the same track:

Although the idea seems pretty far-fetched, several years later the Leap Frog Railway at Coney Island provided the concept:

On March 25, 1902, Irving W. Colburn received U.S. Patent No. 696,008 on a Glass Working Machine:

Irving Wightman Colburn was born May 16, 1861, and died September 4, 1917. His first patent (U.S. Patent No. 620,642) for a “Glass Working Machine” that could make bottles issued March 7, 1899. His later ‘008 patent was for a process for the production of continuous flat glass disks which made the mass production for window panes possible. He formed the Colburn Machine Glass Co. in August 1906 but by 1911 he was bankrupt. Toledo Glass Company bought his patents in 1912, and Colburn worked with Toledo Glass to perfect the technology. Toledo Glass eventually became the Libbey-Owens Sheet Glass Company.

On March 23, 1982, U.S. Patent No. 4,320,756 on a Fresh-Air Breathing Device and Method:

This principle was featured in the 2015 Kingsman: The Secret Service where the agents in training breathed through a toilet when the room they were in flooded.

On March 22, 1960, U.S. Patent No. 2,929,459 issued to Gordon Spitzmesser on a Combustible Gas Powered Pogo Stick:

This was apparently not the first patent on a powered pogo stick, Richard J. Mays received U.S. Patent No. 2,510,509 on a Mechanical Jumping Stick issued June 6, 1950:

Nor was it the last, for example David Samiran obtained U.S. Patent No. 3,495,671, issued February 17, 1970, on a Power Assisted Pogo Stick:

Herbert Manfred “Zeppo” Marx the youngest of, and last survivor of, the five Marx Brothers, was comedic actor, appearing in the first five Marx Brothers movies. He was also an inventor. On March 18, 1952, Zeppo received U.S. Patent No. 2,590,026 on a Vapor Delivery Pad for Distributing Moist Heat:

This was not his only invention — we previously blogged about his heart-monitoring watch.

On March 11, 1791, Samuel Mullikin of Philadelphia, became the United States’ first multipatent inventor. In fact, Samuel obtained four patents on March 11, 1791: a MACHINE FOR RAISING A NAP ON CLOTHS; a MACHINE FOR THRASHING GRAIN AND CORN; a BREAKING AND SWINGLING OF HEMP, ETC; and MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND POLISHING STONE AND MARBLE. Samuel received a fifth patent on January 15, 1795, on HEMP AND FLAX BREAKING; and a sixth patent on February 20, 1797, on SCOURING OR SKINNING RICE. Unfortunately, records of these patents were destroyed in the Patent Office fire on December 15, 1836.

While Samuels was the first multipatent inventor, there are hundreds of inventors who reached the same achievement between 1790 and 1828, and many, many more subsequently. Shunpei Yamazaki of Japan is current the most prolific inventor, listed as the inventor in 6517 patents.

On March 10, 1891, U.S. Patent No. 447,918 issued to Almon B. Strowger on an Automatic Telephone Exchange:

Almon help form the Strowger Automatic Telephone Exchange Company, and installed and opened the first commercial exchange in his hometown of La Porte, Indiana. Strowger sold his patents to his associates in 1896 for $1,800 and sold his share in the Automatic Electric Company for $10,000 in 1898. He died a wealthy man on May 26, 1902, in St. Petersburg, Florida. His patents were subsequently resold to Bell Systems for $2.5 million in 1916.