On October 29, 1872, James A. Risdon received U.S. Patent 132,602 on an improved windmill entitled Wind-wheel:

Until the 1870’s windmills were made of wood, the only metal being bolts and other small parts. Risdon’s “Iron Turbine” was the first all metal windwill, and appeared on the market in 1876. A few years later,

Henry H. Beville, patented (U.S. Patent No. 226265) another all-metal design in 1880:

Beville was a traveling salesman for a farm implement company in Indiana. He licensed the “Iron Duke” for manufacture and sale, making a substantial profit on his invention.

On October 28, 2003, Mason McMullin, Robert Bell, and Mark See obtained U,S, Patent No. 6,637,447 on the BEERBRELLA:

This was not the first attempt to shade a beverage. U.S. Patent No. 5,058,757 is on a Beverage Insulator with Retractable Shader:

U.S. Patent No. 5,115,939 protects a Insulated Beverage Container that features an umbrella:

U.S. Patent No. 5,186,196 protects a Beverage Shader with a pivoting umbrella:

Oon October 27, 1936, Gustav Bucky and Albert Einstein (yes, THAT Albert Einstein) received U.S. Patent No. 2,058,562 on a Light Intensity Self Adjusting Camera:

This was not Albert’s first experience with patents. In addition to being a patent examiner in the Swiss Patent Office (imagine trying to convince him that some invention was not obvious), he earlier patented a refrigeration system (U.S. Patent No. 1,781,541, with Leo Szilard:

On October 25, 1966, U.S. Patent No. 3,280,710 issued to James O. Kuhn on a Corn Popper.

This corn popper was specially adapted for use with the Easy-Bake Oven that Kuhn also invented:

U.S. Patent No. 3,368,063 issued to Kuhn on February 6, 1968, on the Easy Bake Oven itself.

Kenner introduced the Easy Bake Oven on November 4, 1963. Originally available in yellow or turquoise, and powered by two 100 watt lightbulbs. The toy has morphed considerably over the years, with chaging designs and colors. The lightbulb heat source was eliminated in 2011, on fears that incadescent bulbs would become unavailable. The current version of the Easy Bake Oven, sold by Hasbro, resembles a microwave.

The Easy Bake Oven was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2006

On October 24, 1876, U.S. Patent No. 183725 issued to Seth E. Thomas (son and namesake of the founder of Seth Thomas & Sons clock making enterprise) on an Improvement in Clock-Cases.

The case was particularly adapted for the now familiar back-winding alarm clock. There were alarm clocks before this (and the patent indicates that “[t]he works need involve no novelty”). Levi Hutchins is credited with one of the first U.S. alarm clocks in 1787. The alarm on this clock had a preset time that could not be changed. U.S. Patent No. X7154 from 1832 on an Alarm Bell, For Time Pieces, Alarm Clock discloses a bell for an alarm clock. U.S. Patent No. 1956 from 1841 mentions the “common alarm clock.” U.S. Patent No. 9123 from 1852 is the first U.S. on an alarm clock per se.

On October 23, 1956, Harry W. Coover, Jr., was awarded U.S. Patent No. 2,768,109, on Alcohol-Catalyzed alpha-Cyanoacrylate Adhesive Compositions:

This patent was assigned to Eastman Kodak Company, which began selling Coover’s adhesive under the brand SUPER GLUE in 1958.

Coover received his B.S. from Hobart College and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. Coover, and received more than 460 patents.

Before modern sensibilities, Christopher Columbus’ achievement in sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 was celebrated, including in the U.S. Patent Collection. U.S. Patent No. 21448 was issued on a design for a Buckle (with the image of Christopher Columbus):

U.S. Patent No. D21573 issued on a Badge featuring the image of Christopher Columbus:

U.S. Patent No. D221,221 issued on a Spoon featuring Columbus’ ship:

U.S. Patent No. D21255 on the design of a Medal featuring the image of Christopher Columbus:

U.S. Patent No. 418455 issued on an Educational Globe that tracks that voyage of Columbus.

On October 9, 1855, Isaac M. Singer received U.S. Patent No. 13661 on a Sewing Machine:

Of course, Singers’ was not the first patent on a sewing machine. Elias Howe is generally regarded as the first inventor of the sewing machine, and he received U.S. Patent No. 4750 on September 10, 1846:

Howe also received U.S. Patent Nos. 16,436 on January 20, 1857, 17679 on June 30, 1857, and 21158 on August 24, 1858. However, rather than making and selling machines himself, Howe made his fortune by suing those who he felt had infringed on his patents.

On October 8, 1940, David C. Rockola received U.S. Patent No. D122,946 on a Cabinet for Remote Control Apparatus:

This was not the first patent by this prolific inventor, that was U.S. Patent No. USD81021 that issued more than ten years earlier in 1930, and it was far from the last, that was U.S. Patent No. US 3771691 that issued more than thirty years later in 1973.

David Rockola invented everything from gaming devices, to parking meters, to vehicles, to juke boxes — what his is probably best know for.

It turns out that ROCKOLA was not just a snappy name for juke boxes, but it a snappy name for a prolific inventor who did far more than juke boxes.