Today in History - 1849

Walter Hunt patents the safety pin. Hunt's other inventions include a forerunner of the Winchester repeating rifle, a flax spinner, knife sharpener, streetcar bell, hard-coal-burning stove, artificial stone, road sweeping machinery, velocipedes, ice ploughs and mail making machinery. In 1834, Walter Hunt built America's first sewing machine, which was also the first eye pointed needle sewing