18/04/2022
# Now I Know!
April Calendar of Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights
April 1
1953—Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," a play in four acts based on the Salem witch trials of the 17th century and referencing the then-current plague of McCarthyism, was copyrighted.
April 2
1889—Charles Hall patented an inexpensive method for the production of aluminum, which brought the metal into wide commercial use.
April 3
1973—Francis W. Dorion was granted patent #3,724,070 for a dual razor blade assembly.
April 4
1978—Francisco Garcia was granted patent #4,081,909 for orthodontic pliers.
April 5
1881—Edwin Houston and Elihu Thomson were granted a patent for a centrifugal separator: the creamer.
April 6
1869—Isaac Hodgson received patent #88,711 for the roller skate.
April 7
1896—Tolbert Lanston was issued a patent for a monotype printing press.
April 8
1766—The first fire escape was patented—the contraption was a wicker basket on a pulley with a chain.
1997—Hooshang Bral received a patent for an automatically rinsing baby bottle.
April 9
1974—Phil Brooks received a patent for a disposable syringe, although intravenous injections and infusion began as early as 1670.
April 10
1849—Walter Hunt patented the first safety pin, based in part on the Roman brooch known as a fibula. Hunt also invented several other famous things, all of which he gave up on before seeing any profit.
April 11
1893—Frederic Ives patented the process for a half-tone printing press.
April 12
1988—Drs. Philip Leder and Timothy Stewart on behalf of Harvard University were issued the first patent, #4,736,866, for a new animal life form: a genetically altered mouse
April 13
1990—The "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie was copyrighted.
April 14
1964—Paul Winchell (a ventriloquist whose main dummy was Jerry Mahoney) was granted patent #3,129,001 for an inverted novelty mask.
April 15
1997—Bertram Burke received a patent for an automatic philanthropic contribution system called the MILLIONAIRE'S CLUB.
April 16
1867—Wilbur and his brother Orville Wright invented the airplane, which they called a flying machine.
1997—James Watkins received a patent for confetti "that flutters and darts."
April 17
1875—Snooker, a variation of pool, was invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain.
1908—The song "Hail Hail the Gang's All Here" was copyrighted.
April 18
1916—Irving Langmuir received a patent for an incandescent gas lamp. Some of his other accomplishments include atomic-hydrogen welding and contributions to the development of the radio vacuum tube.
April 19
1939—John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" was copyrighted.
April 20
1897 - Simon Lake was granted a patent for an even keel submarine.
April 21
1828—Noah Webster published the first American dictionary.
1857—Albert Douglas patented a ladies' bustle.
1931—Ester Kiefer received a patent for ornamental paper.
April 22
1864—The United States minted the first coin with "In God We Trust" on it.
1884—John Golding patented a process for metallic silk screening.
1955—Congress declared that all U.S. coins would be minted with "In God We Trust" on them.
April 23
1964—"My Fair Lady," the movie based on a musical version of George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion," was registered.
1985—The trade secret "New Coke" formula was released. Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton of Atlanta, Georgia. The famous trademark name was a suggestion given by Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson.
April 24
1907—"Anchors Aweigh," the march and two-step by Chas. A. Zimmerman, was copyrighted.
April 25
1961—Robert Noyce was granted a patent for a semiconductor device-and-lead structure, the integrated circuit otherwise known as the chip. Noyce was the co-founder of Intel Corporation.
