Science Source Stock Photo - Thomas Davenport, American Inventor

Thomas Davenport, American Inventor

Description: Thomas Davenport (July 9, 1802- July 6, 1851) was a Vermont blacksmith. In 1834 he bought an electromagnet from the Crown Point factory and took it apart to see how it worked. Then he forged a better iron core and redid the wiring, using silk from his wife's wedding gown, and constructed the first American DC electric motor. He used it to operate a small model car on a short section of track, paving the way for the later electrification of streetcars. He received the first American patent on an electric machine in 1837, U. S. Patent No. 132. He died in 1851 at the age of 48.

Credit:

New York Public Library/Science Source

Unique identifier: SS2437400

Legacy Identifier: BR9631

Type: Image

Size: 3414px × 3023px (~29 MB)

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