Who Invented the Sewing Machines? The History of Sewing Machines - Biography of Elias Howe

Who Invented the Sewing Machines? The History of Sewing Machines. Elias Howe was the inventor of the first sewing machine from the United States that was born on July 9, 1819. The machine he created in 1844 was inspired by his wife's activities when sewing, until carried away the dream and eventually he managed to make it happen despite having to experience several trials, as well as the struggle in defend its patent. 

When little Howe spent much of his time to help his father farm. Although physically weak and often sick, his interest in learning is very strong, especially on machines. Thus, he was not interested to develop intellectuals in school.

At the age of 16, Howe, who did not finish school, was accepted to work at a local textile factory as an apprentice mechanic. This opportunity, he uses to develop interest and talent is. To expand his expertise in the machine, he also tried his luck to work at a Massachusetts cotton plant in Lowell. 

Shortly working in a textile factory, he moved again to a wristwatch factory in Boston and a factory of scientific instruments in Cambridge. While in Cambridge, Howe heard the term sewing machine from her employer Ari Davis, the owner of an instrument of rigor in Boston.

Howe married in 1840. Because often ill, then his wife had to sew clothes to pay for the necessities of life. As he watched his wife sewing, Howe thought of a device that could mimic the movement of hands and arms when sewing. The tool must apply a process that uses threads from two different sources. So serious thinking, his creation was carried away a dream. In his dream, his stomach was pierced by a cannibal with a spear. The shape of the spearhead is what inspired him to create the needle he had been looking for for a long time.

Howe then tried to channel his idea to make a sewing machine. For five years he worked hard to realize his dream. But this effort failed. The first sewing machine did not fit properly. Because, he made imitate the human hand motion is sewing, the pinhole is located at the base of the needle. Unfortunately, when starting to make the tool, his workshop burned and burned a job worth 300 US dollars. But the disaster did not frustrate him.

In 1844, Howe made a second sewing machine. This time he managed to create a pinhole located at the end of a needle like a sewing machine that exists today. Most of the literature says, Howe sewing machine is able to sew 250 sets (inch) per minute. Howe also then tested his sewing machine by competing with a girl who sews by hand. 

Sell ​​patent rights

Although Howe's sewing machines work faster and neater. At that time, however, no American wanted to buy his sewing machine. That's because the sewing machine still looks very complicated and the impact will cause a lot of unemployment. After successfully patenting his findings in 1846, he promoted his creation in the English state. Later, he sold his patent to a Briton, William Thomas in 1847 for 250 pounds.

Under pressure and anxiety, he was forced to accept an unfair labor contract. He worked on William Thomas with a low salary of 5 pounds a week. Howe was told to repair the sewing machine to be able to sew corsets, skins, and the like. However, William Thomas is cheating. Until Howe got sick and eventually he saved up to return to the United States. Shortly after returning to Boston, his faithful wife died. 

Suffering is growing when many entrepreneurs steal the idea of ​​their sewing machines and sell them freely. So is the businessman Isaac M. Singer. Until finally he fought hard on his patents. Howe sued Singer and won his patent in 1854.

Elias Howe Sewing Machine

Sewing machine elias howe year 1845

For five years (1849-1854) he went to court to seize his patent. His efforts were successful. When his patent expired in 1867, he got royalties from each sewing machine sold in the United States. And he became a millionaire who made a sewing machine factory called Howe Machine Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Singer was forced to refund 15 thousand US dollars in royalties. Since 1856, Howe assigned 5 US dollars royalties to every one sewing machine made in the US and a dollar for outside the US made him a millionaire.

Before closing age, when in America broke out civil war, Howe had become a soldier and formed infantry troops. All of the troop's equipment and clothes were sewn with the machine of his findings. Elias Howe died in Brooklyn New York, on 3 October 1867 at the age of 48.

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