Margaret Knight Inventor

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Being an inventor is no easy task. It takes time, patience, skill, and dedication. Margaret Knight was an inventor in the 1900s. Margaret Knight proved that women can be machinists as well as inventors. Margaret was born in 1838 and grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire working in the cotton mill. Margaret’s inventions came from her daily jobs and experiences. Margaret’s first invention was the result of an employee injury, another invention resulted from her work at the Columbia Paper Bag Company, and other inventions included tires and automobiles. As a child, Margaret always created things for her brothers. She made them sleds, kites, and other play things. When Margaret was twelve years old, she and her brothers worked in the cotton mill. Margaret witnessed an injury when a steel tipped shuttle fell from a loom. After witnessing the injury, Margaret was determined to create something that would prevent the shuttle from flying loose. Margaret’s first invention at the age of twelve prevented the shuttle from falling from the loom and was adopted by all the cotton mills. …show more content…

She operated the machines that made flat, envelope shaped bags. Many people had tried to simplify this process and invent machines that would automatically fold and paste the bags so they would be free standings bags. Margaret studied the machines and made multiple drawings and models of her new invention. She completed a wooden model and made several bags as a trial. Once she was satisfied, she hired a machinist to make an iron model so she could apply for a patent. Prior to applying for her patent, Margaret was informed that Charles Annan had stolen her design and received a patent himself. Margaret hired an attorney and fought for her rights to her patent and won the

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