1793The cotton gin changed cotton processing forever.

Wacky WorldInventions

Eli Whitney’s 1793 machine separated seeds from fibre far faster than by hand.

Another wacky fact → All facts

Explore more Inventions facts

<span class="aj-year">1938</span>The ballpoint pen was patented by a journalist.<span class="aj-year">1896</span>The first escalator was a fairground ride.<span class="aj-year">1974</span>The first commercial barcode scan was a pack of chewing gum.