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Inventions That Came Out in 1848

The year 1848 is often remembered as a time of revolution in Europe. During that year in the United States, meanwhile, construction began on the Washington Monument in the nation's capital. It was also a year that saw the invention of several things that have come to feature prominently in American life.

Volition Repeating Rifle
- In 1848, Walter Hunt developed his lever-action Volition Repeating Rifle. Though not a success, features of Hunt's design formed part of the Lewis Jennings Rifle, which in turn contributed to the Henry breach-loading rifle of 1860. Prized by both sides in the American Civil War, this rifle was a starting point for the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. when it went into production with the first of its now-famous rifles in 1866.
State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum
- John Bacon Curtis became the world's first producer of commercially manufactured chewing gum after his experiments with gum from the spruce tree in 1848. Within a year, he was traveling around New England and selling the paper-wrapped sticks of his product, which he called State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum. Curtis broadened his range by the introduction of sweetened paraffin-based gum in 1850, a product that ultimately proved more popular than the spruce-based original.
Gutta Percha Golf Ball
- Although the origins of golf lie in Scotland as far back as the 16th century, a major development came in 1848 when the Rev. Adam Paterson developed the Gutta Percha ball. Also known as the guttie, Paterson's invention was a ball made from the rubbery sap of the tropical gutta tree. Subsequent development of the guttie, already cheaper to produce than the earlier feather-packed golf balls, saw the addition of a rough surface that allowed the ball to travel greater distances.
Device to Buoy Vessels over Shoals
- Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. president to receive a patent.
  
  In 1848, the boat on which Illinois Congressman Abraham Lincoln was traveling became stuck on shoals in the Detroit River. After he returned to Illinois, he devised a system of inflatable bellows attached to a boat's hull that would enable a grounded vessel to be lifted clear of obstruction and set afloat again. Though the invention never went into production, Lincoln did receive a patent for it in 1849, the only one ever owned by a U.S. president as of 2011.

Artifacts