Lincoln’s SECRET INVENTION?! 🤯 The Only President With a Patent!
Have YOU heard that on this day in 1855, Abraham Lincoln was issued a patent for a device to lift boats over shoals, making him the ONLY U.S. president to ever hold a patent? STAY TUNED!”
On this day in 1855, Abraham Lincoln received Patent No. 6,469 for a device to lift boats over shoals—making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent! Lincoln, who had worked on riverboats in his youth, created an invention featuring adjustable buoyant air chambers that could be inflated when a boat needed to navigate shallow water. Though his device was never manufactured, Lincoln was extremely proud of this achievement. He once said that the patent system “added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius.” Who knew that before becoming the Great Emancipator, Honest Abe was also quite the inventor? His original patent model is now displayed at the Smithsonian Institution—proof that presidents can be innovators too!
[SOURCE: Abraham Lincoln Online – “Lincoln’s Patent”]
On March 27, 1977, aviation history changed forever when two Boeing 747 jumbo jets collided on the runway at Tenerife Airport in the Canary Islands, resulting in 583 fatalities—the deadliest accident in aviation history. Heavy fog, radio miscommunication, and airport congestion due to a bomb threat at another airport led to this tragic accident. The silver lining? This disaster revolutionized airline safety protocols worldwide. It introduced standardized aviation English, crew resource management training, and stricter takeoff authorization procedures. These changes have saved countless lives and made air travel significantly safer for everyone. Sometimes the most important lessons come from our most painful moments.
[SOURCE: OnThisDay.com – “March 27, 1977 – Tenerife Airport Disaster”]
Did you know that on March 27, 1964, Alaska was struck by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America? The Good Friday Earthquake measured a massive 9.2 on the Richter scale and lasted for an incredible four minutes and thirty-eight seconds! The quake was so powerful it caused the ground to ripple visibly, trees to snap like twigs, and parts of Alaska to rise 38 feet while others sank 8 feet! It even caused boats to sink in Louisiana—3,800 miles away—from the resulting tsunami waves. Remarkably, due to the area’s sparse population at the time, only 131 people perished. The disaster led to the creation of the U.S. tsunami warning system that continues to protect coastal communities today.
[SOURCE: TodayIFoundOut.com – “The 1964 Alaska Good Friday Earthquake”]
And that’s all for today’s edition of Have YOU heard? PLEASE leave a comment if you learned something unbelievable! I’m Troy W. Hudson, the voice over with personality! Until next time, STAY CURIOUS!
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Troy W. Hudson
💚🎤 #haveyouheard