By
Mary
Bellis
Andrew
Beard was born a slave on a plantation in Woodland, Alabama, shortly before
slavery ended. Andrew Beard was a farmer, carpenter, blacksmith, a railroad
worker, a businessman and finally an inventor.
In 1881, he patented his first invention,
a plow, and sold the patent rights for $4,000 in 1884. In 1887, Andrew
Beard patented a second plaw and sold it for $5,200. Beard invested the
money he made from his plow inventions into a profitable real-estate business.
In 1892, he patented a rotary engine.
In 1897, Andrew Beard patented an improvement to railroad car couplers
commonly called the Jenny Coupler (not to be mistaken for the Janney
coupler). It did the dangerous job of hooking railroad cars together,
Beard, himself had lost a leg in a car coupling accident. As an ex-railroad
worker, Andrew Beard had the right idea that probably saved countless lives
and limbs. Andrew Beard received $50,000 for the patent rights to his Jenny
coupler. View the complete patent drawings for
Beard's inventions.
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with >>> Andrew Beard - Patent Drawings
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