Engineer Eli Whitney died 35 years before the Civil War, but his most famous invention, the cotton gin, set the economic stage for war. Whitney's gin made cotton production far more efficient ...

click image for close-up In October of 1793, Eli Whitney sent a drawing of his new invention, the cotton gin, to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson in application for a patent. Jefferson replied ...

Today marks Eli Whitney’s 251st birthday. Although he’s known for a famous invention that completely transformed the economy of the south, Whitney’s roots are in Massachusetts. He was born ...