About U.S. Stamps
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American Inventors

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10-cent dark brown Alexander Graham Bell single

The seventh group of the Famous Americans Issue honors five American inventors — Eli Whitney, Samuel F. B. Morse, Cyrus Hall McCormick, Elias Howe, and Alexander Graham Bell. A stylized drawing of a cog wheel, uplifted wings, and a lightning bolt symbolize the group. Designers at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing used these to represent power, light, and electricity. More recently, some have claimed that the bolt represents the "I have an idea!" moment shared by all these inventors.

The Post Office Department issued the Inventors group between October 7 and October 28, 1940, completing the thirty-five stamps set nine months after it had issued the first stamp. Almost all of these stamps were issued in the birthplace of the honoree, which stirred emotions and pride and gave many small towns a reason to celebrate.

Steven J. Rod

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1-cent Eli Whitney single

Eli Whitney (1765-1825) is depicted on the 1-cent Famous American Inventors stamp issued October 7, 1940. Whitney is famous for inventing the cotton gin, a mechanical device for separating cotton seeds from the cotton fibers. The gin replaced time-consuming manual labor, leading to great increase in the efficiency of cotton production. Whitney also introduced the concept of interchangeable parts in rifles, initiating mass production of firearms.

Gordon T. Trotter

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2-cent Samuel F.B. Morse single

The 2-cent Famous American Inventors stamp issued October 7, 1940, features Samuel F. B. Morse (1791-1872). Morse is credited with the invention of the telegraph (1837) and of the Morse code shorthand system for encoding telegraph messages.

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3-cent Cyrus Hall McCormick single

Cyrus H. McCormick (1809-1884) is pictured on the 3-cent Famous American Inventors stamp issued October 14, 1940. McCormick invented the reaper, which ultimately transformed agricultural production in the Midwest and on the Great Plains. First used for the harvest of 1831, the machine catapulted McCormick into industrial production. His company, which developed and produced other farm machines, was the predecessor of International Harvester.

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5-cent ultramarine Elias Howe single

The 5-cent Famous American Inventors stamp issued October 14, 1940, honors Elias Howe (1819-1867). Howe invented the first practical sewing machine in 1845. Being naive in business matters, he was unable to market his device and was eventually swindled out of his patent. Isaac Singer developed and marketed a similar machine. Through legal action, Howe eventually shared in the profits from Singer's venture.

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10-cent dark brown Alexander Graham Bell single

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) appears on the 10-cent Famous American Inventors stamp issued October 28, 1940. Driven to improve communication for the deaf, Bell invented the microphone and, later, the telephone. It was debated whether he was the first to develop a telephone, and in 2001 the US Congress voted to declare Italian inventor Antonio Meucci the originator of the idea. Among Bell's other inventions were devices for teaching speech to the deaf.

About U.S. Stamps