February 21, 2006
View Comments | Post CommentPresident's Day Tidbits
 Cigar box label for Lincoln Cigars |
What a wondrous and ridiculous holiday. We've a ten day break (besides class Thursday) here at Georgetown Law due to the one-two punch of President's Day and a faculty retreat. In any case, Patently-O featured a post about the only patent ever received by a U.S. President. Abraham Lincoln apparently received a patent for what appears to be expandable ballast tanks on ships. Their post also features scans of the patent app.
Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. President to have received a patent. His invention involved inflatable air chambers on a boat to help float the boat through low water or over sand bars.
Evidently, Abraham Lincoln was a very innovative man. At a mock trial competition two weeks ago, our judge told us a story (I can't confirm its veracity) about a particular trial practice of young Lincoln, when he was a trial lawyer. In those days, people regularly smoked inside buildings, and courtrooms were no exception. According to the story, Abraham Lincoln would insert a thin metal wire throughout the length of his cigars. Then during very important parts of his opposing counsel's case (opening and closing statements, cross examination of important witnesses, etc.), he would conspicuously take out a cigar and light it, and begin to smoke it. As he smoked the cigar, the hidden wire would prop up the ash on the end, so that it would not fall off. He would just keep smoking, and the ash would grow longer, and longer. The jury would apparently become so intrigued at the length of his ash, how it could possibly be hanging on, and when it would finally drop, that they would stop listening entirely to the other lawyer making his case.
Posted at February 21, 2006 4:23 AM | Comments (0)
