Eli+Whitney+09

=Eli Whitney=

Occupation
Eli Whitney was an American inventor, an industrialist, an engineer, and a manufacturer.

Birth
Eli Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts on December 8, 1765.



Death
He died on January 8, 1825 in New Haven, Connecticut.He was 60 years old and he died of old age.

What is Eli Whitney known for
Eli Whiteny is most well known as the inventor of the cotton gin but he was also involved with the mass production of interchangable parts and the inventing of the milling machine.

The Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was used for removing the cotton fibers from the cotton seed. He first got the idea of making a cotton gin when he went to Savahnna, Georgia and saw that there was a major problem with cotton. The problem was that the cotton fibers were being removed too slowly and it couldn't supply the people with enough cotton fast enough. Before Whitney's design, the seperation of the cotton fibers was did by hand and it was hard work removing the fibers. The cotton gin made the work easier and faster. The cotton gin consists of 2 wooden cylinders in a small box. Rows of wire teeth were connected to the first cylinder. There was also a slotted guard above the cylinder. When the cylinder was turned, the teeth dragged the fibers through the slotted guard. The seeds stayed in the container because they couldn't fit through the slots. There was a brush connected to the second cylinder. When this cylinder turned, the brush would sweep the fibers into a container where the fibers would be collected and stored.

The Mass Production of Interchangable Parts
In 1797, France threatened the U.S. government and the U.S. government asked for 40,000 muskets from many different private contractors. The muskets that were made before Eli Whitney's idea were unique. When a part broke, you had to make a replacement that had to be custom made. Eli Whitney's idea was to make seperate parts of muskets that were congruent and when you attached the parts together, there would be a musket. So if one part broke off, they wouldn't need a custom-made replacement but instead you would need to find a the another part that was the same and attatch it onto the musket. His plan was to build 10,000 muskets in two years. But instead of taking 2 years to finish the muskets, it took Eli Whitney 10 years. That is how the idea of mass producting interchangable parts started.

Interesting Facts
-he had 3 siblings -his dad served as a justice of the peace, an administrater of criminals -his mother died when he was 11 -his factory was burned down twice -he graduated from Yale -he finished his first cotton gin prototype in ten days -his first cotton gin prototype was stolen -he married Henrietta Edwards -he had four children