July 31 Birthday
On July 31, 1790, the first US patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont, for a method of making potash — a fertilizer used in soap and glass manufacturing. The patent was signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Potash was a vital export for the young nation. The patent system was established by the Constitution, which gave Congress the power "to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." Over 11 million patents have been issued since. J.K. Rowling, born this day in 1965, was a single mother on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book in an Edinburgh café. The manuscript was rejected by twelve publishers before Bloomsbury accepted it for a £1,500 advance. The publisher told Rowling to get a day job because there was no money in children's books. The seven-book series has sold over 500 million copies and been translated into eighty languages. Rowling became the first billionaire author, a status she later lost by giving so much to charity. People born on July 31 fall under the zodiac sign of Leo. The birthstone is Ruby and the birth flower is Larkspur. Historical events on July 31 include 1790: First US patent issued to Samuel Hopkins for potash processing, 1971: Apollo 15 astronauts drive first lunar rover on the Moon, 1964: Ranger 7 spacecraft sends back first close-up photos of lunar surface. Famous people born on July 31 include Milton Friedman (1912), Wesley Snipes (1962), J.K. Rowling (1965).