Thomas Blanchard (1788–1864) was a prolific American inventor, awarded over twenty-five patents for his creations. His first machine, made and patented in 1806, was a mechanical tack-maker, which could fabricate five hundred tacks per minute, each much better than tacks made by hand. Selling the rights to his machine for $5,000, Blanchard turned his attention to gun-barrels, and invented a machine that streamlined the process. Hired by the Springfield armory during its construction, Blanchard finished the machine in 1820. Turning his attention to transportation, Blanchard invented a "steam wagon" before the invention of railroads, and created a powerful upriver steamboat that was used on the Connecticut River and the West, patented in 1831. In 1851, he designed and created a machine that could bend dense and strong wood. In addition to these major accomplishments, Blanchard also designed multiple envelope cutting and folding machines before his death in 1864.

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American inventors | 1788 births | 1864 deaths