# 889 - 1¢ Eli Whitney: plate block - Inventor

Eli Whitney was a successful inventor and vanguard American industrialist. In 1793 he revolutionized the cotton industry with the invention of the cotton gin, a machine that removes the green seeds from short staple cotton. He also pioneered the use of interchangeable parts in firearms production, an advancement that precipitated the development of the assembly line. Scott 889 Eli Whitney