Wednesday 5th February 1840
Born on this day, John Boyd Dunlop, inventor who founded the rubber company that bears his name, Dunlop Tyres. Dunlop patented his tyre on 7 December 1888. Unknown to Dunlop, however, was that another Scot, Robert William Thomson, had already patented the tire in 1847. Two years after he was granted the patent Dunlop was officially informed that it was invalid as Scottish inventor Robert William Thomson (1822–1873), had patented the idea in France in 1846 and in the US in 1847. Dunlop’s patent was later declared invalid on the basis of Thomson’s prior patent.