Tuesday 8th August 1911

The one millionth serially-numbered US patent—No. 1,000,000—was issued to Francis Holton of Akron, Ohio, US for a “Vehicle-Tire.” His idea was to eliminate tire punctures, yet “to provide substantially the same …resiliency that is obtained by the pneumatic tube” by designing an outer rim of which consisted of a series of overlapping V-shaped flexible strips. Although it was No. 1,000,000, it was not the one millionth U.S. patent ever. Patents were originally issued without a number. From the first, dated 31 Jul 1790 to Samuel Hopkins, about 10,000 records accumulated over a period of 46 years, but were lost in the U.S. Patent Office fire of 15 Dec 1836. Only 2,845 of them were restored from private files. U.S. numbered patent, No. 1 (13 Jul 1836), also concerned a wheel, but for a train, to John Ruggles.