Cotton gin (Eli Whitney)

The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, is a machine that quickly separates cotton fibers from their seeds. Before its invention, this process was manual and time-consuming, limiting cotton production. Whitney’s device used a series of rollers and wires to pull the cotton through, freeing the fibers while keeping the seeds behind. This innovation significantly increased the efficiency of cotton processing, boosting the cotton industry in the United States, but also inadvertently contributed to the expansion of slavery due to higher cotton demand. The cotton gin is a pivotal development in agricultural technology and industrial history.