Lincoln is the only president of the United States to hold a patent

Taking place 1st in the major accomplishments of Abraham Lincoln is the only president of the United States to hold a patent they had a lifelong fascination with mechanics, a trait he acquired from his father, who was also a mechanic.

President Abraham Lincoln began working on his invention while in Congress in 1848, and he even gave talks on innovations and discoveries before becoming President. He devised a system for elevating boats over shoals, and his innovation was granted Patent No. 6469 in 1849. He is the first US President who possesses a patent for his own idea! The gadget, however, was never deployed, and the patent model is now housed at the Smithsonian Institution.

The boat in which Lincoln was traveling became trapped on impediments on two occasions. This spurred Lincoln to consider how to elevate ships over river shoals and impediments. He devised a device that could be inflated as needed to assist a stranded ship in overcoming obstructions. When activated, Lincoln's invention would fill the air chambers at the bottom of the ship, elevating it above the water's surface. On May 22, 1849, Abraham Lincoln was granted Patent 6469.