City of Worcester: 300 Years 27
Inventions
Candlepin Bowling: Justin White opened the first candlepin bowling alley
in 1880 in Worcester. COVID-19 would shut candlepin down for good
in 2020.
Valentines: Esther Howland took valentines from a home-based assembly
operation to a $100k per year gross.
Smiley Face: Creator Harvey Ball drew this now-universal pop culture icon
in 1963 for State Mutual Life Assurance Co.
Grinding Wheel: Sven Pulson and John Jeppson of Norton Grinding Co.
built a grinding wheel that could hold up to use on hard steel compo-
nents.
s Monkey Wrench: invented by Loring Coes, a
wrench adjustable by a single hand.
s The Pill: Drs.
Irving Pincus
and Min
Chueh Chang
invented the oral
contraceptive
now used by
millions.
Lockstitch Sewing Machine: Elias
Howe created the first lockstitch
sewing machine claimed to sew
250 stitches per minute.
source: Worcester Historical Museum
source: Worcester Historical Museum
source: Worcester
Historical Museum
Power Loom: Edmund Cartwright (Britain, 1785)
and Erastus Bigelow (U.S. 1839) automated the
carpet loom that saved labor costs.
