Guest column: Stranded ship near Windsor inspired Lincoln invention

In 1848, Abraham Lincoln traveled on the steamship Globe from Buffalo to Chicago, where he observed a stranded Canadian steamer being lifted off Fighting Island, inspiring him to create an invention to lift boats in shallow waters. Despite not being commercially produced, Lincoln received a patent for his idea, making him the only U.S. president to hold a patent. This unique aspect of Lincoln’s presidency is commemorated by the steamboat model he carved, which is now housed in the Smithsonian Institution.

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