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The Patent for the Fire Hydrant Was Lost in a Fire
The original patent for the fire hydrant is widely believed to have been destroyed when the U.S. Patent Office burned down in 1836. The irony has made it one of history's most famous lost inventions.
Why It’s Fascinating
Beyond the obvious irony, it highlights how fragile records of innovation used to be. Over 10,000 patents were lost in that fire, erasing credit for countless inventors whose work shaped the modern world.
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