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In 1868, Margaret Knight invented a machine that created flat-bottom paper bags while working at Columbia Paper Bag Company. Her revolutionary design would change shopping forever - but not without a fight.
When Charles Annan saw her machine, he tried to patent it himself. Knight took him to court, presenting a working prototype she had built. In 1871, she won the landmark case and secured Patent #116,842, becoming one of America\'s first women patent holders.
Before Knight\'s invention, paper bags were narrow and weak, like envelopes. Her flat-bottom design allowed bags to stand upright and carry more weight. This simple but brilliant innovation - one we still use today - transformed how stores package goods.
Knight went on to file 27 more patents in her lifetime, with inventions ranging from shoe-cutting machines to rotary engines. Her paper bag machine laid the foundation for the modern shopping bag, and her original patent model is preserved at the Smithsonian.
Sources: U.S. Patent Office, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Lemelson-MIT Program
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