March 31, 1796 - Joseph Bramah, of Piccadilly, UK, received a British patent for "Obtaining and Applying Motive Power" (certain new methods of producing and applying a more considerable degree of power in all kinds of mechanical apparatus and other machinery requiring motion and force, than by any means at present practised for the purpose)"; hydraulic (or hydrostatic) press.

November 16, 1796 - Isaac Garretson received a patent for a "Machine for Heading and Cutting Nails".

December 14, 1798 - David Wilkinson, of Rhode Island, received a patent for a "Machine for Cutting Screws".

1833 - David Brown and his son, Joseph, opened David Brown & Son, shop in Providence, RI, for making, repair of clocks and watches, for light mechanical work of precision; 1840s - partnership dissolved; 1848 - Lucien Sharpe joined business as an apprentice; 1850 - Joseph R. Brown started new lines, to raise standard of accuracy in machine shop operations; built automatic linear dividing engine; 1851 - created pocket vernier caliper (read to thousandths of an inch); applied vernier methods to the protractor; 1853 - Sharpe became full partner in newly created enterprise of J. R. Brown & Sharpe; 1855 - invented precision gear cutter to produce clock gears; 1861 - Brown invented modern universal milling machine for cutting spirals; November 29, 1864 - received patent for it (see below); 1868 - created micrometer caliper (world's first to be mass-produced); February 27, 1877 received patent a "Grinding Machine" (see below); 1880 - Oscar J. Beale, mechanical designer invented automatic screw machine; 1868 - Brown & Sharpe incorporated;  1980s - measuring instruments became chief source of business; principal metrology product was Validator, high-technology, computer-controlled coordinate-measurement robotic system; 1991 - omitted dividend for first time since 1933, announced it would discontinue making machine tools entirely (29 percent of its 1990 sales); January 2001 - announced sale of substantially all of worldwide metrology business to Hexagon, A.B. (Stockholm Sweden).

February 25, 1837 - Thomas Davenport, of Brandon, VT, received patent for an "Electric Motor" ("an application of magnetism and electro-magnetism to propelling machinery"); first practical electrical motor.

May 17, 1839 - Lorenzo Dow Adkins, of Perry Township, OH, received a patent for a "Spiral-Bucket Water-Wheel" ("for Propelling Mills and Other Machinery").

October 1840 - Cullen Whipple, of Providence, RI, one of ten incorporators of The New England Screw Co.; August 18, 1842 - received patent for a "Machine for Cutting the Threads of Wood-Screws"; April 6, 1843 - received a patent for a "Machine for Turning or Shaving the Heads of Blanks for Wood-Screws"; July 6, 1852 - received a patent for "Screw Threading Machinery"; August 10, 1852 - received a patent  for "Machinery for Threading Wood-Screws"; November 30, 1852 - received a patent for "Improvement in Machinery for Shaving the Heads of Screw-Blanks"; December 14, 1852 - received patent for a "Mechanism for Pointing and Threading Screw-Blanks in the Same Machine"; added more cutters to point screws in same machine; credited as inventor of first practical machine for pointing screws (early screws had no point, required a starter hole be drilled before use); assigned to the New England Screw Company; January 1, 1856 - received a patent an "Improvement in Screw Machinery"; assigned to the New England Screw Company; June 3, 1856 - received a patent for "Making Screws"; screw machine (screw-blank feeder mechanism).

August 31, 1842 - Micah Rugg, of Southington, CT, received a patent for a "Machine for Dressing Bolt Heads" (a new and useful "Improvement in the Mode and method of trimming the Heads of Bolts and in the Machinery Necessary for Affecting the Same"); 1840 - Rugg and Martin Barnes established first U.S. nuts and bolts factory in Marion, CT; six employees, capacity production was 500 bolts a day.

1858 - Franklin B. Norton, Frederick Hancock (cousin) opened pottery shop in Worcester, MA; supplied Worcester, surrounding towns with variety of jugs, preserve jars, storage, cooking pots, pitchers, spittoons, beer bottles water kegs; 1873 - employee Sven Pulson invented grinding wheel of superior quality which could cut metals, other hard materials better than traditional sandstone wheels; mixed clay with emery, water and kiln fired it; 1879 - Norton expanded business to include manufacture of Pulson's wheels (Pulson left company in 1880); Hancock sold his interests to his cousin, retired; April 10, 1883 - Sven Pulson and Marcus L. Snow, of Sterling, MA, received a patent for "Composition for Amery and Corundum Wheels and Other Tools" ("intended to be formed into articles of the desired form - as wheels, rolls, and other tools - and when dried and burned or baked to be ready for use"); 1885 - wheel business acquired by John Jeppson (Pulson's brother-in-law) and partners for $20,000 and use of Norton name, rights to Pulson's patent; incorporated Norton Emery Wheel Company; February 27, 1900 - Norton Grinding Company established; developed into largest manufacturer of abrasives in world; 1990 - acquired by Compagnie de Saint-Gobain of France.

November 29, 1864 - Joseph R. Brown, of Providence, RI, received patent for an "Improved Cutter for Cutting Gear-Wheels"; assigned to himself and Lucien Sharpe; February 21, 1865 -Joseph R. Brown, of Providence, RI, received a patent for "Screw-Threading Machine" ("Improved Milling Machine"); four-speed, 1,800-lb machine could quickly make any size twist drill, replace previously tedious handwork in spiral milling or gear-cutting operations; ; assigned to J. R. Brown & Sharpe;  November 28, 1865 - received a patent for an "Improvement in Screw-Cutting Machines", assigned to Joseph R. Browne & Sharpe.

1871 - Simon Ingersoll received patent for steam-powered rock drill; Ingersoll Rock Drill Company formed; 1872 - first Rand air compressor introduced; Rand & Waring Drill & Compressor Company formed; 1879 - name changed to Rand Drill Company; 1888 - Ingersoll Rock Drill Company merged with Seargeant Drill Company, formed Ingersoll-Seargeant Drill Company; 1894 - W.R. Grace named President of Ingersoll-Seargeant; 1904 - Panama Canal begun using Ingersoll-Seargeant drills; 1905 - Ingersoll-Seargeant Drill Company merged with Rand Drill Company, formed Ingersoll-Rand Company.

February 27, 1877 - Joseph R. Brown (deceased, of Providence, RI) received a patent for a "Grinding Machine" ("adapted to a great variety of work"); universal grinding machine to fabricate accurate cylindrical work.

1878 - James P. Tolman founded Samson Cordage Works in Massachusetts; May 27, 1884 - registered "Samson" trademark, design of man and lion (cords, lines, [twines], and ropes); 1888 - incorporated; developing unique concept of incorporating reinforcement cores in braided ropes, significantly improved product performance; 1957 - developed first synthetic double-braided rope; 1993 - Samson Ocean Systems, Herzog Rope, AMCO (American Manufacturing Co., founded 1889) merged, combined their talents, resources, technical expertise, formed The American Group, world-wide leader in performance cordage; 2001 - renamed Samson Rope Technologies.

1880 - Daniel P. Eells founded Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company in Bucyrus, OH; June 3, 1882 - first railroad style (non-rotating) excavating steam shovel shipped to Northern Pacific Railroad; 1883 - shipped first dipper dredge; 1896 - reorganized, renamed The Bucyrus Company; 1894 - had sold 171 shovels (24 used to dig Chicago Drainage Canal); 1910 - entered dragline market; 1925 - leading manufacturer of excavation equipment in U.S.; 1911 - merged with Atlantic Equipment Co. and Vulcan Steam Shovel Co. to form Bucyrus Company (no longer family corporation); 1927 - merged with Erie Steam Shovel Company, company renamed Bucyrus-Erie; 1996 - name changed to Bucyrus International, Inc.(75% of sales, service performed internationally).

November 1884 - Alonzo Pawling, former wood patternmaker in the Whitehill Sewing Machine Company, approached Henry Harnischfeger, tool department foreman at Whitehill Sewing Machine Company, about joining his company, Milwaukee Tool & Pattern Shop, as a partner; December 1, 1884 - partnership Pawling & Harnischfeger Machine and Pattern Shop began; 1887 - rebuilt, improved upon a failed overhead traveling crane for the E.P. Allis Company; other customers approached "P&H" for more such cranes offering increased performance and reliability; 1912 - designed, manufactured earth-moving equipment (back-fillers, wheel trenchers, shovels, backhoes, draglines).

January 30, 1894 - Charles B. King, of Detroit, MI, received a patent for a "Pneumatic Tool" ('new and useful tool in reciprocating motors and belongs in that class of motors designed to be used in caulking tools, cutting stones, etc."); pneumatic hammer.

April 9, 1895 - Black American inventor, Robert H. Gray, of Lexington, KY, received patent for a Cistern Cleaner".

June 28, 1898 - Henry Timken and Reginald Heinzelman, of St. Louis, MO, received a patent for a "Roller-Bearing for Vehicles"; 1899 - incorporated Timken Roller Bearing Axle Co. for commercialization of carriage axles mounting patented bearings.

December 28, 1900 - Cleveland Cap Screw Company founded to make screws, bolts, and studs; 1904 - Charles E. Thompson, welder in company, devised way to adapt cap-screw manufacturing methods to production of automobile-engine valve stems; 1905 - Alexander Winton (Winton Motor Carriage Company) acquired Cleveland Cap Screw Company, installed Thompson as general manager; 1908 - name changed to Electric Welding Company; 1909 - country’s dominant manufacturer of automobile valves; 1915 - Thompson took over the company from Winton, incorporated as Steel Products Company; 1921 - introduced advanced valve-making technology with the Silcrome valve, permitted long-distance aviation; 1926 - renamed Thompson Products Inc.; September 16, 1953 - Simon Ramo, Dean Wooldridge formed Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation; 1958 - merged with Thompson Products; named Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge Inc.; 1965 - shortened to TRW Inc.

1907 - Sven Wingquist, young Swedish engineer, founded of Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF); produced world's first self-aligning ball bearing; first year - 15 employees, loss of 5 371 SEK, only 2 200 bearings produced; 1910 - one factory, 325 employees (15% worked outside Sweden); 1926 - AB Volvo, a subsidiary of SKF, started production of experimental cars; 1930 - 12 factories, 21,000 employees (66% worked outside Sweden); 1935 - AB Volvo became independent of SKF; 1950 - 18 factories, 31, 000 employees (66% worked outside Sweden); 1970 - 68 factories, 67 000 employees (78% worked outside Sweden). One of the world's leading ball and roller bearing makers.

1908 - Stephen Foster Briggs (inventor), Harold M. Stratton (investor) began informal relationship, formed company to compete in auto parts industry; 1909 - introduced an igniter switch; Steve Briggs received patent for gas engine igniters; 1910 - incorporated; ignition switches mainstay of business; 1920 - introduced  stationary "Type P" engine, revolutionized 4-cycle gasoline engine industry, power source for many machinery applications; 1928 - acquired Evinrude Motors; 1946-1952 - produced 500,00 engines per year; 1953 - developed aluminum engine, revolutionized lawn and garden industry; 1954 - built 1.3 million engines; 1950s - produced average of over 2 million engines per year; world's largest producer of small, 4-cycle engines; 1978 - 25,000 worldwide service dealers; 2007 - world's largest producer of air-cooled gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment.

October 25, 1924 - Akira Yamada founded Osaka Kinzoku Kogyosho Limited Partnership (Daikin Industries) for production of aircraft radiator tubes, other products; February 11, 1934 - Osaka Kinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd. incorporated; 1951 - began production of packaged air conditioners; 1963 - renamed Daikin Kogyo Co., Ltd.; 1982 - renamed Daikin Industries, Ltd.; 1984 - first in world to produce cumulative total of 1 million packaged air conditioners.

March 1927 - William W. (Bill) Grainger founded wholesale electric motor sales and distribution business in Chicago to provide an efficient solution for customers to access a consistent supply of electric motors; 1928 - incorporated as W. W. Grainger, Inc.; December 1942 - 24 branches and 24 territory sales reps; December 1952 - 46 branches, 54 territory sales reps; December 1972 - 123 branches in 40 states, 218 territory sales reps; December 1984 - broke $1 billion in annual sales.

May 9, 1933 - John P. Thompson, of Portland, OR, received a patent for a "Screw Driver"; cruciform drive system (foundation for original Phillips® fastener drive system); assigned to Henry F. Phillips; Henry F. Phillips formed Phillips Screw Company (backed by Jantzen Knitting Mills), joined Thompson to devise method to mass produce patented cruciform screws.

1935 - Phillips acquired rights to Thompson patent, filed patent application that modified Thompson patent in order to make cruciform drive system more adaptable to mass production; improved cruciform recess fastener patent issues and quickly becomes known as the "Phillips® Screw".

July 7, 1936 - Henry F. Phillips (Portland, OR) received several patents: for a "Screw" ("tool-receiving recess which may be formed in the head of a screw by a simple punching operation...means for self-centering said driver with respect to the screw"); recessed, self-centering screw; for a "Means of Uniting a Screw with a Driver"; assigned to Phillips Screw Company; for a "Screw Driver " ("improvements in screws and more especially to a type of screw particularly adapted to be actuated by the type of screwdriver"; for a "Screw" ("provision of a recess in the head of a screw which is particularly adapted to firm engagement with a correspondingly shaped driver tool or screw driver, and in such a way that there will be no tendency of the driver to cam out of the recess when united in operative engagement with each other"); for a "Screw Driver"; Phillips-head screw and screwdriver; founded the Phillips Screw Company (Wilmington, DE) to license patent(s); January 5, 1937 - received a patent for a "Screw" ("improvements in tool receiving recesses formed in the heads of screws"); 1939 - American Screw Company spent approximately $500,000 to produce the Phillips screw, obtained patents on the manufacturing methods, sole licenser of the process; 1940 - virtually every American automaker had switched to Phillips screws.

May 28, 1945 - Frederick M. Jones, of Minneapolis, MN, received a patent for a "Two-Cycle Gas Engine"; assigned to Thermo Control Corporation.

1953 - Dr. Vernon Krieble, Trinity College chemistry professor, and son (chemist in General Electric Company's chemical business) founded The American Sealants Company in a basement in Hartford, CT; July 26, 1956 - official public debut of adhesives company's one product, unique liquid bonding resin that hardened in absence of air; year's sales of $7,000; August 25, 1959 - received a patent for "Packaged Metal Fasteners and Bonding Agent" ("novel packaging arrangement for providing metal fasteners with a relatively quick setting resin coating"); liquid product became known as "Loctite"; 1963 - name changed to Loctite Corporation; 1965 - sales reached $2.8 million, net income of $260,000; 1980 - went public, merged with International Sealants Corporation; January 1997 - acquired by Dusseldorf-based Henkel KGaA for more than $1 billion.