If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the ...

Shoe manufacturing was revolutionized by the lasting machine, which was patented on March 20, 1883 by inventor Jan Earnst Matzeliger. Matzeliger was born in 1852 in Paramaribo, Suriname, to a Dutch ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...