Cyrus Hall McCormick invented a machine to help farmers harvest
their crops faster. His machine was called the mechanical reaper. Before
his invention farmers had to harvest grain by hand, using a long handled
tool called a scythe.
He was born in Virginia in 1809. His father was also an inventor, and
he got lots of ideas from him. He patented his reaper in 1834. In 1847,
he even set up a factory and became a great success. He started a company
that is still in business today. It is called International Harvester
Company.
Cyrus even sold his invention door-to-door. He wrote guarantees for his
ready-to-assemble machine. Check out our picture of his famous reaper.
Research other great inventors at http://inventors.about.com
 Cyrus McCormick's Reaper (World Book Encyclopedia) |
