Innovation nation: From the airplane to the lightbulb — big, bright ideas have always thrived in the Land of the Free

Source: New York Post

On July 31, 1790, President George Washington affixed his elegant signature to a single piece of parchment. The short document credited Samuel Hopkins of Philadelphia with having “discovered an Improvement, not known or used before,” in the production of potash, a chemical useful in making fertilizer and other products. The statement granted Mr.