#dry cleaning

[arinzeture]

In 1821, Thomas L. Jennings made history as the first African American to receive a U.S. patent — not only for what he invented, but for the fact that he could patent it at all.

Born free in 1791 in New York City, Jennings was a skilled tailor who developed “dry scouring,” an early form of dry cleaning that used chemical solvents instead of water. His process revolutionized garment care and earned him Patent No. X3306 on March 3, 1821.

At a time when slavery was still legal and enslaved people were denied patents, Jennings’ freedom gave him a rare legal right to his own invention. But instead of keeping his success for himself, he used the money from his patent and tailoring business to fund abolitionist causes and help buy the freedom of enslaved people.

Jennings became a leading voice in New York’s Black community—helping to found the Abyssinian Baptist Church and the New York African Society for Mutual Relief, both central to the movement for racial justice.

His legacy lived on through his daughter, Elizabeth Jennings Graham, who in 1854 refused to give up her seat on a New York City streetcar—a century before Rosa Parks. She successfully sued the streetcar company, leading to the desegregation of public transportation in New York.

Thomas L. Jennings was an inventor, businessman, and freedom fighter. His work not only cleaned clothes—it helped clean the stain of injustice from America’s conscience.

Sources:

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (2021). Thomas L. Jennings: Dry Scouring and the First African American Patent Holder.

National Park Service. (2023). Thomas L. Jennings and Elizabeth Jennings Graham.

BlackPast. (2024). Thomas L. Jennings (1791–1856).

[unbfacts]

Dry cleaning isn’t actually dry. Your clothes go into a machine with a liquid solvent (not water) that dissolves oils and stains, then the solvent is filtered and the clothes are gently dried.

[madam-quack]

I have a super cool, kind of whacky space/chemistry fact for people who have the patience to read this.

When satellites and other spacecraft enter Earth’s atmosphere, they get all burnt, charred, and blackened, right? Well, we (as in humans) have sent several satellites to Mars, and they don’t get charred at all.

Why do the satellites burn up in Earth’s atmosphere but not Mars’s?

Before I give you the answer, first you’ll need a bit of background information. At dry cleaners, one of the more eco-friendly cleaning methods they use is super critical carbon dioxide. (Super critical fluid is a state of matter that’s a combination of vapor and liquid). When it’s pressurized, the CO2 is liquid and gets the dirt off of clothes. When it depressurizes, the CO2 returns to vapor form, and the dirt falls out. As a result, the clothes get clean without ever actually getting wet.

This is relevant because what is Mars’s atmosphere made of? Carbon dioxide. When little robot guys (AKA satellites) enter Mars’s atmosphere… they get dry cleaned.

(Credit to my physical chemistry professor for teaching me this fun fact).

[waterwitchings]

it was too pretty not to share

[thoughtportal]

Whitening yellowed pillows is easier than you think! ✨ Wipe with dish soap + water ✨ Rinse with a damp towel ✨ Spray hydrogen peroxide + air dry in the shade (NOT in sunlight!) ✨ Repeat hydrogen peroxide step Repeat if needed. Bright pillows, no chlorine bleach (hydrogen peroxide is known as color safe bleach)

Jeeves_ny

[alwaysbewoke]

Thomas Jennings was a free man born in 1791 in New York City. He was 30 years old when he was granted a patent for a dry cleaning process. In his early 20s Thomas Jennings became a tailor, and later opened a dry cleaning business in the city. As a tailor. Jennings' skills were so admired that people near and far came to him to alter or custom tailor items of clothing for them. Eventually, Jennings reputation grew such that he was able to open his own store on Church street which grew into one of the largest clothing stores in New York City. While running his business Jennings developed dry-scouring. He had many customers complain of their clothes being ruined by stains and so he began experimenting with cleaners and mixtures that would remove the stains without harming the material. He earned a large amount of money as a tailor and even more with his dry scouring invention and most of the money he earned went to his abolitionist activities. In 1831, Thomas Jennings became assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, PA. Thomas L. Jennings Dry Scouring technique created modern day dry cleaning. Jennings was fortunate that he was a free man at the time of his invention. Besides all the other indignities and cruelties slaves had to face, they were also ineligible to hold a patent. Under the US patent laws of 1793 a person must sign an oath or declaration stating that they were a citizen of the USA. While there were, apparently, provisions through which a slave could enjoy patent protection, the ability of a slave to seek out, receive and defend a patent was unlikely. Later, in 1858, the patent office changed the laws, stating that since slaves were not citizens, they could not hold a patent. Furthermore, the court said that the slave owner, not being the true inventor could not apply for a patent either. Thomas Jennings died in New York City in 1856.

[audiojunkyard]