Sports Heroes/Legends:Eli Whitney

True or False? Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a machine for removing seeds from cotton. False! Eli Whitney was the first person to build a wire-toothed cotton gin. But Eli's gin was not the first machine of its kind. He made nails to earn money when he was a boy He went to court to protect his wire-toothed cotton gin when others tried to build similar machines. He started his own musket-making business. Ages 7-9