Have you ever heard of Nathaniel Alexander? This week, I think he is one of the most fascinating people in history. He was from Lynchburg, Virginia. On July 7, 1911, he patented a folding chair. According to his patent, Nathaniel Alexander designed his chair to be used in schools, churches, and other auditoriums. His design included a book rest that was usable for the person sitting in the seat behind and was ideal for church or choir use. He didn’t invent the folding chair. It’s been around in some form since Ancient Greece; but, he was the first to patent one….and this week, we learned a folding chair can always come in handy 😎. By the way, this photo IS NOT Nathaniel Alexander. It has been in several magazines and on the internet for years misidentified as him. There are no known photos of Nathaniel Alexander and little known about his life other than what is listed on the patent. This photo is Lewis Latimer and he invented the light bulb filament, which increased the life span and practicality of light bulbs. The light bulb that Thomas Edison invented only lasted a few days until Lewis Latimer invented the filament.

Now back to Nathaniel Alexander and his folding chair. Thank you. I put one in my trunk yesterday and plan to keep it there just in case I need one.