Jan Matzeliger Patents Shoe Lasting Machine, Revolutionizing Footwear Industry

Jan Matzeliger, a Black inventor from Dutch Guiana settled in Lynn, Massachusetts, patented a shoe lasting machine in 1883 that mechanized the most labor-intensive step in shoemaking, attaching a sole in one minute versus an hour by hand. His patent was acquired by the United Shoe Machinery Company, which came to dominate the global footwear industry.