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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/us_against_the_world on 2025-02-01 17:30:06+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Jefferson Davis attempted to patent a steam-operated propeller invented by his slave, Ben Montgomery. Davis was denied because he was not the “true inventor.” As President of the Confederacy, Davis signed a law that permitted the owner to apply to patent the invention of a slave.