Alexander T. Brown

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There is an article in the November issue of the American Rifleman about the L.C. Smith shotguns. In it the name Alexander T. Brown is mentioned as the inventor of the Smith sidelock double barrel. Brown also was involved in the design/invention of the typewriter, bicycle gears, the pneumatic tire, and automobile transmissions among other things. Altogether he is credited with over 100 inventions and 300 patents.

You would think with all those inventions and patents he would be better known. If nothing else, I should have been aware of him from his development of the Hi-Lo Bi-gear and the clincher tire for bicycles. I did a search on Amazon to see if there was a biography available but came up empty. I also went to the National Inventors Hall of Fame site and did a search and came up empty there as well. I also typed in the name of Charles Kettering and got nothing but Glenn Curtiss' name did come up. If I was running an inventors hall of fame I can't imagine not having Kettering listed and from the little I know about Brown, seems like he would make the cut as well. However, next time you drive your car and shift gears, remember the name of Alexander T. Brown, the inventor from Syracuse, New York.