Eli Whitney
/ˌiːlaɪ ˈwɪtni/
/ˌiːlaɪ ˈwɪtni/
- (1765-1825) an American who in 1793 invented the cotton gin, a machine for separating cotton from its seeds which greatly helped the development of the cotton industry in the South. He was also the first person to produce large numbers of small parts for guns which could be changed without replacing the whole gun.