Edison's 1st patent was a vote recorder which was never used

American inventor Thomas Alva Edison, known for pioneering the first practical electric bulb, submitted his first patent application, aged 21, for an 'Electrographic Vote-Recorder' on October 28, 1868. When presented to the Congress committee, its chairman said, "if there is any invention on earth that we don't want down here, that is it." The vote recorder was never used.