Friday, July 31, 2026 · america_250

America 250 · First patent — July 31

5 questions · 1000 points possible. Below are the prompts, hints, and target locations from this pack.

On July 31, 1790, the U.S. issued its first patent — to a Vermont inventor for a process to make potash. Today's pack — the last of the America 250 summer — walks five places where Americans figured out how to do something new.

Practice this pack
  1. 01

    Drop a pin on the Philadelphia office where George Washington personally signed the first U.S. patent on July 31, 1790.

    Target
    39.9484°, -75.1455°
    Cap
    932 mi
    Weight
    200 pts
  2. 02

    Drop a pin on the lab where Alexander Graham Bell first transmitted 'Mr. Watson — come here — I want to see you' in March 1876.

    Target
    42.3514°, -71.0561°
    Cap
    932 mi
    Weight
    200 pts
  3. 03

    Drop a pin on the laboratory where Thomas Edison filed over 1,000 patents — the world's first industrial R&D lab.

    Target
    40.5826°, -74.3357°
    Cap
    932 mi
    Weight
    200 pts
  4. 04

    Drop a pin on the garage where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP in 1939 — the official 'birthplace of Silicon Valley.'

    Target
    37.4419°, -122.1481°
    Cap
    932 mi
    Weight
    200 pts
  5. 05

    Drop a pin on the Pacific Northwest warehouse where Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 — starting in his rented house's converted garage.

    Target
    47.6151°, -122.3309°
    Cap
    932 mi
    Weight
    200 pts