E. J. Pennington
Encyclopedia
Edward Joel Pennington (1858 in Moores Hill, Indiana
– 1911 in Springfield
, Massachusetts
) was an inventor and promoter of many mechanical devices, including airship
s, motorcycle
s, and automobile
s. In addition to motor vehicles, he applied for and received patents for stirling engine
s, ignition system
s, planing machines
, and pulley
s.
He often promoted his inventions with grandiose and often spurious claims, which would become a hallmark of his entrepreneurial schemes. Frequently he collected financial backing for his business ventures, but rarely did his investors ever collect any dividends from his projects. He was regarded by many as a fraud on account of his unproven claims and business practices, yet he never spent any time in prison as a result of these accusations.
Pennington married three times. He died in Springfield, Massachusetts after contracting meningitis
from falling down in the street.
" (he used the term as early as 1893) Pennington built and demonstrated his original motorcycle design in Milwaukee in 1895. Apparently not finding any backers for his idea he took it to England where he sold the patents for it to Harry John Lawson
in 1896. Lawson had two more prototypes built but nothing further came from the design. Pennington made many claims for his motorcycle, but it is doubtful if any of them are true. The design was very primitive and a few journalists of the time expressed doubts as to whether or not it would even run, though The Autocar reported in June 1896: "...although the motor required some little alteration, the speed developed was said to have varied from thirty to forty miles per hour." Notable features were that the engine's cranks were connected directly to the rear axle, the cylinders had no cooling fins, and Pennington made use of balloon tire
s - an invention he is also often credited with.
After his motorcycle plans came to nothing, Pennington working in conjunction with Lawson attempted to design a car bearing his own name. Although payments were taken for orders of this design, apparently none were ever delivered. Journalists speculated that the car was a failure in design, and The Horseless Age remarked sarcastically that: "...the Pennington car, which is not a car, since it does not carry, but has to be carried..." was partly responsible for bad press about the automobile in general and Lawson's motor syndicate in England at the time.
The only surviving example of this design is preserved by the National Motor Museum
in Beaulieu
, Hampshire
, England
.
Pennington returned to the U.S. and attempted to promote a few more schemes, as well as collect money he thought people owed him for his patents.
Moores Hill, Indiana
Moores Hill is a town in Sparta Township, Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 597 at the 2010 census.-History:Platted in 1839 by Adam Moore and Andrew Stevens, it originally contained nine lots adjacent to Moore 's gristmill. Many early settlers in the town were Methodist...
– 1911 in Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) was an inventor and promoter of many mechanical devices, including airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
s, motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s, and automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s. In addition to motor vehicles, he applied for and received patents for stirling engine
Stirling engine
A Stirling engine is a heat engine operating by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gas, the working fluid, at different temperature levels such that there is a net conversion of heat energy to mechanical work....
s, ignition system
Ignition system
An ignition system is a system for igniting a fuel-air mixture. Ignition systems are well known in the field of internal combustion engines such as those used in petrol engines used to power the majority of motor vehicles, but they are also used in many other applications such as in oil-fired and...
s, planing machines
Planer
The term planer may refer to several types of carpentry tools, woodworking machines or metalworking machine tools.*Plane : a hand tool used to produce flat surfaces by shaving the surface of the wood...
, and pulley
Pulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
s.
He often promoted his inventions with grandiose and often spurious claims, which would become a hallmark of his entrepreneurial schemes. Frequently he collected financial backing for his business ventures, but rarely did his investors ever collect any dividends from his projects. He was regarded by many as a fraud on account of his unproven claims and business practices, yet he never spent any time in prison as a result of these accusations.
Pennington married three times. He died in Springfield, Massachusetts after contracting meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
from falling down in the street.
Innovations
E.J. Pennington is probably best known today for his pioneering motorcycles. He is sometimes credited with having invented the word "motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
" (he used the term as early as 1893) Pennington built and demonstrated his original motorcycle design in Milwaukee in 1895. Apparently not finding any backers for his idea he took it to England where he sold the patents for it to Harry John Lawson
Harry John Lawson
Henry John Lawson, also known as Harry Lawson, was a British bicycle designer, motor industry pioneer, and fraudster. As part of his attempt to create and control a British motor industry Lawson formed and floated The Daimler Motor Company Limited in London in 1896. It later began manufacture in...
in 1896. Lawson had two more prototypes built but nothing further came from the design. Pennington made many claims for his motorcycle, but it is doubtful if any of them are true. The design was very primitive and a few journalists of the time expressed doubts as to whether or not it would even run, though The Autocar reported in June 1896: "...although the motor required some little alteration, the speed developed was said to have varied from thirty to forty miles per hour." Notable features were that the engine's cranks were connected directly to the rear axle, the cylinders had no cooling fins, and Pennington made use of balloon tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
s - an invention he is also often credited with.
After his motorcycle plans came to nothing, Pennington working in conjunction with Lawson attempted to design a car bearing his own name. Although payments were taken for orders of this design, apparently none were ever delivered. Journalists speculated that the car was a failure in design, and The Horseless Age remarked sarcastically that: "...the Pennington car, which is not a car, since it does not carry, but has to be carried..." was partly responsible for bad press about the automobile in general and Lawson's motor syndicate in England at the time.
The only surviving example of this design is preserved by the National Motor Museum
National Motor Museum
The National Motor Museum is a museum in the village of Beaulieu, set in the heart of the New Forest, in the English county of Hampshire.- History :...
in Beaulieu
Beaulieu, Hampshire
Beaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.- History :...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Pennington returned to the U.S. and attempted to promote a few more schemes, as well as collect money he thought people owed him for his patents.
External links
- The patent for "Motor-Vehicle" (Motorcycle) by Edward J. Pennington, number: 574262, filing: Oct 3, 1894, Issue: Dec 29, 1896, retrieved August 10, 2008.
- Stéphane, van Damme. "Pennington Autocar" (specifications), Histomobile, retrieved August 10, 2008.