This Day in History: 1899-07-18

African-American entrepreneur, inventor, and banker Leonard C. Bailey secures U.S. Patent no. 629,286 for his invention of a folding bed. Bailey invented and received patents for a series of devices, many designed for military or government use. His other inventions included a rapid mail-stamping machine, a device to shunt trains to different tracks, and a hernia truss adopted into wide use by the U.S. military. Learn more.