Sylvester H. Roper

Sylvester Howard Roper (November 24, 1823 – June 1, 1896) The Roper steam velocipede of 1867–1869 may have been the first motorcycle, for which he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002. He is also the inventor of the shotgun choke and a revolver repeating shotgun.

Early life William Wallace Austin driving Roper's second steam carriage, made about 1863. Sylvester H. Roper's father, Merrick, was a cabinetmaker; he married Sylvester's mother Susan Fairbanks in 1817. From an early age he displayed mechanical talent. and Worcester. In 1854 he moved to Boston, Massachusetts living in the Roxbury neighborhood at 299 Eustis Street. He eventually succeeded in building engines ranging from 1 to 4 horsepower. By 1869 over 200 of Roper's air engines were in operation. Roper worked for the Springfield Armory during the Civil War. Roper's work eventually came to the attention of other inventors and engineers of the era, including Elias Howe, Alvan Clark, Christopher Miner Spencer. who could not keep up with the steam powered machine. Roper was clocked at 2 minutes 1.4 seconds for the flying mile, for a top speed He was seen to be unstable and then fall on the track, suffering a head wound, and was found dead. After autopsy, the cause of death was found to be heart failure, although it is unknown if the crash was the cause of the stress on his heart, or if his heart failed prior to the crash.

List of patents

Number Title Issue date Co-inventor Padlock November 9, 1842 Improvement in Hot-Air Engines March 18, 1862 Improvement In Revolving Fire-Arms April 10, 1866 Improvements In Detachable Muzzle For Shot-Guns July 14, 1868 Improvement In Knitting-Machine August 24, 1869 Improvement In Knitting-Machines August 8, 1871 Magazine Fire-Arm April 4, 1882 Christopher M. Spencer Metal-Screw Machine August 8, 1882 Charles F. Roper Metal-Screw Machine June 17, 1884 Charles F. Roper Magazine-Gun August 20, 1889 Magazine Fire-Arm October 29, 1889 Fire-Escape February 6, 1894 Fire Escape March 6, 1894