September 20 1819: Patent leather was manufactured for the first time by Seth Boyden. 1842: James Dewar, inventor of the flask that bears his name, was born. 1850: The United States Congress abolished the slave trade in the District of Columbia. 1853: Elisha Otis opened his safety elevator company in Yonkers, NY. 1921: KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA, started the world's first daily radio newscast. 1938: A patent was granted for "synthetic fiber" (nylon) to Wallace Carothers. 1962: The Queen Elizabeth II was launched. | 
