The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 and patented in 1794 in the United States
. Whitney's invention mechanized the process of removing seeds from cotton fibers, greatly increasing the efficiency of cotton processing compared to manual methods
. His design used wire teeth mounted on a revolving cylinder to pull cotton fibers through narrow slots that prevented seeds from passing through, with brushes to clean the fibers off the wires
. While Whitney is widely credited with inventing the modern mechanical cotton gin, earlier versions of cotton gins existed in India and other parts of Asia centuries before, including single-roller and dual-roller designs used since at least the 5th century
. Whitney's contribution was a significant improvement that made short-staple cotton profitable and had a major economic impact, especially in the American South
. Whitney's cotton gin revolutionized cotton production and contributed to the expansion of slavery in the United States, as it made cotton cultivation far more profitable
. Despite its success, Whitney struggled to profit from the invention due to patent infringement issues
. In summary, Eli Whitney is recognized as the inventor of the modern cotton gin in 1793, although earlier forms of cotton gins existed elsewhere historically
