The gossip is that a sewing machine was invented long before Singer who only filled in a patent application properly. But don’t believe it. Any experienced patent specialist will tell you that changing the motion of the needle so that the thread is no longer tangled, and replacing the hand gear with the pedal drive that frees the seamstress’ hands, can be a sufficient ground for patenting a new design. Add here the businessman’s talent and luck, new ideas about selling expensive machines in installments and you will get the result — in the early 20^th century, the Singer name was known not only in the United States and Europe, but also in every Russian village.