July 7

1752 - Birth of Joseph-Marie Jacquard, French inventor (d. 1834)

Inventor of the Jacquard Loom, which used the holes punched in pasteboard punch cards to control the weaving of patterns in fabric. The loom enabled even amateur weavers to weave complex designs. Each punch card corresponded to one row of the design and the cards were strung together in order. Invented in 1801, the loom was declared public property in 1806, and Jacquard was rewarded with a pension and a royalty on each machine.

In addition to his science fiction writings which helped usher in the Golden Age of science fiction and inspired countless engineers and technologists, he wrote this favorite quote of copyfighters:

There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or a corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years , the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute nor common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped ,or turned back, for their private benefit. - Life-Line

The original animator of Mickey Mouse.