Jan Ernst Matzeliger

Jan Ernst Matzeliger was an inventor from Suriname. He was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, in 1852. He invented a machine that could attach the top of a shoe to the sole quickly and cheaply. His invention revolutionized the shoe industry and made shoes affordable for everyone.

Early Life

Matzeliger was born to a Dutch father and a Surinamese mother. He worked in machine shops from the age of ten. He moved to the United States as a young man. He settled in Lynn, Massachusetts, which was a major shoe-making city.

The Shoe-Lasting Machine

At the time, attaching the upper part of a shoe to the sole was done by hand. This process was slow and made shoes expensive. Matzeliger spent years inventing a machine that could do this work. His shoe-lasting machine could make 700 pairs of shoes a day, compared to 50 by hand. Shoes became affordable for ordinary people.

Fun Facts

• Matzeliger's machine increased shoe production from 50 pairs a day to 700.
• His invention cut the price of shoes in half.
• He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

Jan Ernst Matzeliger died at age 36, just a few years after receiving his patent. He never got to see how much his invention would change the world.