04/06/2026
Jan Ernst Matzeliger (1852–1889) was an Afro-Surinamese-American inventor who revolutionized the global footwear industry in Lynn, Massachusetts, by patenting the first automatic shoe-lasting machine in 1883. His innovation enabled Lynn, Massachusetts—known as “the shoe-making capital of the world” to increase production from 50 to 700 pairs of shoes daily, cutting costs in half and making quality footwear affordable.
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