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Electric brakes

Born in Mexico in 1850, Victor Ochoa invented electric brakes for streetcars. He sold the patent in 1907 to the American Brake Company in Seattle. Ochoa also invented the Ochoaplane and the adjustable wrench. It is also thought that he invented the pencil and pen clips that allow them to attach to shirt pockets. In addition to inventing, Ochoa was also an ardent supporter of the Mexican Revolution and at one point there was a $50,000 bounty on his head. He did serve two years in jail and lost his U.S. citizenship for “organizing an army in the United States for the purpose of invading Mexico.” After his release, President Theodore Roosevelt restored his citizenship by a special proclamation in 1906. These are the most ironic inventions ever.