The inventor of the swivel chair put it to good use
Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father, the third President of the United States and, unbeknownst to many today, a bit of furniture design enthusiast.
A passionate inventor with an eye for office design efficiency (he also created a revolving book stand allowing the perusal five books at once), Jefferson has been acknowledged as the inventor of the modern swivel chair.
To achieve this Jefferson modified a Windsor chair, integrating top and bottom parts connected by a central iron spindle, enabling the seat to swivel on casters. The chair was put to good use, as it was purportedly where Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
It has not been confirmed if the chair was used for the actual signing – nor if any ‘sit and spin’ competitions took place. However, with the general importance of the occasion and the great men gathered, it’s safe to assume such a competition would surely have occurred.