Machinist William H. Fruen of Minneapolis is issued the first US patent for an automatic liquid-dispensing vending machine, which discharges a uniform amount of liquid from a reservoir when a coin is placed in a slot. An enthusiastic fisherman, Fruen had settled earlier in the year at the western edge of the city and begun excavating near his home for the construction of a fishpond in which to keep his catch fresh for eating. The discovery of a pure spring in a glen led Fruen to sell jugs, and then coolers, of fresh water and found the Glenwood Springs (now Glenwood Inglewood Water) Company.