Eli Whitney (1765-1825) American inventor and manufacturer; born at Westborough; Massachusetts. Credited with the invention of the cotton gin (1793) to separate cotton fibre from seeds and seedpods; dramatically increasing the amount of cotton that could be processed in a day and so revolutionising the American cotton growing industry. Equally important was his introduction of interchangeable parts; an innovation which led to the growth of mass production in the nineteenth century and the production of cheap goods. Engraving.