May 9th 1785; Joseph Bramah patented the beer-pump handle. Joseph Bramah was born in Stainborough, Yorkshire, England, in 1748, the son of a farmer. After the most basic of elementary educations, his father put him to work on the farm. When he was sixteen, Joseph broke one of his ankles so badly that he was lamed for life. No longer able to work on the farm, his father apprenticed him to the village carpenter, and Joseph soon became a first-rate craftsman.

Although he received no pay as an apprentice, he was able to earn pocket money by making and selling violins in his spare time. He eventually saved up enough money to allow him to go to London, where he found work with a cabinetmaker. He subsequently managed to put enough money together to open his own cabinetmaking shop.