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Then and Now
Who Invented the First Shovel?
There is debate over "who" invented the first shovel.
Some claim the first shovel was built in 1835 and mounted on railway tracks. Others claim William Otis's 1839 patented steam powered shovel was first.
In 1882 the first excavator from the Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company was shipped to the Northern Pacific Railroad.
