In the 1830s, wheat was still cut by scythes. A young food disruptor, Cyrus McCormick, designed a mechanical reaper that met wheat farmer's real needs in harvesting an unwieldy crop.

His first act of genius was to earn farmer-to-farmer endorsements by focusing on product quality -- one hand-made reaper at a time.

Notably, to demo his reaper, he lit out for the Western Territories, a prescient step that led to one of the greatest enterprises of America's Industrial (and Agricultural) Revolution.