George Washington signed the first U.S. patent on July 31, 1790 [1].
The grant went to Samuel Hopkins for a process of making potash and pearl ash [1].
The 1790 Patent Act created an examining board [1].
What one record can show
A dated record gives us one precise point; it does not tell the broader history by itself. The practical habit is to keep the documented detail beside the question it answers, rather than turning one record into an origin story for everything that came later.
When a familiar object has a surprising backstory, ask which part is documented, which part is repeated as a popular legend, and what the source actually establishes.
Sources
For another short history, read Your Morning Has a Backstory.