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Cyrus McCormick grew up on a farm in Virginia. His goal was to earn a million dollars. In 1833 that was a lot of money. The average worker only earned a nickel an hour. Twenty-six years later, he had earned a million dollars. He had also changed the way people farmed, with his wheat harvester called the reaper. Before his invention, a farmer could harvest only 1/2 acre a day using a scythe . With the invention, a farmer and a helper could harvest 12 acres a day! In just 2 months he was able to make a harvester. Some said it looked like a combination of a flying machine, a wheelbarrow, and a carriage . When he tested it, he could harvest an acre an hour.He invited farmers to come and watch him work. They thought it was just entertainment . Cyrus decided he would get some of the successful farmers to test his reaper. Maybe they would talk the other farmers into buying a reaper of their own. In 1843, another man, who was also making a reaper, challenged him to a contest. They would see who could cut the most wheat. On the day of the contest, it rained. The other man's reaper jammed and wouldn't cut, but McCormick had designed his to cut in damp weather. That year he sold 29 reapers and each year after that he sold more and more. By 1850, he was selling 5,000 reapers a year. His company became the International Harvester Company in 1902.
