One entrepreneur in North Carolina patented a device in 1885 and brought millions of dollars to his state. What did the device do?

It was James Buchanan Duke who patented an automated cigarette making machine in 1885 in North Carolina. It was invented by James Albert Bonsack, and was able to produce 200 cigarettes in a minute.

This invention filled the coffers of the state of North Carolina, as the production of cigarettes increased, thus increasing sales and as a result, also increased the tax collection of the state.

This invention consolidated the position of North Carolina as the main producer of tobacco in the United States.