Holless Wilbur Allen (April 20, 1880 – November 1, 1966) was the inventor of the compound bow.

In the early 1960's, the USA experienced an increased interest in bow hunting. Holless Wilbur Allen was mechanically minded and sawed the ends off a conventional recurve bow and then added pulleys to each end. Allen experimented with a number of designs to eventually apply for a patent on June 23, 1966, and U.S. Patent 3,486,495 was granted to him in December 1969. With the help of bowmaker Tom Jennings, he became the first manufacturer of compound bows.

Of the five bow manufacturing companies to retain the right to manufacture compound bows utilizing Allen's design and patent, PSE (Precision Shooting Equipment) is the only survivor. PSE is the parent company of Browning Archery and the former Archery Research (AR).

[edit] References

• The Compound Bow
• Find a Grave

This article about a United States engineer, inventor or industrial designer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This article related to weaponry is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e