October 28, 1851

Frederick Mathushek patents the method of placing “shorter strings of the higher octaves across the narrower portion of the instrument and the longer strings of those of the lowest octaves crossing them in the direction of the greatest length of the instrument”. This is the method of overstringing that less than two years later will be used in Steinway & Sons piano #483 (the piano with the smallest number in Steinway & Sons American records, and most likely the very first piano built by Steinway & Sons as a business entity).