"Crescent wrench" as they originally were made by the Crescent tool company.
Ahem. only since 1915 or so. The screw-adjustable spanner was invented by Edwin Beard Budding (who also invented the lawnmower) just down the road from me in Thrupp, back in 1842. There's an example of his adjustable spanner on display in Stroud Museum.
I always thought the adjustable spanner was invented by Bahco. This from Wikipedia "The story of Bahco began in 1886 when the Swedish inventor Johan Petter Johansson (1853–1943) established his company Enköpings Mekaniska Verkstad in Enköping, Sweden. Johan Petter, also known as JP, was an inventor and industrialist. He invented the modern plumber wrench (1888) and adjustable wrench (patents in 1891 and 1892)."
Most folk think John Boyd Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre, not so it was Robert William Thomson of Stonehaven Kincardinsire who got a patent in 1845. Dunlop got a patent in 1888 which he lost then Thomsons patent came to light.
