He then began a lifetime career at Bell Labs as a full-time acoustical scientist. Simply put, from the period after the end of the Civil War to start of World War II, northern Black people were among the most inventive people in world history. 2. He died in 1854 from injuries sustained after falling into a hole near his shop. Even during decennial years, matching a patent record to a census record is far from guaranteed. Six years after she was hired, Vaughan became the manager of her division and its first Black supervisor. The accomplishments of Vaughan and other female African-American mathematicians was the focus of the book and movie Hidden Figures. Compared to other states and territories, Black residents of Washington, D.C. had the highest rate of patenting during this golden age, with 1,088 patents per million Black residents, after adjusting for missing data. Their work hours meant that Brown was often home by herself. We can think about all kinds of technological creative things within the context of hip-hop and music production and art in other ways. Modern Black inventors continue to play a pivotal role in developing innovations that shape our lives. Everyone and their dog can thankGeorge Washington Carver for the invention of peanut butter. Sarah Boone was an African American dressmaker who made her name by inventing the modern-day ironing board. She was born in Ohio in around 1885 and later worked in New York City as a family hairdresser. Hewas the first African American to hold any non-menial post at the Naval Academy. There are certain types of things that are patentable, and certain things that are not patentable, and that is a distinction that I do think leaves a lot of people out of the ecosystem. In leading theories of economic growth, technology and innovation are the driving forces of long-term gains in living standards.3 Ideasdeveloped and commercializedare key to innovation, and economics literature has long recognized that patents offer a valuable measure of invention. She died in 1890 without having received any recognition for her device in her lifetime. Garrett Morgan blazed a trail for African American inventors with his patents, including those for a hair-straightening product, a breathing device, a revamped sewing machine and an improved . Modern-day research suggests that was the case with the technology behind the cotton gin a device that separated cotton seeds from their fibers. On average, Black patenting rates are lower than white patenting rates in the same state, but there are several notable exceptions (Table 2). Akcigit, Ufuk, John Grigsby, Tom Nicholas. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Public Domain & T-Vector Icons/Getty Images, Fotosearch/Getty Images & Amin Yusifov/Getty Images, Bettmann Archive/Getty Images & Marina Parfenova/Getty Images, Image courtesy of Dr. Mark Dean & Sergei Korolko/Getty Images, How an Enslaved African Man in Boston Helped Save Generations from Smallpox, 10 More Black Inventors Who Changed Your Life, https://www.history.com/news/8-black-inventors-african-american, 8 Black Inventors Who Made Daily Life Easier. What is striking is that even while lacking complete liberty, Black people in the North acquired and practiced cutting-edge creativity, science, and technical skills at very high rates for a substantial period of U.S. history. William Dorsey Swannis highly regarded as the first drag queen in the US. From the traffic light to the ironing board, see a list of products that have sprung from the minds of Black inventors. 5 Inventions By Black People You Didn't Know - BeeTeeLife The most popular of his 44 practical bulletins for farmers contained 105 food recipes using peanuts. We estimate that northern Black Americans had a rate of 300 patents per million residents, after adjusting for missing records. Without Elkins, your bathroom breaks certainly wouldnt be as comfortable. His parents had been runaway slaves who weresuccessfully relocated to Canada by the Underground Railroad. Grant was also an avid golfer and in 1899 he invented his golf tee, which was whittled from wood and capped a latex resin used for root canals. Chicago Tribune. 2. In southern states, patenting is almost uniformly lower for white and Black people, but some of the within-race comparisons are instructive. Hawkins retired from Bell Labs in 1976 andworked as the director of research of the Plastics Institute of America until 1983. It also provides a reassessment and revaluation of the extraordinary contributions of Black people in the development of the United States as well as global technological advancements. Walker, Americas first self-made female millionaire, built her fortune with a line of hair care products for Black women. Patent records do not record the race of the inventor or other demographic information, other than their name and address. Additional information:The box designed by Brown used a series of hinged trays to separate papers and store them securely. A few observations stand out (Figure 2). Two years later, the Super Soaker generated over $200million in retail sales and became the best selling toy in America. Distinguished and pioneering scientific career, achieving several "firsts" as a woman and as an African-American, Laser chemist/photochemist, cometary astrochemist at Howard University and UC Davis. In our database, 87% of inventions were traced to people born in the United States, and 2.7% were invented by Black Americansa larger share than nearly every immigrant group. During this era, the United States was arguably the most inventive place on Earth at what was arguably the most inventive era in world history. - The Bed Rack (Date: 25th May 1943, Patent No: 2320027), Selected Invention(s):First Steam Engine For A Ship. Additional information: Alfred L. Cralle was a Black American inventor and businessman. George Crumwas working as a chef at a resort in New York. This list is long and rather comprehensive. West of WSE receives Benjamin Franklin Medal: Johns Hopkins University The Gazette", "Ian Moss: America's Diversity Can Provide Prosperity", "University of Chicago to commemorate accomplishments of mathematics alumnus J. Ernest Wilkins Jr", "Daniel Hale Williams: Innovative Surgeon, Educator, and Hospital Administrator", "Scott W.Williams | Mathematical Association of America", "The Pursuit of Happiness Economics for the Citizen", Kwame Anthony Appiah, Henry Louis Gates , "Medicine: Negro Fellow. Interested readers should consult the methods section of that paper and see the discussion for further information.8. But, of course, it's far from exhaustive. Led a group of engineers who developed the Tactical Optical Fiber Connector (TOFC), the first fiber optic connector deployed under battlefield conditions, and the ST Connector that helped make fiber optic communications affordable. Additional information: Joseph Winters was a Black American abolitionist and inventor. She retired from NASA in 1995. George Washington Carver is best known for his discovery of uses for the peanut. Among the products Carver developed from peanuts were soap, face powder, mayonnaise, shampoo, metal polish, and adhesivesbut he did not invent peanut butter. Johnson was an Aerospace Engineer for NASA who happened to invent the popular childrens toy. Bio. innovation 1, 2, 3 Many Black inventors struggled through hardship, poverty, and, in some circumstances, slavery. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1916. Larami Corporation was eventually purchased by Hasbro, the second largest toy manufacturer in the world. These have ranged from practical everyday devices to applications and scientific discoveries in diverse fields, including physics, biology, math, and medicine. It was there she came up with an idea that would bring more urban residents with limited space into her store. Most people have heard about famous inventions like the light bulb, thecotton gin and the iPhone. Along with his German colleague Gerhard Sessler, West invented the foil electret microphone, which was considerably less expensive to produce than the typically used condenser microphones. 1. You can thankMark Deanfor co-inventing the color monitor. Thomas Edison is credited with inventing the lightbulb, but it was Lewis Latimer, the son of formerly enslaved people, who patented a new filament that extended the lifespan of lightbulbs so they wouldnt die out after a few days. Percy L. Julian is known as the "soybean chemist," for his extraordinary success in developing innovative drugs and industrial chemicals from natural soya products. These obstacles, no doubt, suppressed the wealth, fame, and influence of Black inventorsand yet, many succeeded in making important contributions to American technological and economic development. READ MORE:10 More Black Inventors Who Changed Your Life. A decade later, the agency desegregated and she joined the Analysis and Computation division, where she learned computer programming and worked on the program that launched John Glenn and other astronauts into space for the first time. Our conclusion supports the arguments developed in Jonathan Rothwells A Republic of Equals, which concluded that educational achievement, innovation, and entrepreneurship were widespread in the Norths Black community in the decades between the end of slavery and beginning of Jim Crow.7, This article draws on a more detailed analysis from Jonathan Rothwell and Mike Andrews, recently published as a working academic paper. George T. Sampsoncreated the clothes dryer in 1892. Research to unravel the key photochemical sinks of important molecules in planetary atmospheres, in our and other solar systems, around stars, and the interstellar medium. Browns security system was the foundation for modern, two-way communication and surveillance systems. He worked various odd jobs and devised the idea for his scoop whilst working at a hotel in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, where he noticed how much difficulty people were having serving ice cream with spoons and ladles alone. Jonathan Rothwell, A Republic of Equals: A Manifesto for A Just Society (Princeton University Press, 2019). This ultimately earned him the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Inventor of the Year in 1984. Woods received little schooling as a young man but later spent some time working on railways and took courses in engineering and electricity. He received a patent for his invention in 1940 and co-founded the US Thermo Control Company, later known as Thermo King. The Traffic Light Garrett Morgan created the traffic light in 1923 after witnessing a car crash at a Cleveland intersection. In the late 19th century, the ironing board was improved by Sarah Boone. (Date: October 4, 1887, Patent No: 371107), - Pipe Connection (Date: October 9, 1888, Patent No: 390821), - Illusion Transmitter (Date: October 21, 1980, Patent No: 4229761). Modern Black Inventors Make History | BestColleges Metal Oven Racks. Enjoy a meal from one of these 60 Black-owned restaurants in Seattle. Sarah Breedlove Walker, better known as Madame C. J. Walker, created a cosmetic empire by inventing a system of hair straightening. Additional information: Granville Woods was a very prolific inventor who came to be known as the "Black Edison". These accomplishments negated the assumptiononce held by many in Americathat Black people cannot thrive just as well as any other group at the most challenging cognitive activities. - Propeller for Vessels (Date: April 28, 1891, Patent No: 451086), - Globe Supporter for Electric Lamps (Date: March 21, 1882, Patent No: 255212), - The Fruit Press (Date: April 25, 1916, Patent No: 1180959), - Machine for Cleaning Seed Cotton (Date: February 16, 1897, Patent No: 577153), - Bait Holder (Date: March 8, 1898, Patent No: 600241), - Shoemakers Cabinet or Bench (Date: February 3, 1880, Patent No: 224253), - Corn Husking Machine (Date: August 14, 1883, Patent No: 283173), - Scrubbing Frame (Date: October 7, 1890, Patent No: 437849), - Bracket for Miners Lamp (Date: March 7, 1893, Patent No: 493137), - Weather Shield (Date: September 5, 1899, Patent No: 632385), - Wagon (Date: October 18, 1870, Patent No: 108419), - Extension Steps for Cars (Date: January 12, 1897, Patent No: 574969), - Lemon Squeezer (Date: December 8, 1896, Patent No: 572849), - Canopy Frame (Date: February 2, 1892, Patent No: 468280), - Pillow Sham Holder (Date: October 10, 1899, Patent No: 634784), - Direct Acting Steam Engine (Date: December 4, 1888, Patent No: 394047), - Fire Escape Ladder (Date: May 7, 1878, Patent No: 203517), - Fire Escape Ladder (Date: April 8, 1879, Patent No: 214224). He obtained a patent for his first invention, the Scottron Mirror, in March 1868. In the North, they had an eightfold greater chance of getting a patent than in the . Additional information: Little is known about Ellen Eglin except she was born in 1849 and worked as a housekeeper and is the inventor of a mechanical clothes wringer. So, as you can imagine, all the perceptions, ideas about masculinity, maleness, power [and] authority are all wrapped into this vision of inventiveness, says Fouch, who also leads the National Science Foundations Social and Economic Sciences Division. To do so, we multiple by 5.4 to account for missing records. In Wisconsin, Black patenting rates are roughly the same as white rates for residents, but Black patenting is much higher by birthsuggesting that Wisconsin provided especially advantageous learning opportunities. She was born in July 1940 in rural Louisiana and was one of 12 children. While there, Latimer patented a new filament for the light bulb, using carbon instead of more incendiary materials, like bamboo, that was commonly used for filaments. He was born in Canada but raised in Michigan, before being sent to study in Scotland at age 15. Over the years, Super Soaker sales have totaled close to one billion dollars. (Courtesy of Johnson Research & Development Co., Inc), Dr. Patricia Bath, seen here at her Los Angeles home in 1994, invented a new device and technique for cataract surgery. "A Successful Negro Aviator. He showed interest in mechanics from a young age andbegan working in machine shops at the age of 10. Very little is known about Henry Blair, other than he must have been a free Black man. The identification of Blair as Black was an accident, as the U.S. Patent Office usually didn't identify patent holders by race. The rate of patenting per capita among northern Black and white residents was extremely high (0.31 per 1,000 residents for Black people and 0.39 for white people). With 50,000 total patents, Black people accounted for more inventions during this period than immigrants from every country except England and Germany. 14 Black Inventors Who Made Your Life Easier . We also considered what these patenting rates look like by region of birth. Charles Ward Chappelle Invents and Aeroplane Which Attacks Attention." - Curtain Rod Support (Date: August 4, 1896, Patent No: 565075), - Baling Press (Date: August 28, 1894, Patent No: 525203), - Cistern Cleaner (Date: April 9, 1895, Patent No: 537151), - Motor (Date: April 26, 1887, Patent No: 361937), - Razor Stropping Device (Date: February 18, 1896, Patent No: 554867), - Pool Table Attachment (Date: June 13, 1899, Patent No: 626902), - Adjustable Boot or Shoe (Date: January 16, 1900, Patent No: 641642), - Portable Shampooing Basin (Date: September 28, 1897, Patent No: 590833), -Asphalt emulsion and manufacture thereof(Date: October 18, 1932, Patent No:1,882,834), -Vitamin Concetrate(Date: November 26, 1935, Patent No:2,022,464), -Manufacture of Nitrogen-Fortified Whey Concentrate(Date: November 28, 1944, Patent No:2,363,730). This new process allowed blood to be stored for more than a week, which was the maximum at that time. ThankThomas Elkinsfor your porcelain throne. Co-inventor of imaging x-ray spectrometer. Summer just wouldnt be the same without Lonnie Johnsons invention. Continue browsing to accept the use of all cookies. In response, he decided to expand on the current traffic light by adding a yield component, warning oncoming drivers of an impending stop. We wouldn't have any of the above foods, plus many others, were it not for Black . Patents were particularly important during the so-called Golden Age of Invention (1870 to 1940), or the second phase of the Industrial Revolution, which was characterized by an unprecedented flowering of economic growth and advances in living standards.4As historians have documented, people living in the United States contributed disproportionately to this rise. In practice, the 2.7% share varies by year, so we assign the nearest decennial year estimate to the years in between to get a more precise estimate. Here's what to know. "Changes in the demographics of American inventors, 18701940. In 1907, he opened his own sewing machine and shoe repair shop. What their invention or inventions was/were: X-ray spectrometer for distant galaxies and 19 others. This passion would drive her onwards and upwards. Dr. George Grant is notable for being the second Black man to graduate from Harvard's dental school, and the first Black man to serve as a professor at the Ivy League . Even for those who arent quick to pick up the mic during karaoke, microphones are used every day to communicate over distances far and wide. She was raised in New Haven, Conn. by African American parents who escaped from slavery in North Carolina through the Underground Railroad.17. Johnson reinvested a majority of his earnings from the Super Soaker into research and development for his energy technology companies "It's who I am, it's what I do. Additional information: Hawkins was born in 1911 inWashington, D.C.,the grandson of aslave. He was the first to synthesize the natural product physostigmine, and a pioneer in the industrial large-scale chemical synthesis of the human hormones, steroids, progesterone, and testosterone, from plant sterols such as stigmasterol and sitosterol. Her invention was an early precursor of the steam tables that we see at food buffets worldwide today. After he witnessed a severe car accident at an intersection in the city, he expanded on the current traffic light by adding a yield component, warning oncoming drivers of an impending stop. His owner, Joseph Davis, also attempted to patent the device but was denied because he was not the true inventor. Major Inventions by African-Americans - The Network Journal It is widely known that immigrants to the United States contributed disproportionately to entrepreneurship and innovation, and continue to do so today. Made contributions to the United States' aeronautics and space programs with the early application of digital electronic computers at NASA. Boykin would graduate from Fisk College, Tennessee in 1941 and later took up work at in 1945 P.J. Additional information: Carver was born a slave in Missouri sometime between 1860 and 1865 (no exact records exist). Walkers company hired and trained thousands of Black women to sell her hair-care products in shops, by mail, and door-to-door. - Adding Machine (Date: January 23, 1894, Patent No:513452), - Fire Extinguisher (Date: March 26, 1872, Patent No: 125063), - Lock (Date: July 23, 1889, Patent No: 407738), - Lock (Date: December 30, 1890, Patent No: 443945), - Mechanism for Distributing Tacks (Date: November 26, 1896, Patent No: 415726), - Nailing Machine (Date: February 25, 1896, Patent No: 421954), - Tack Separating Mechanism (Date: March 25, 1890, Patent No: 423937), - Lasting Machine (Date: September 22, 1891, Patent No: 459899). NASA engineer. This puts northern Black people in the global vanguard of invention in the late 19th and early 20th century. Jennings owned a clothing business in Manhattan and was the first Black man recorded to be given a patent; in 1821 he invented the . The following are but. Walker pioneered the use of female sales agents, who traveled door to door across the U.S. and Caribbean selling her products. Among the earliest was George Washington Carver, whose reputation was based on his research into and promotion of alternative crops to cotton, which aided in nutrition for farm families. He is best known for his work on food preservation techniques. A state could be better at providing Black people learning opportunities, practice opportunities, or both. He famously rescued workers trapped within a water intake tunnel in 1916 and was a prolific inventor. He received numerous honors for his work, including the Spingarn Medal of the NAACP. After graduating from high school he went toRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was one of only two Black students at the school. [The patent system] is built on this model that basically assumes innovation is desirable when it's tied to commercial benefit. After experimenting with different designs, Jan Matzeliger invented the shoe-lasting machine that adjusted the shoe leather upper to fit snugly over the mold. Alcorn was born in March of 1940 and would later earn his B.A. He then homesteaded a claim, where he conducted biological experiments and compiled a geological collection. - Bidirectional monitoring and control system (Date: December 28, 1976, Patent No: 4000400), - Dining, Ironing Table, and Quilting Frame Combined (Date: February 22, 1870, Patent No: 100020), - Chamber Commode (Date: January 9, 1872, Patent No: 122518), - Refrigerating Apparatus (Date: November 4, 1879, Patent No: 221222), - Convertible Settees (Date: October 5, 1897, Patent No: 591095), - Ventilated Shoe (Date: April 29, 1890, Patent No: 426495), - Steam Trap (Date: February 11, 1890, Patent No: 420993), - Apparatus for Melting Snow (Date: May 27, 1890, Patent No: 428670), - Joiners Clamp (Date: April 20, 1875, Patent No: 162281), - Furniture Castor (Date: March 14, 1876, Patent No: 174794), -Euphonica (a type ofGuitar) (Date: March 30, 1886, Patent No: 338727), - Folding Cabinet Bed (Date: July 14, 1885, Patent No: 322177). But the innovation gap persists. First African-American to receive a PhD in any subject; received physics doctorate from, Pathologist and geneticist; Professor Emeritus. In 1884, he went on to work with Edison at the Edison Electric Light Company. Despite living and working in the North, these and other Black inventors, entrepreneurs, and workers of all kinds faced discrimination and professional and financial barriers that white people did not.18Obtaining a patent was more difficult for Black people, because it often involved working with a white lawyer who may be tempted to engage in unfair dealings. Other barriers Black inventors historically faced included less access to equal education, systematic exclusion from professional scientific and engineering National leaders should apply this historical lesson to todays institutional landscape, and seek out and eliminate barriers to the full participation of Black people in American life. 1. Boone's design morphed into the modern board that we use today. ", Baker, Henry 1913, The colored inventor: A Record of Fifty Years (Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/21281/21281-h/21281, Lewis Latimer, National Inventors Hall of Fame, available, Elijah McCoy, National Inventors Hall of Fame, available, Granville Woods, National Inventors Hall of Fame, available https://www.invent.org/inductees/granville-woods(accessed October 24, 2020). Most people have heard about famous inventions like the light bulb, the cotton gin and the iPhone. 8 Successful Black Inventors You Need To Know About - Forbes Later,he traveled to a school for Black children 10 miles away. - Waste Trap (Date: October 16, 1883, Patent No: 286746), - Waste Trap for Basins, Closets, etc. Benjamin Banneker - He . He was recognized for his talent drafting patents and was promoted to head draftsman, where he co-invented an improved bathroom for railroad trains. 15 Things Invented By Black People - Black America Web Throughout northern states, the Golden Age of Invention in America provided a tantalizing glimpse into what Black people could accomplish if given robust opportunities to learn and practice in highly skilled fields. Shirley Jackson's fiber-optic cables As the first African American woman to graduate with a doctorate in particle physics, Dr. Shirley Jackson's inventions are the foundation for a lot of modern technology. Every February, people in the United States celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans as part of Black History Month. After accounting for patents during nondecennial years, we estimate that Black people accounted for just under 50,000 total patents during this period. "Violence and economic activity: evidence from African American patents, 18701940.". White people in the North were three times more likely to invent a patented technology than white people in the South, but they were much less likely to live in the South than Black people. Black people accounted for 1.6% of the Norths population and 1.6% of patents from 1870 to 1940. Perhaps the earliest and most ambitious attempt to measure the contribution of Black people to U.S. invention was made by Henry Baker, who worked at the U.S. Patent Office. Harris later earned her Bachelor's in Chemistry in 1961 and her Master's in 1963 followed by her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1973,from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Among the products Carver developed from peanuts were soap, face powder, mayonnaise, shampoo, metal polish, and adhesivesbut he did. African American nurse Mary Van Brittan Brown, devised an early security unit for her own home. The regional gap for white inventors is also large, in that northern white people were three times more likely to patent than their southern counterpartsbut that is only one-third as strong as the effect on Black invention.

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