It is Black History Month!
In honor of this month, I will be talking about inventions that were created by African Americans. Everyone knows, or should know, George Washington Carver developed a product from peanuts and Madam C.J. Walker who developed a lot of hair and hair care products. But here are some people that you may or may not know that invented or created things that we use in everyday life.
1. Dr. Charles Richard Drew (1904-1950)
Dr. Charles Richard Drew was an African American physician, surgeon and medical researcher. He started the idea of a blood bank and a system for the long-term preservation of blood plasma. He also managed two of the largest blood banks during World War II.
2. George Crum (1824-1914)
The potato chip was invented in 1853 by George Crum, who was a Native American/African American chef at the Moon Lake Lodge resort in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. One day at a diner, a customer complained the fries were too thick so Crum made fries that were too thin to eat with a fork. He hoped that it would annoy the customer, but the customer was happy with it. Thus potato chips were invented!
3. Philip B. Downing
Philip B Downing was an African American inventor from Boston, Massachusetts. On October 7, 1891, he patented his new device which is the street letter drop mailbox with a hinged door that closed to protect the mail.
4. Garrett Morgan (1877-1963)
Garrett Morgan was an African American inventor and community leader. He is known for creating the gas mask that was used to rescue miners who were trapped underground in a noxious mine. Soon after, Morgan was asked to produce gas masks for the US Army. He is also known for creating traffic signals.
5. Philip Emeagwali (1954-present)
Philip Emeagwali is a Nigerian computer scientist. He came to America during a brutal civil war and earned many advanced degrees including a Ph.D. in scientific computing. In 1989, he created the world’s fastest computer.
6. Alexander Miles (1838-1918)
Alexander Miles was known as the wealthiest colored man in the Northwest. Miles created an automatic device to open and close elevator doors in 1887.
7. Daniel Hale Williams (1856-1931)
Daniel Hale Williams was an African American general surgeon. By the year of 1891, Williams founded the first integrated hospital and two years later, became the first person to successfully complete open-heart surgery.
8. Patricia Bath (1942-present)
Patricia Bath is an ophthalmologist, inventor and academic who grew up in Harlem, NY. In the year 1981, she began to work on her most well-known invention which she called a “Laserphaco Probe”, which employed a laser as well as two tubes, one for irrigation and one for aspiration (suction). The laser would be used to make a small incision in the eye and the laser energy would vaporize the cataracts within a couple of minutes, the damaged lens would then be flushed with liquids and then gently extracted by the suction tube. With the liquids still being washed into the eye, a new lens could be easily inserted. This procedure could be used for initial cataract surgery and could eliminate much of the discomfort expected while increasing the accuracy of the surgery, but she was unable to find any lasers within the United States that could be adapted for the procedure since majority of laser technology in the United States was dedicated to military purposes. She was able to find the laser probe she needed in Berlin, Germany, and successfully tested the device which she described as an “apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses” and later dubbed it the “Laserphaco Probe.” Bath sought patent protection for her device and received patents in several countries around the world. She intends to use the proceeds of her patent licenses to benefit the AIPB.
Bio from: http://blackinventor.com/patricia-bath/
9. Marie Van Brittan Brown (1922-1999)
Marie Van Brittan Brown was the first person to develop the patent for closed circuit television security with help from her husband, Albert Brown. Her mechanism consisted of a motorized camera and four peepholes. Even though this wasn't the first CCTV system, she was patented for it in 1969 and it became the framework for modern closed circuit TV systems that is widely used for surveillance, crime prevention and traffic monitoring.
10. Natalie R. Love
In 1922, she invented the removable cover for T-top convertible that has removable male and female fasteners to attach and detach it from the vehicle, seals on each side provide a secure, interlocked barrier to wind, rain and other environmental concerns. This invention replaced glass roof panels that were heavy and inconvenient to maneuver, allowing owners of convertible T-top automobiles to quickly attach or remove and store their covers.
Throughout this month, try to look up information on African American history and find out things that you probably don't know.
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