Oh yes. Black people are forever winning. This extremely short listicle is merely a fraction in regards to every single invention either created and/or inspired BECAUSE of Black people. I implore you to conduct your own research and see just how influential our unsung impact has been and continues to be felt throughout history.
1. The Ice Cream Scoop
Perhaps starting with the most important (although I'M totally kidding, I know many heartbroken women would agree immediately), the ice cream scoop was designed and created by Alfred L. Cralle in 1897. The basic design of which is still used to this day. On February 2, 1897, he became the first black person in history to be taken for granted a patent in the city of Pittsburgh.
2. The Potato Chip
Who could've known that in the summer of 1853 somebody would accidentally create a timeless snack that to this day fills the appetites of countless people worldwide? I have no clue. But neither did restaurateur George Crum, creator of the potato chip. After receiving a complaint that his potato slices were too thick and soft at a restaurant, he resentfully cut potatoes as thin as he could, fried them to a crisp, and basically showered them with salt, hoping the customer would hate such a disgusting meal. But, in fact, they were good. Good as hell. So good, that we still can't get enough of them.
3. The Video Game Console
Thank you Gerald "Jerry" Johnson! Earning the distinction as the inventor of the video game cartridge, this self-taught electrical engineer pioneered and took the video game industry by storm by developing the Fairchild Channel F console. What set his console apart from the likes of major rivals Atari, Nintendo, Sega, etc. was that Lawson's console, which had been released a year prior to Atari, had 26 interchangeable video game cartridges while other consoles had their games built into the system's hardware. He successfully integrated the use of a microprocessor, the first person to ever do so. Fun fact: he's also responsible for the world's second arcade game, Demolition Derby. Almost another first, but regardless, his work speaks for itself.
4. The Microphone
Not so much of an invention as it has become a revolutionary innovation, the "Electroacoustic Transducer Electret Microphone" was developed and patented in 1962 by James Edward West, and a colleague of his. It eliminated the use of a battery when operating by producing a permanent electric charge, the same way a magnet maintains a permanent magnetic charge. It was smaller and much less expensive This is the crazy part: over 90 percent of devices today that have a microphone rely on his ingenuity, from professional mics to baby monitors, cell phones, and hearing aids. Mr. West has 47 U.S. patents and over two-freaking-hundred foreign patents to his name! In 1999 he became just the fourth Black person to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
5. The Home Security System
Due to the slow response time from police to emergencies where she lived, Mary Van Brittan Brown decided she, along with help from her husband would work to create a way that all families everywhere would be able to feel safer at home. In 1966, her surveillance device, called the "audio-video alarm system" was the very first precursor to what we know today as the home security system. Her invention included a motorized camera that could look through four peepholes, project any moving images onto a monitor, and gave the homeowner the ability to unlock any of the doors via remote control. As recently as 2013, U.S. patents have continued to reference Mrs. Brown's unique invention for its time.
6. The Clothes Dryer
While he may not have been the first to invent the clothes dryer, George T. Sampson was the first to receive a clothes dryer patent, issued on June 7th, 1892. He revolutionized and basically dismantled the way folks had been drying their clothes. Picture this: throwing your soaked clothes in a barrel with holes in it and HAND-TURNING it over an extremely hot, open flame. No, thank you. Mr. Sampson constructed a frame that would suspend clothes and use the heat from a stove to dry them. That frame was also able to be re-positioned and stowed away until the next laundry day. While we've come a long way since then, it's still important to never forget where the true and official turning point started. (and LOLOLOL at the gif I found omg)
7. The Electric Trolley
This one was a surprise to me for some reason, not entirely sure why. Nonetheless, thanks to Elbert R. Robinson realizing that trolley wheels at the time suffered from too much electrical resistance (causing them to dangerously and quite often overheat because trolleys are big and heavy as hell, especially when carrying hella people of various shapes and sizes in addition), his patented composite wheel made it possible for the trolley to continue existing and allowed more room for technological advancements in the field of electrical railway systems that we can see today.
8. Long-Haul Refrigeration
In 1935, Frederick Jones invented a roof-mounted cooling device that virtually eliminated the risk of food spoilage during long-distance truck and railroad routes. Would you believe that before his invention, trucks were actually just loaded with straight up ice and drivers had to pray to the heavens they could reach their destination before it all melted? Let me find out I just drove across nine states only to realize my entire truckload of perishable goodies became spoiled. As vehement as I would be, this was actually a reality for many drivers in that era. You know, until a black guy came along and, of course, used that Midas touch!
9. 3-D Movies
Chicago native and co-founder of Silicon Graphics, electrical engineer and computer graphics designer Marc Hannah is responsible for 3-D special effects in more Hollywood movies than you could recall even if you had TWO sets of hands to count with. Oh but why stop there? This man's genius and technology was also utilized in the Nintendo 64 gaming system, automobiles, airplanes, and even military virtual simulations.
10. The Mailbox
In his original design of what he initially dubbed as the street letter box, Philip B. Downing's invention of what we refer to today as the mailbox has truly revolutionized the world as we know it. He was issued a patent on October 27, 1891. Even CRAZIER?? Just one year earlier, he patented an electrical switch for railroads. This design would eventually be used by other innovators who would go on to create the very same light switches we use every single day in our homes!
11. The Touch-Tone Phon
If it wasn't for the scientific research of Shirley Ann Jackson, not only would this world have possibly missed the invention of the touch tone telephone, but in addition, we can add to that list the portable fax, solar cells, fiber optic cables, and the technology behind caller ID and call waiting. She received her Ph.D. in nuclear physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973, making her the very first Black woman to earn a Doctorate at MIT.
