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B l a c k I
n v e n t o r s a n d I n v e n t i
o n s. .
. This is by
no means a complete list. Dr. Ben Carson mentions some of these
inventors in the award-winning Return To Glory film:
Four
Busts (below, 8" high) by African American sculptor/photographer,
Inge Hardison (b. 1904) from the "Negro Giants in History"
collection created in 1967. Stunning likenesses. Hardison is a
sculptor whose major interest is contemporary and historical
portraiture. Much of Hardison’s work is emotionally involved to her
heritage as a woman of African decent. She was the only woman among
the six artists who formed the Black Academy of Arts and Letters.
Hardison once said, “During my long life I have enjoyed using
different ways to distill the essences of my experiences so as to
share for the good they might do in the lives of others.” A life
loyal to creativity and art speaks of the life of Inge Hardison.
These sculptures are some of the items in Dr. Freeman's
Black History Collection.
|
Inge
Hardison |
 |
Garrett Augustus
Morgan (1877-1963) was an African-American businessman and
inventor whose curiosity and innovation led to the development of
many useful and helpful products. A practical man of humble
beginnings, Morgan devoted his life to creating things that made the
lives of other people safer and more convenient. Among his
inventions was an early traffic signal, that greatly improved
safety on America's streets and roadways. On July 25, 1916, Morgan
made national news for using a gas mask he had invented to
rescue several men trapped during an explosion in an underground
tunnel beneath Lake Erie. |
After the rescue, Morgan's company received requests from fire
departments around the country who wished to purchase the new masks.
The Morgan gas mask was later refined for use by U.S. Army during
World War I. In 1921, Morgan was awarded a patent for a Safety Hood
and Smoke Protector. Two years later, a refined model of his early
gas mask won a gold medal at the International Exposition of
Sanitation and Safety, and another gold medal from the International
Association of Fire Chiefs.
|
 |
Norbert Rillieux
(1806 -1894) was revolutionary in the sugar industry by inventing
a refining process that reduced the time, cost, and safety risk
involved in producing sugar from cane and beets. As the son of a
White French planter/inventor and an African American slave mother,
Norbert Rillieux was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He viewed the
methods for refining sugar from beets and cane were dangerous, crude
and required backbreaking labor. The methods threatened the slaves
who were required to take boiling cane juice from one scalding
kettle to another to produce a dark sugar. |
|
Rillieux designed an evaporating pan which enclosed a series of
condensing coils in vacuum chambers, issued as a patent U.S. 4,879.
The invention was later used by sugar manufacturer in Cuba and
Mexico. Rillieux's system took much of the hand labor out of the
refining process, it saved fuel because the juice boiled at lower
temperatures, and the new technique produced a superior final
product. The Rillieux device was patented in 1846 and was used
widely on sugar plantations in Louisiana, Mexico, and the West
Indies. "It was stated by Charles Brown, a chemist in the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, that [Rillieux's invention of the
sugar processing pan] was the greatest invention in the history
of American Chemical Engineering."
 |
Frederick
Jones (1892 - 1961)
was one of the most prolific Black inventors ever, holding more
than 60 patents in a variety of fields. Frederick Jones patented
more than sixty inventions, however, he is best known for
inventing an automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks
in 1935 (a roof-mounted cooling device). Jones was the first
person to invent a practical, mechanical refrigeration system
for trucks and railroad cars, which eliminated the risk of
food spoilage during long-distance shipping trips. The system
was, in turn, adapted to a variety of other common carriers,
including ships. |
|
Frederick Jones was issued the patent on July 12, 1940
(#2,303,857).
Frederick Jones also invented a
self-starting gas engine and a series of devices for movie
projectors: adapting silent movie projectors for talking
films, and developing box office equipment that delivered
tickets and gave change.
|
 |
Lewis Howard Latimer
(1843-1928)
is considered one of the 10
most important Black inventors of all time not only for the
sheer number of inventions created and patents secured but also
for the magnitude of importance for his most famous discovery.
A pioneer in the
development of the electric light bulb, Lewis was the
only Black member of Thomas A. Edison's research team of noted
scientists. While Edison invented the incandescent bulb, it was
Latimer, a member of the Edison Pioneers, and former assistant
to telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell, who developed and
patented the process for manufacturing the carbon filaments.
|
Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on September 4, 1848,
and reared in Boston. His father, George Latimer, a former
slave, had fled to Boston from Virginia during the 1830s. At
sixteen Latimer joined the Union navy as a cabin boy on the USS
Massasoit. After an honorable discharge in 1865 Latimer returned
to Boston. Skills he had developed in mechanical drawing landed
him a position with Crosby and Gould, patent solicitors. While
with the company he advance to a chief draftsman and soon began
working on his own inventions. His first patent, approved on
February 10, 1874, was for a "water closet for railway cars."
In 1880 Latimer left Crosby and Gould to work as a draftsman for
Hiram Maxim, the inventor of the machine gun and head of the
United States Electric Lighting Company in Bridgeport,
Connecticut. The following year Latimer and fellow inventor
Joseph V. Nichols received a patent for their invention of the
first incandescent light bulb with carbon filament.
Prior to this
breakthrough, filaments had been made from paper. Latimer later
became a chief draftsman and expert witness in the Board of
Patent Control of the company that would eventually be know as
General Electric. Latimer
continued to display his creative talents over then next several
years. In 1894 he created a safety elevator, a vast improvement
on existing elevators. He next received a patent for Locking
Racks for Hats, Coats, and Umbrellas. The device was used in
restaurants, hotels and office buildings, holding items securely
and allowing owners of items to keep the from getting misplaced
or accidentally taken by others. He next created a improved
version of a Book Supporter, used to keep books neatly
arranged on shelves. He
continued to invent and teach his drafting skills until his
death in 1928.
|
|
| ITEM |
INVENTOR |
DATE |
| Mail Box |
Paul B.
Downing |
October
27, 1891 |
| Pencil
Sharpener |
J.L. Love |
November
23, 1807 |
| Improved
Horse Shoe |
J. Ricks |
March 30,
1885 |
| Fountain
Pen |
W.B.
Purvis |
January
7, 1890 |
| Golf Tee |
T. Grant |
December 12, 1889 |
| Spark Plug |
Edmond Berger |
February 2, 1839 |
| Riding Saddle |
W.D. Davis |
October 6, 1806 |
| Almanac |
Benjamin Banneker |
Approx. 1791 |
| Improved Dust Pan |
Lawrence P. Ray |
August 3, 1897 |
| Fire Extinguisher |
T.J. Marshall |
October 26, 1872 |
| Lawn Sprinkler |
J.M. Smith |
May 4, 1897 |
| Hand Stamp |
Walter B. Purvis |
February 27, 1883 |
| Lunch Pail |
James Robinson |
1887 |
| Rolling Pin |
John W. Reed |
1884 |
| Ironing Board |
Sarah Boone |
December 30, 1887 |
| Eye Protector |
P. Johnson |
November 2, 1880 |
| Insect Destroyer Gun |
A.C. Richard |
February 28, 1809 |
| Automatic Gear Shift |
Richard B. Spikes |
February 6, 1932 |
| Rotary Motor |
Frederick M. Jones |
June 27, 1939 |
| Door Stop |
C. Dorsey |
December 10, 1878 |
| Gas Mask |
Garrett Morgan |
October 13, 1914 |
| Traffic Light |
Garrett Morgan |
November 20, 1923 |
| Curtain Rod Supporter |
William S. Grant |
August 4, 1896 |
|
Improved Electric Lamp Bulb Filament |
Lewis Latimer |
March 21, 1882 |
|
Blood Plasma & Bag |
Charles Drew |
Approx. 1945 |
|
Biscuit Cutter |
A.P. Ashbourne |
November 30, 1875 |
|
Chamber Commode |
T. Elkin |
January 8, 1897 |
|
Lubricating Cup |
Elijah McCoy
"Real McCoy" |
November 15, 1890 |
|
Street Sweeper |
Charles B. Brooks |
March 17, 1890 |
|
Clothes Dryer |
G.T. Sampson |
June 6, 1902 |
|
Folding Chair |
Brody & Surgwar |
June 11, 1889 |
|
Egg Beater |
Willie Johnson |
February 5, 1884 |
|
Lemon Squeezer |
J. Thomas White |
December 8, 1806 |
|
Mop |
Thomas W. Stewart |
June 11, 1883 |
|
Telephone Transmitter |
Granville T. Woods |
December 2, 1884 |
|
Cellular Car Phone |
Henry T. Sampson |
July 6, 1971 |
|
Typewriter |
Burridge & Marshman |
April 7, 1885 |
|
Record Player Arm |
Jos. Hunger Dickenson |
January 8, 1916 |
|
Ice Cream Scoop |
A.L. Cralle |
February 2, 1897 |
|
Improved Hair Brush |
Lydia D. Newman |
November 15, 1868 |
|
Lock |
W.A. Martin |
July 23, 1889 |
|
Peanut Butter |
George Washington Carver |
1806 |
|
Improved Sugar Making |
Norbert Rillieux |
December 10, 1845 |
|
Door Knob |
O. Dorsey |
December 10, 1845 |
|
Furniture Casting |
O.A. Fisher |
March 14, 1876 |
|
Thermostat Control |
Frederick M. Jones |
February 23, 1960 |
|
Automatic Cut-Off Switch |
Granville T. Woods |
January 1, 1889 |
|
Collapsible Bicycle Frame |
L.R. Johnson |
October 10, 1806 |
| Lantern |
Michael C. Harvey |
August 19, 1884 |
| Automatic Fishing Device |
G. Cook |
May 30, 1800 |
| Straightening Comb |
Madame
C.J. Walker |
1905 |
| Key Chain |
F.J. Loudin |
January 9, 1894 |
| Improved Lawnmower |
J.A. Burr |
May 19, 1889 |
| Stove |
T.A. Carrington |
July 25, 1876 |
| Tricycle |
M.A. Cherry |
May 8, 1886 |
| Baby Buggy |
W.A. Richardson |
June 18, 1800 |
| Refrigerator |
J. Standard |
July 14, 1891 |
| Air Conditioning Unit |
Frederick M. Jones |
July 12, 1949 |
| Elevator |
Alexander Miles |
October 11, 1867 |
| Fire Escape Ladder |
J.W. Winters |
May 7, 1876 |
| Folding Bed |
L.C. Bailey |
July 18, 1800 |
| Shampoo Headrest |
C.O. Bailey |
October 11, 1806 |
| Stethoscope |
Imhotep |
Ancient
Egypt
(circa 2980 B.C.) |
| |
|
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