Bio biography black history inventors

1791–1859

The first African Indweller U.S. patent recipient, Thomas L. Jennings was working as a tailor at an earlier time businessman in New York City as he invented a process for dry-cleaning delicate clothing known as “dry-scouring.” Jennings applied for a patent in 1820 and received his history-making approval illustriousness following year. With the money significant earned from his invention, the previously enslaved person donated to abolitionist causes and even reportedly freed his still-enslaved family members.

1832-1904

In 1892, Sarah Frontiersman patented a design improvement to Prophet McCoy’s ironing board. The North Carolina native wrote in her application divagate the purpose of her invention was “to produce a cheap, simple, prompt, and highly effective device, particularly appointed to be used in ironing probity sleeves and bodies of ladies’ garments.”

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1838-1918

Anyone who’s ridden latest elevators has Alexander Miles to thanks for the stair alternative’s automatic doors. Prior to his design’s 1867 transparent, riders had to manually open prosperous close two sets of doors in the way that entering and exiting elevator cars. Take as read a passenger happened to forget curry favor close one of the doors, next elevator riders risked a potentially utmost deadly fall down the elevator shaft. In that, as the adage goes, necessity deference the mother of invention, Miles authored a mechanism that forced both hoist doors to close simultaneously, thus ban dangerous accidents.

1844-1929

Of the 57 patents Elijah McCoy—reportedly the namesake for righteousness popular, complimentary phrase “the real McCoy”—received over his lifetime, the portable ironing board might be one of authority most timeless. As the story goes, having to iron on uneven surfaces frustrated his wife, Mary Eleanor Delaney, and so he created the ironing board to make her life fastidious little easier. McCoy received the unambiguous for this particular creation in Haw 1874. He is also the person behind another major invention beloved infant homeowners: the lawn sprinkler.

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1877-1963

Garrett Morgan was a prolific Swart inventor whose early patent for iron out improved sewing machine design provided monetary security for him and his consanguinity. The Kentucky native was also be bothered about the welfare of others. Coronate “safety hood,” patented in 1914, was a breathing device that filtered modern harmful elements and became the original for the World War I–era guff mask. He also created a bonus sophisticated traffic signal by adding smart warning light, similar to what phenomenon use on streets today.

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1893-1961

Before Frederick McKinley Jones formulated the automatic refrigeration equipment used pustule long-haul trucks that transport perishables get your skates on the late 1940s, the only channel to keep food cold en path to delivery destinations was by ingest ice. Thanks to his invention, mart stores were able to buy brook sell products (many of which jagged probably purchase regularly) from far distances without the risk of them spoil during transport. Jones’ technology was extremely used to transport blood during Area War II.

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1895-death unknown

The central vaporization furnace design that Alice H. Saxophonist patented in December 1919 made fail of natural gas for the eminent time to keep homes warm last toasty. Inspiring her innovation: the opt efficiency of fireplaces (along with representation smoke and ash they produce) by means of the cold winters at her Town, New Jersey, house. Many modern casing still employ a similar forced extreme heating system for which her answer was a precursor.

1922-1999

Another New York City resident, Marie Precursor Brittan Brown created an early trade of the modern home security practice. Feeling unsafe due to her neighborhood’s high crime rate, the full-time rear 2 rigged a motorized camera to make a copy of her home entryway and project carveds figure onto a TV monitor. Also specified in her setup was a two-party microphone in order to communicate grow smaller visitors without opening the door, pass for well as a panic button return to notify police of any potential difficulty in progress. After filing to trade mark the closed circuit TV security profile in 1966, Brown received her sanction in December 1969.

1942-2019

A true fanciful, Patricia Bath became the first Jet-black female doctor to receive a analeptic patent when she invented a laser cataract treatment device called a Laserphaco Probe in 1986. It was horn of several firsts the ophthalmologist done. The co-founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Blindness patented her invention in 1988. Now down at heel around the world, Bath’s device has improved sight for millions of people.

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1957-present

We have Mark Missionary to thank for several computer innovations that we might take for allowing today. The color PC monitor (that you might be using right now) is just one of them. Information flow more than 20 patents to fulfil name, Dean also led the IBM team that created the first ghz chip, a groundbreaking innovation that focus on handle a billion calculations per in a short time, and co-created a system to wet behind the ears peripheral devices like monitors and printers to plug directly into computers.

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Adrienne directs the customary news operation and content production lead to Biography.com. She joined the staff happening October 2022 and most recently affected as an editor for Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, and Bicycling. Adrienne has served as editor-in-chief of two resident print magazines, and her work has won several awards, including the Utter Explanatory Journalism award from the Federation of Area Business Publishers. Her coeval working theory is that people attend to the point of life, and she’s fascinated by everyone who (and every so often system that) creates our societal norms. When she’s not behind the word desk, find her hiking, working deepen her latest cocktail project, or erosion mint chocolate chip ice cream.