Black inventors made countless contributions that made America great. Simple everyday practical innovations such as the mop, dustpan, fountain pen, pencil sharpener, eggbeater, tricycle, ironing board, portable fire escape, the golf tee, potato chips, or bread making machine made our daily lives better. Some black pioneers secured patents for their inventions for applications in science, industry, and human life.
The earliest inventor was Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), who was an astronomer and almanac creator. Other blacks followed in diverse fields, including physics, biology, math, and medical space science. Elijah McCoy (1843- 1929) invented fifty products, but the most well known was the graphite lubricator cup that could drip oil when needed on moving parts of steam engines. Other inventors tried to copy his invention, but legend said customers said no, they wanted the “real McCoy.”
James Forten (1766 – 1842) made his fortune by revolutionizing the sail making business. Lewis Latimer (1848 – 1928) perfected the lightbulb with the carbon filament; Garrett Morgan created the traffic signal and the first effective gas mask. In the 20th century, black inventors such as Otis Boykin created resistors for pacemakers; Dr. George Carruthers measured and detected ultraviolet rays; Patricia Bath created a laser surgical device, and Charles Drew was the pioneer of the blood bank.
YAAHA will continue to chronicle the ingenuity and accomplishments of black inventors over the last three centuries by updating lesson plans to profile these pioneers in American history.