In one of my books “1001 Black Inventions” by Ersky Freeman (1991), I thought it would interesting to list a few of these inventions that have been researched with, accompanied by their patent number. African Americans have been responsible for many great inventions that we still use today.
R.B. Spikes
Automatic transmission
December 6, 1932 – Patent No. 1,889,814
Sarah Boone
The ironing board
April 26, 1892 – Patent No. 473,653
J.T. White
Lemon squeezer
December 8, 1896 – Patent No. 572,849
Elijah McCoy
Lubricating cup for machinery
December 15, 1898 – Patent No. 614,307
(The phrase “The Real McCoy,” derives from people who acknowledged his machines with his lubricating cup over imitators. The world’s machines still run on McCoy’s lubricating system)
J.B. Rhodes
Toilet
December 19, 1899 – Patent No. 639,290
John H. Hunter
Portable scales
November 3, 1896 – Patent No. 570,553
W.B. Purvis
Fountain pen
January 7, 1890 – Patent No. 419,065
Thomas W. Stewart
Mop
June 13, 1893 – Patent No. 499,402
Elbert Cox
Missile launch
August 1, 1967 – Patent No. 3,334,245
(Cox invented the means of setting a detonator after launch; previously, ballistic missiles were set to detonate before launch.)
Garrett A. Morgan
Traffic light
November 20, 1923 – Patent No.1,475,024
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams
Performed first successful heart surgery
March 27, 1893 -Provident Hospital Medical Records in Chicago
Lewis H. Latimer
Method for producing carbon filaments
for electric lights
June 17, 1882
(Latimer made drawings for many of Alexander Graham Bells’ telephone patents. He also worked for the United States Electric Lighting Company, making many significant innovations in the development of electric lighting.)
Madame C.J. Walker and Annie Turnbo Malone Both produced separate lines of hair products for women.
