8 Black Inventors You May Not Know

How many black inventors do you know? Blacks have come a long way since the days of slavery. I cannot imagine what my ancestors went through during the time that slavery existed.

Black Inventors

Blacks can read and write. Because of new amendments established blacks are no longer considered property, but rather human beings.

 ***Black History Month***

Reading and Writing

Reading and writing may be something that you take for granted today, because it is free, but during slavery time salve owners wanted their slaves dependent on them by not allowing them to read or write according to history.com. They further added there was a theme to keep the slaves divided so as not to unite; often owners took sexual liberties with the slaves and punished disobedient ones with whippings or lashings. I started reading at age 3. I cannot imagine being told that reading and writing was forbidden for me. When you are young, there is a thirst for knowledge and the unknown.

1965 Amendment to voting rights

Although as I stated earlier Blacks have come a long way since slavery, if you check history en.wikipedia.org. States these provisions were extended for five years in 1970, seven years in 1975, and 25 years in both 1982 and 2006. So 25 years from that date the senate will decide if Blacks still have the right to vote.

Michigan’s Underground Railroad

Did you know that Michigan had an underground railroad to help slaves to freedom? Besides the fact that Josiah W. Begole’s grandparent’s purchased slaves in order to free them geneseehistory.org., states that there are claims that the Begole home was a true stop for slaves on their way to freedom. It is further add that Harriet Begole’s niece who grew up adjacent to the Begole house claims to remember her mother telling her about the Underground Railroad headquarters being in her aunt’s home. Thank God for those that were willing to help others.

Now let’s talk about a few Black inventors that you may or may not know.

 

1. Dr. Gladys West

When you use your GPS (Global Positioning System) daily, do you ever think about who was instrumental in starting this system? I sure wish it was around when I first started driving. I remember my husband nor myself had driven on the highway. We were only 19 -years-old. So we looked at a map to determine our travel to Kentucky to see his mother and other siblings. We traveled I-75. As we approached the Mackinaw Bridge, I told my husband I think we are going the wrong direction. Kentucky is not near this bridge. We sure could have used a GPS system then, because that was really a long trip.

2. George Cook

How many of you have ever been fishing? I love to fish. In 1899, black American inventor George Cook of Louisville, Kentucy, received a United States patent for an “Automatic Fishing Device” (No. 625,829) The next time you cast your fishing line into the waters think about him.

3. Phillip B. Downing (1857-1934)

Philip Bell Downing successfully filed at least five patents with the United States Patent Office. This is according to blackpast.org.  They also added that his most significant inventions were a street letter box (United States Patent numbers 462,092 and 262,093) and on October 27, 1891 his two patents for a street letter box gained approval. This invention would allow for drop off near one’s home and easy pickup-up by a letter carrier. How convenient. How many of you knew that?

4. Frederick M. Jones

Have you ever thought about who invented the air-conditioning that you use in your car or your truck? It is a convenience that you may have become very accustomed to. Lemelson.mit.edu talks about Frederick M. Jones. He invented air-conditioning for cars and trucks. More importantly he invented the first process that enable movie projects to play back recorded sound, making “talking pictures” possible. Who would have thought?

5. Lewis-Nichols, Joseph Latimer

Although you may associate Thomas Edison with the light bulb, did you know that Lewis Latimer was hired by Hiram Maxim at the United States Electic-Company to develop a longer lasting light bulb and with the assistance of his co-inventor Joseph Nichols, improved Edison’s design by making the light bulb more affordable, longer-lasting and accessible to the public by introducing a carbon filament into the bulb’s tube. Bigiplaw.com talks about this and further states that the lamp was patented in September 1881 (United States patent no. 247,097).

6. William B. Purview (1838_1914)

William B. Purview was born in Pennsylvania to Joseph and Sarah Purvis on August 12, 1838, as one of eight children. His grandfather on his mother’s side, James Forten, was a prominent abolitionist. According to Blackpast.org., Purvis sought to improve the transfer of ink within the fountain pen. He designed a mechanism involving an elastic tube connecting the ink reservoir and the tip. In practice the new pen would cause ink to be distributed evenly as the users wrote, preventing ink blots and faded writing. Purvis received United States Patent 419,065 on January 7, 1890, for his invention. Sometimes you may take things for granted such as the ink pen.

7. Bessie Blount (1914-2009)

While working as a physical therapist, Bessie invented devices to help amputees and other wounded soldiers returning from World War II so that they could eat on their own. According to Go.usembassy.gov although their inventions would help many, she struggled to find support tor her ideas and had to go on a Television show to demonstrate her inventions, according to the Nelson-MIT Program, which awards prizes to inventors.

8. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

Do you ever think about who is behind the inventions of the portable fax or the touch tone telephones? Black-inventor.com talks about Sr. Shirley Ann Jackson’s successful experiments in theoretical physics and her knowledge of physics to foster advances in telecommunications research while working at Bell Laboratories. They further added that she conducted breakthroughs that enabled others to invent the portable fax, touch tone telephone, solar cells, fiber optic cables, and the technology behind caller ID and call waiting. How amazing.

What Black Inventors are you able to add to this list? 

Photo Caption: Wikipedia.org.

Sources:

How Literacy Became a Powerful Weapon in the Fight to End Slavery 

Amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

 

https://blackdoctor.org/dr-gladys-west-gps/

Josiah W. Begole

 

Same Passage knowledge Hidden-Knowledge Exposed

 

Philip B. Downing (1857-1934)

 

Frederick Jones Refrigeration Technology

 

Black History Month remembers Lewis H. Latimer

 

William B. Purvis (1838-1914)

 

Black Women Who Changed Our World

 

Famous Black Inventors

https://www.black-inventor.com/dr-shirley-jackson#:~:text=at%20Bell%20Laboratories.-,Dr.,caller%20ID%20and%20call%20waiting.

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